Expectation is mounting for MIDA, Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato, the first certified B2C crafts fair in Italy, which is now in its 88th edition and will be held at Florence’s Fortezza da Basso from April 25 to May 1.
“MIDA, Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato, which celebrates its 88th anniversary this year, represents a sort of metaphorical backbone of our company,” explains Lorenzo Becattini, president of Firenze Fiera. “In 1988, the Tuscany Region entrusted the event’s management to Sogese, which was the organizing association until December 1998, when the latter was incorporated into Firenze Expo & Congress SpA, which is now Firenze Fiera SpA.”
“Crafts, which the then Mayor of Florence, Giorgio La Pira, called ‘poetry made work’ in an open letter to artisans published in local newspaper La Nazione on April 24, 1952, and which is currently represented by 100,000 businesses and 245,000 professionals in Tuscany, is one of the strategic assets of Made in Italy,” continued Becattini. “MIDA 2024, which is ISO 20121-certified as a sustainable event, strives to add value to this segment by displaying nationwide leaders alongside artisans from around the world.”
Fairs + conferences within the fair
New for 2024 is a focus on contemporaneity with the ninth edition of Salone dell’Arte e del Restauro, Italy’s leading fair in the fields of conservation, restoration and promotion of global artistic heritage that will be held in the striking spaces of the Monumental Area at the Fortezza da Basso and will involve the participation of the Ministry of Italian Culture, in addition to companies, associations and all the most important organizations associated with the world of cultural heritage. The international conference FLORENCE HERI-TECH – The Future of Heritage Science and Technologies is set to be one of the highlights of the fair, attracting academics, researchers and experts in the sciences and technologies applied to the restoration of cultural heritage.
Plus, edition number 88 of MIDA will be held at the same time as ABITA, the contemporary living fair, organized by Sicrea Srl in the Arsenale Pavilion.
Promoting international + Italian artistic crafts
The Cavaniglia Pavilion will be hosting once more projects selected to promote international artistic crafts, starting with Tuscany. The Historical Archives of the Tuscany Region, in collaboration with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Archives and the organizational support of Artex, will hold an event focused on master artisans for the performing arts with the presentation of historical artifacts from the Maggio Musicale Archive, with special reference to what was exhibited during the Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato in 1942.
Based on the success of recent editions, in collaboration with Scuola le Arti Orafe (LAO), the 2024 edition of MIDA will feature an entire area about jewellery training in the Polveriera, where student works will be presented alongside the teaching staff, who will demonstrate innovative techniques.
In terms of international craftsmanship, thanks to a synergy with the Chamber of Commerce of Sharjah, new trends in contemporary jewellery will be represented by six young women designers from the United Arab Emirates, while the centuries-old charm of Chinese handicrafts will be revived through the attendance of Zhejiang Natural Creations Cultural Creations Co. Ltd.
Reiterating the nexus of art, crafts and collecting (and following on from last year’s success), the Officina Bardini in Fortezza exhibition is held in the Sala Ottagonale, which is promoted and organized by Comune di Firenze and MUS.E, Direzione Regionale Musei della Toscana, Museo e Galleria Mozzi Bardini, and the University of Florence, in collaboration with MIDA.
Eating well at MIDA
No fair in Florence is complete with some really delicious food, which is why a cooking show space is being set up in the attic of the Spadolini pavilion for the second year running. Managed by the Unicoop Firenze supermarket chain, free demonstrations and tastings of Italy’s finest speciality foods will take place on April 27 and 28 as well as May 1.
MIDA, Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato takes place from April 25 to May 1 at the Fortezza da Basso. Open daily 10am-8pm.
MIDA, Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato is promoted and organized by Firenze Fiera, in collaboration with leading institutions and trade associations.
