The tradition of Umbrian craftsmanship constitutes a fundamental part of the history of Italian cities: everything that means “Made in Italy” today is in some way the result of the life, work and know-how that take place in artisan workshops. In these spaces, a whole series of unwritten teachings aimed at creating pieces have been implemented for centuries; pieces that are an expression of a unique mixture of art, technique, geophysical characteristics, history and landscape of the territory to which they belong. Referring to artisan workshops, therefore, we speak of a particular type of workshop, which is not only the space where the tout-court sale of the object is carried out, but is also a workshop, in which creating allows the artisan to express and pass on the technical knowledge an atelierin which manual skill turns into knowledge, and technique into an art recognized by its own uniqueness.

Mechanization and digitization have made production processes immediate and easily reproducible, to the obvious detriment of creative originality. In the workshops, on the contrary, an ever-increasing ancient knowledge, of which only a few know the secrets, continues to be silently handed down. Therefore, the figure of the craftsman in the contemporary world seems to take shape as a kind of initiate to a mysterious art: so as to not get lost in the age of its technical reproducibility, it needs to be handed down, protected and spread. With this desire, the Cultural Association was established in 2009 in the historic center of Perugia with the name“Botteghe artigiane del centro storico”an association of artisans that works for the protection and dissemination of craftsmanship in its most extensive and evolved form, and, thanks to the work of president Maria Antonietta Taticchi and members, to showcase the artistic craft activities of Perugia as heritage of the territory..

In its programmatic intentions, the Articity Association provides impetus to the crafts located especially within the historic center (which has an exceptional historical-artistic importance) with the awareness of wanting to spread, protect and promote the tradition, the manual skills and the products of craftsmen in a particularly representative context.
Hence, in keeping with the Manifesto of Artistic Craftsmanship and the International Charter of Artistic Craftsmanship, the Association actively seeks the support of universities, technical schools, trade associations, and institutions. The goal is to become an integral part of actions and projects which lead to the study of the new artistic artisan reality inserted within the contemporary context train new generations so that they may approach crafts and the understanding of the know-how: know-how of design, the know-how to conceive and to the organize conferences, seminars, exhibitions, events for an improved and effective communication regarding this sector which are so important for the growth of the city.

“Artisan businesses are the result of a centuries-old artistic and productive tradition, rooted in the territories of origin and difficult to replicate elsewhere. At the same time, they are bearers of universal values as their work is attentive to design, project, and history” (International Charter of Artistic Craftsmanship, Florence, 2009).