Miguel Ángel Torres Ferreras wins Spain’s 2024 Artisan of the Year Award
On December 7, 2024, the seventeenth edition of the 2024 National Crafts Awards was held in the Ministry of Industry and Tourism’s auditorium. The event brought together artisan finalists from all over the country in recognition of relevant actors of Spanish national crafts who, with their work, make the sector a driver of economy, employment, and innovation, and give added value to the prestige of Spain. The individuals and entities received their awards from the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, the Secretary of State for Industry, Rebeca Torró, the Director General of the School of Industrial Organisation (EOI), José Bayón; the Secretary General of the EOI, Mónica Bando, and the Financial Director of EOI, Carmen Ruiz.
For Jordi Hereu, the artisan sector in Spain is internationally renowned. It has increased its competitiveness through innovation, Information and Communication Technology, and a more commercial-oriented approach. In addition, the minister highlighted the close collaboration between the Autonomous Communities and the alliance between the public and private sectors as a driving force for promoting artisanship in Spain.
There are five categories of awards: National Award, Product Award, Entrepreneurship Award, Promociona Award for Private Entities, and Promociona Award for Public Entities.
National Award
Miguel Ángel Torres Ferreras, an artisan from La Rambla, Córdoba has more than 40 years of experience in his craft. His work stands out for his evolution from traditional pottery to contemporary ceramics. His work is notable for innovation in ceramic techniques and commitment to sustainable processes. Generational change has strengthened the Torres Ferreras brand; his children have integrated new ideas and creative perspectives, offering exclusive pieces that combine functionality, design, and high quality.
Product Award
Raúl Mouro won for his Piel de Mouro collection. It shows the essence of the raw material in his creations, notable for highlighting the texture and “skin” of ceramics by exploring the limits of the wheel. His pieces, which combine artisan tradition with a contemporary vision, are reborn from fragments of familiar objects recovered and dated through archaeological excavations, thus offering a dialogue between the past and innovation.
Entrepreneurship Award
Laura Siles Ceballos won for her project Mutur Beltz, an initiative that integrates textile artisanship, sustainability, and cultural innovation. Her work ranges from research into the native wool of the Carranza Valley to the design and development of textile products that include sculptural pieces, fashion, and technical and artistic accessories. Mutur Beltz is a reflection of her commitment to sustainability, excellence, and the modernization of local craftsmanship, uniquely fusing tradition and contemporary design.
Promotion Award for Private Entities
The Escuela de Herreros Ramón Recuero (Ramón Recuero Blacksmith School) in Toledo won for the creation of a school dedicated to training young people in the traditional blacksmith trade. This initiative seeks to address the lack of educational offerings in the sector and ensure generational change, promoting learning through in-person and online courses, specialized advice, as well as the creation of contemporary pieces and designs that combine tradition and innovation.
Promotion Award for Public Entities
ETURIA, a public organization for the Promotion of Tourism and Crafts of Castilla-La Mancha for its brand Legado Artesano, promotes and makes visible the quality crafts of the region and protects the legacy of some 700 artisans and 71 active trades, thus facilitating a collective identity that combines tradition and modernity. ETURIA has disseminated the brand through strategies that include participation in national and international markets and the creation of synergies with sectors such as fashion, design, and architecture. In so doing, it is strengthening the global presence of artisanship from Castilla-La Mancha while contributing to local development and job creation in rural areas.
About Fundesarte
Since 1981, Fundesarte is an organization for the promotion and development of Spanish craft companies. It seeks to enhance, value and communicate the quality of the artisan product and the sustainability of its production processes through promotional initiatives, among which the National Crafts Awards and the European Crafts Days stand out. Fundesarte is part of the School of Industrial Organization (EOI), a public foundation attached to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
Learn more about the event and winners on the Fundesarte website.
Read about previous winners: Álvaro M. Leiro wins Spain’s 2023 Artisan of the Year Award and José Luis Bazán is Awarded Spain’s Prestigious National Crafts Award for 2021.
Images by Pablo Morquecho (Rod & Cone Cooperative) courtesy of EOI-Fundesarte.