Florence, 8th April 2021. The 2021 edition of MIDA – the International Crafts Fair – goes digital, while maintaining the ‘classical’ opening dates, from 24th April to 2nd May 2021.
The event will be held on Emporio MIDA (emporiomida.mostrartigianato.it), the online showcase launched by Firenze Fiera in June 2020 with the objective of supporting the excellence of Italian and international crafts all year long, promoting a match between exhibitors, visitors, and buyers, thanks also to the support of the Fair’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube).
Admission to the digital fair is free and limited to all the exhibitors who already participated in the last two editions of MIDA, as well as to new artisans who will be selected by application form on the website: www.mostrartigianato.it.
This special edition is dedicated to all those who care for the restart and the future of crafts. Crafts are both traditional and innovative, they have always been the pride of Made in Italy all over the world, and they have been deeply affected by the current pandemic and economic crisis. The event will feature a selection of the best artisans presenting their artifacts online, as well as their most representative and innovative creations, waiting for the return of the physical Fair, set to take place with all its inside the exhibiting pavilions and the Monumental Area of the Fortezza da Basso from 23rd April to 1st May 2022 and carrying all its attractive force and emotional charge.
From Saturday, 24th April to Sunday, 2nd May, under the aegis of MIDA – the 85th International Crafts Fair – visitors will be able to register on the Fair website and participate for free in a rich programme of online events, organised with the participation of personalities from the world of institutions, associations, and of culture operators active in the field of beauty and crafts. The platform will offer a kaleidoscope of meetings and conventions, 4.0 exhibitions, virtual guided tours of the ‘Medicean Fortress’ and performances in workshops, insight and entertainment events in co-operation with some of the main cultural institutions of the territory.
CRAFT 4.0 is the name of the exhibition curated by the Architecture Department – Design Campus of the Florence University, presenting a full insight of future scenarios born from the combination of crafts, design, and state-of-the-art technology, declined on five categories: Nature/Work/Mankind/Cultural Heritage /Community.
La Fortezza come non l’avete mai vista (The Fortress As You Have Never Seen It Before) is the initiative curated by Firenze Fiera and Associazione Muse, offering virtual guided tours of the Medicean Fortress (home of the International Crafts Fair since 1978), which will open its doors for an accurate and compelling narration of the history of this monument, showing also the beauty of its most secluded spaces such as the grounds – a path which will be visible again with the restart of live activities, for an unforgettable experience in the depths of the San Giovanni Fortress.
Thanks to the co-operation of the Archive of the Region of Tuscany, offering several photographic panels from the Archival Collection of the Ente Mostra Artigianato, it will be also possible to retrace some of the most significant moments of the exhibition – from its early days, in March 1931, until today.