Crafted Vancouver

Crafted Vancouver is a registered, not-for-profit, independent organization showcasing a curated programme of events related to craftsmanship and craft-based work under the Crafted Vancouver umbrella.

The festival brings together people who make, feature or sell fine craft and craft appreciators who want to experience and learn about craft in smaller settings and intimate encounters.

Launched in 2018, the festival features exceptional contemporary and traditional craftsmanship and craft-based work from a selection of local, national and international makers, the unknown and the celebrated.

Crafted Vancouver and our Event Partners are dedicated to highlighting  skilled contemporary craft based work, both locally and globally, including the work of indigenous peoples and other cultural groups whose members continue to honour traditional craft making practices handed down through the ages, here in our city, and in the global exchange of craft through the ages.

We’re a small team of craft enthusiasts, curators, advisors and volunteers who see a tremendous opportunity to revive our culture’s appreciation for quality goods and reconnect with those who make, feature or sell fine craft.

Our passion for supporting fine craft is contagious. We’re thrilled to share exceptional craftsmanship and craftspeople, a behind-the-scenes look at their process and the beautiful objects that result.

For 25 days in May we organize an annual festival celebrating multiple craft disciplines in a fresh festival format.

We let everyone know about Crafted Vancouver by publishing and distributing thousands of copies of a beautiful, tactile Programme Guidebook each festival year.

We fly banners down our city streets and custom design advertising on our city buses.

Festival events take place at multiple venues, including studios, galleries and businesses across Metro Vancouver over the course of the 25-day festival.

Collectively, we are cultivating an appreciation and demand for handcrafted quality. Your participation is an opportunity to engage in this city-wide celebration, helping to further this objective over 25 days each May.

Using our tagline “Made To Be Discovered” as inspiration, we, along with our many partners set out to create a programme that leads us down unexpected paths and supports the ongoing vitality of craft in our communities. Presenting fine craftsmanship in a fresh festival format, our aim is to celebrate unique pieces in smaller quantities with greater meaning. This allows event partners and participants to engage in meaningful, slow-paced discourse.

Benefit from inclusion in the Crafted Vancouver Programme guidebook. We produce thousands of copies of our collector quality Programme Guidebook, listing each event in detail and distributed during April to select locations throughout Metro Vancouver. The Guidebook has a shelf life long after each festival. Each Event Partner receives 100 copies for their own distribution. For an additional fee we offer a limited number of Advertising Space  to those Event Partners who would like to be featured in a more prominent way during the festival.

For a closer look, check out our May 2018 events and Event Partners in the Programme Guidebook here.

Likewise, each event and Event Partner from previous and current festivals is featured in detail on the CraftedVancouver.com website. Each Event Partner receives a dedicated webpage with the ability to update images and text, allowing participants an easy and efficient means of follow-up during and after the festival. Over time this archive becomes a valuable resource for collectors and craft appreciators and from anywhere in the world.

Events Partners receive coverage on Crafted Vancouver’s social media channels and newsletter. We provide press access to your images and we work with our strategic partners to cross-promote your event with the goal of increasing attendance.

Richard Olak Media provide filmmaking expertise during the festival to compile events into a short film of festival highlights. We engage professional and volunteer photographers to provide event coverage which we use in our newsletters, social media channels and other promotional materials.

Crafted Vancouver hosts two networking opportunities for our Event Partners:

• The Pre-Festival Mixer in April for Event Partners only
• The Festival Opening Reception in May where Event Partners in attendance are introduced to an audience of festival participants

Crafted Vancouver engages with marketing professionals and media partners during each festival year.

Highlights from our 2018 marketing campaign include:

• Production of introductory film about festival by Vancouver’s Richard Olak Media
• Meet the press event along with select group of Event Partners
• April 26th cover of The Georgia Straight
• “Introducing Crafted Vancouver” presentation at annual Canadian Crafts Federation conference in Toronto, Ontario
• Editorial coverage in The Georgia Straight, The Vancouver Sun, Montecristo Magazine, Scout Magazine, Western Living Magazine, Vancouver is Awesome, NUVO Magazine, Ming Pao Canada, Rise Weekly, North Shore News
• Two CBC’s North by Northwest radio interviews by Sheryl MacKay with Event Partners
• Advertisements in The Vancouver Sun, The Georgia Straight, Studio Magazine, Arts-BC Guide, Western Living Magazine, Vancouver Magazine, Capture Photography Fest Guide, Tourism Vancouver, Destination BC
• Day sponsor at BC Arts Council annual convention
• Ads on city buses during months of April/May
• Street Banners on West Georgia Street during month of May
• Dedicated Ads and daily postings on our social media channels

Yes!

TIMELINE REVIEW

• As a reminder:
  • Deadline Extension for Programme Proposals: December 16, 2018
  • Receive Confirmation from Crafted Vancouver: January 3, 2019
  • Deadline for Ad Submission: January 3, 2019

As a small non-profit organization run by volunteer staff we rely on submission fees to help defray the considerable cost of organizing and promoting a craft festival. Fees help cover the cost of venues, the Programme Guidebook and our promotional campaign.

If any fees are a barrier to participating in Crafted Vancouver please contact us by sending a message to [email protected].

There are more than one way to participate as an Event Partner during Crafted Vancouver and different fees apply depending on your choices. Plan your own Independent Event, participate in a Crafted Vancouver hosted Signature Event, or a combination of both.

Independent Events should include one or more of the following: demonstrations, exhibitions, film viewings, guided walks and studio tours, workshops, talks & presentations, dining and tasting opportunities, showcasing an outstanding gallery, shop or building and behind-the-scenes look at famous brands.

We are most interested in creative, unusual, fun, innovative and surprising ways meant to appeal to and cultivate interest and appreciation of fine craft and craftsmanship between skilled craftspeople, the dedicated collector, buyers and other craft experts and appreciators, including new audiences.

2019 Independent Event Information + Fees

Choose from two Independent Event levels (Standard or Premium Level)

Standard Event Partner features ($250) include:

• Official participation status in Crafted Vancouver
• Free standing sign or logo vinyl for window that identifies your studio, gallery, association or business as a Crafted Vancouver Event Partner
• Ability to promote event for marketing and publicity
• 100 copies of the Programme Guidebook delivered prior to festival
• Maximum 200 word description of event in Programme Guidebook
• An Event Listing on CraftedVancouver.com during the festival
• An archived individual webpage including images and links on CraftedVancouver.com that festival attendees and website visitors can refer to pre and post festival
• Option to participate in Meet the Makers for no additional fee
• Option to purchase ad space in Programme Guidebook at a discounted rate
• 2 tickets to the Pre-Festival Mixer in April for Event Partners and Sponsors only, our main pre-festival networking event connecting you with fellow festival participants and sponsors
• 2 tickets to the Festival Opening Reception in May, where Event Partners in attendance are introduced to an audience of festival participants

Premium Event Partner features ($375) include:

• All of the above plus
• Guaranteed image in Programme Guidebook to accompany event description
• Festival event coverage in monthly newsletter continuing with select coverage from June 2019 – March 2020 on your post-festival events (e.g. open studio, exhibition, selling events).

Signature Events are events hosted by Crafted Vancouver.

You can participate in a Signature Event on its own or in combination with your own Independent Event(s).

2019 Signature Events Information + Fees

Crafted Interiors
$750

• If you would like to host an Independent Event (Standard Level) in addition to your participation in Crafted Interiors, your participation fee in Crafted Interiors allows you this option at no additional cost.
• If you would like to host an Independent Event (Premium Level) in addition to your participation in Crafted Interiors an additional fee of $125 will be applied (Crafted Interiors + Premium Partner $875).

Meet the Makers
$50

• Your participation in an Independent Event (Standard or Premium Level) allows you the option to participate in Meet the Makers at no additional cost.

REEL Crafted Film Festival
$10 Submission Fee

Spotlight On Mexico
Fees determined on an individual basis.

International Workshops + Talk Series
Fees determined on an individual basis.

Crafted in the City
$50 Participation Fee

Crafted in the Valley
Fees determined on an individual basis

Application to Crafted Vancouver is open to events related to craftsmanship and craft-based work; those who make, feature or sell fine craft. Our event partners include:

• Individual Craftsperson or Collaboration of craftspeople of traditional, contemporary or indigenous craft
• Galleries, museums & institutions
• Craft guilds, organizations and associations
• Craft & design educational institutions
• Cultural organizations
• Luxury houses
• Independent shops and department stores
• Collectors
• Scholars
• Curators
• Embassies
• Writers,
• Restaurants, chefs and other regional producers of food & beverage.

Our events include a range of activities aimed primarily at both a local and international audience. Events typically take place in intimate settings and encounters.

Please note:
Event submissions are not subject to jury evaluation, but they must meet Crafted Vancouver’s basic criteria to be included in programming. See content criteria below.
Many different formats feature craft, we’re happy to say, however, annual fundraisers, craft market-style stalls, craft crawls and trade shows intended for larger audiences are not in the spirit and style of Crafted Vancouver.

Curation of festival events looks at one or more of the following criteria.

• Authenticity
• Craftsmanship
• Originality
• Territory
• Tradition
• Competence
• Innovation
• Exceptional
• Inspirational

Crafted Vancouver’s mandate is to feature a wide variety of craft disciplines during each festival. During the application process you will be asked to choose from a long list of craft discipline options.

Many of the Crafted Vancouver events are free of charge to our attendees. Some events such as workshops or talks may have a fee attached. There is space in the Submission Form to outline your proposal including proposed fees.

Attendees are required to reserve space as most events are small in scale and space is usually limited. Unless other arrangements are made, Crafted Vancouver organizes events through Eventbrite and collects fees on behalf of our Event Partners. Depending on scope, in some cases a small fee to cover administrative work may be necessary.

Absolutely!

Enquire about Volunteer opportunities before and during the festival by emailing us here.

Learn about the Crafted Advisory Team (CAT) here.

We enthusiastically welcome Sponsorship Enquiries.

Find out how to advertise in the 2019 Programme Guidebook here.

Crafted Vancouver is always exploring new ways to increase community engagement with our programming. Please email ideas or comments to [email protected]

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