Waiting for MIDA – the 87th International Crafts Fair – at the Fortezza da Basso, from 25th April to 1st May 2023
Florence, 27th March 2023. Everything is ready for MIDA, the 87th International Crafts Fair, organised by Firenze Fiera in co-operation with the main institutions and trade associations, and taking place at the Fortezza da Basso from 25th April to 1st May 2023.
This exhibition has always been an unmissable event for all those who love ‘savoir-faire’ – an exciting journey to the roots of creativity, with an endless variety of creations and products giving a nod to technological innovation and sustainability, and presented inside the Fortezza by many exhibitors coming from all over Italy and from various countries of the world, who have always been the main attraction for the Fair visitors.
Edition no.87 will be held in conjunction with ABITA, an event fully dedicated to the world of living, offering innovative solutions in the sector of furnishing, sustainable building, design, and greenery. ABITA is organised by Sicrea in co-operation with Confartigianato Firenze, Confesercenti Firenze & CNA Firenze.
It is a great opportunity for visitors, who will be able to visit both the Fairs with the same admission ticket, meeting exhibitors, technicians, and experts of these sectors for an increasingly exhaustive and complete offer – an unmissable event for all those who wish to spend a whole day inside a historical Fortress, amidst a wide range of proposals between ancient know-how and Crafts 4.0.
Many artisan businesses, designers, planners, and young makers will participate in the Fair, reaffirming the attractiveness of MIDA to launch the crafts of future. The real protagonists of this event, they will return to the scene at the Fortezza, presenting not only their secret workshop tricks and alchemies, but also unique and hyper-technological pieces. Their creations will be showcased to an audience of enthusiasts and qualified operators (in 2022, visitors were more than 56,500) on an exhibiting surface of over 25,000 square metres. The keywords? Creativity, beauty, and innovation, for an increasingly green and sustainable future of handmade products – always attractive and in step with the times.
The events programme will be particularly rich, offering exhibitions, conventions, workshops, educational workshops, and live demonstrations, along with the active participation of the global artisan community.
UP TO THE CRAFT – Percorsi Generativi (Creative Paths) will be organised inside the Sala della Volta – an exhibition promoted by Fondazione CR Firenze and curated by its operating entity OMA – Associazione Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte, along with the Department of Architecture of the University of Florence. This selection includes creative paths by artisans, artists, designers, and entrepreneurs, along with highly inclusive and social projects, as well as prototypes by university students, practicing to mix crafts and design according to the principles of reuse and recycling. This exchange of contents allows artisans to innovate their models and to discover new material recycling trends, made according to material tinkering tools and methods, and promoting circular supply chains. Alongside more traditional artifacts, the exhibition will also show experimentations made by students from the bachelor’s degree programme in ‘Product, Interior, Communication and Eco-Social Design’ of the Architecture Department of the University of Florence – included in the seminar MaterialsXdesign – standing as an innovative proposal between crafts and design, and with a special focus on DIY materials. These experimentations fit within the idea of sustainability, and put materials at the heart of projects. Inside the Palazzina Lorenese, from 25th April and throughout the duration of MIDA 2023, a rich programme of free practical-interactive workshops will be available upon reservation for children aged between 6 and 11 (to subscribe go to: https://www.osservatoriomestieridarte.it/apprendisti-di-bottega/)
“W o – M e n a t w o r k – Artisti e Artigiani di Toscana” (Artists and Artisans from Tuscany) is a photographic exhibition created by Stefano Lupi, a professional in the field of audio-visual communication. Inside the Sala dell’Arco, he created this event as a tribute to the whole Tuscany. It is a prestigious event talking about the passion, the art, the genius, the history, and the creativity of a whole territory, along with the industriousness of its people, the story that made it great and unique through the centuries, with the sole purpose of unveiling the work of often unknown men and women, who nonetheless are the driving force and the excellence of a region and of a country. The protagonists will be experienced artists and artisans who, through their faces and speaking inside their own workshops and ateliers, will tell a hundred life stories that deserve to be brought to light in order not to be lost.
Confirming once again the close union between arts, crafts, and collecting, and building on the success of the exhibition Officina Bardini, that took place from 30th September to 20th November 2022 at the Bardini Museum – Officina Bardini in Fortezza will be set up inside the Sala Ottagonale, organized by the Florence Municipality with MUS.E, by the Regional Museums Office of Tuscany and by the University of Florence. The exhibition can be visited with a guided tour every 30 minutes – all those who will book a visit, will receive a reduced online ticket for MIDA at €6 (reservation required: info@musefirenze.it – Ph.: +39 055 2768224).
The purpose is to illustrate through its various stages the working methodology and the complex artisanal and also entrepreneurial system implemented by the Bardinis through an inspiring dialogue between some works belonging to the homonymous Museum and a significant group of documents, photographs, artifacts, and work tools – colours, chisels, gouges, etc. – preserved inside the nearby Palace Mozzi Bardini.
After the success of the past edition, the School Le Arti Orafe (LAO) will set up the exhibition ‘Formazione e oreficeria contemporanea- Gioielli e moda’ (Contemporary Training & Goldsmithing – Jewellery and Fashion) inside the Polveriera. An area entirely dedicated to goldsmith training presenting some works made by LAO students and teachers, offering wide spaces for live demonstrations. The results of a project in collaboration with Accademia Italiana will also be presented, showing clothing created by AI students and jewellery specifically made by LAO students.
Talking about ‘taste’, the attic floor of the Spadolini Pavilion will be set up to host a Show Cooking space curated by Unicoop Firenze on 29th, 30th April and on 1st May, with free tasting and events, and by the Association of Tuscan Chefs on the remaining days of the Fair (25th,26th,27th and 28th April).
USEFUL INFO:
Opening Times: 25th – 29th – 30th April and 1st May: 10:00/22:00 – 26th-27th -28th April: 10:00/20:00
Outdoor dining areas: open every day from 10:00 to 22:00 (with free admission on 26th– 27th -28th April from 20:00 to 22:00).
Admission ticket: Full price: € 7.00
Reduced price: Members of UNICOOP.FI and of CAN & CONFARTIGIANATO (valid on 26th, 27th and 28th April): € 5.00