Thursday, December 21, 2006

ROAD TOWN, BVI: The Caribbean Artisan Network and the British Virgin Islands Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association (BVICCHA) will host the largest artisan festival of its kind in the British Virgin Islands from March 10-17, 2007.

Next year, the Caribbean Arts and Craft Festival will move to key locations around the BVI, from three days of showcasing art, pottery and outdoor sculpture on the popular yachting anchorage at Trellis Bay on Beef Island to venues in Road Town, Cane Garden Bay, Virgin Gorda, and for the first time, Jost Van Dyke.

The Festival offers artisans throughout the Caribbean an opportunity to display, sell and demonstrate their crafts. At this year’s event, 12 different countries participated, attracting more than 50 of the region’s top artisans to "Natures Little Secrets". What attracts artisans, officials say, are access to the BVI’s vibrant marketplace and the priceless networking opportunities created by interaction with other craft producers.

The Caribbean Artisan Network is a four-year old regional organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Caribbean Arts and Crafts. By creating links between artisans, the Network strengthens the production of traditional and innovative Caribbean crafts though educational workshops, marketing initiatives and skill preservation efforts. The Network is dedicated to increasing the commercial viability of crafts and helps preserve the Caribbean’s cultural identity.

The British Virgin Islands Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association (BVICCHA) is the largest civil society organization in the BVI. With more than 250 members, BVICCHA actively represents the business community and hotel sector both locally and internationally. Some of its key community projects include the Spring Regatta, BUYBVI Trade Show, Junior Achievement, Right Start programs, and the culinary program.

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