On Friday was made public the resolution of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, through the EOI-Fundesarte, of the fifteen nominees this year 2025 in the call for the Eighteenth Edition of the National Crafts Awards, among which stands out as a finalist the Chair of Crafts of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The candidacy of the Chair, directed by the professor of the Department of Drawing Manuel Martínez Torán, and which is attached to the ETSIADI, was presented with emphasis on those most significant projects that have been developed in its four years of existence, such as the podcast D-Artesanías, which already has 33 episodes broadcast in collaboration with UPV Podcasts; the Crafts and Science Cycle of the UPV, which has held III editions, collaborating with various departments; and small scientific or academic activities that have resulted in exhibitions such as “RDS: 10 years of craftsmanship and design at the UPV” (2022, within the framework of actions of the Valencia Capital of Design), with a synthesis of the work developed in the subject Models and Prototypes Workshop of the School, or “Digital Crafts” (2024). Other more recent initiatives, such as the selection of the audiovisual “Designing the Air” (2024) within the Mostra Internacional de Audiovisuales de Artesanía, or the launch of the UPV microcredential on “Crafting of hot glass products” (2025), are some activities that expand its impact on the different sectors of craftsmanship and its transfer to society.
The Crafts Chair, created during the 2021-22 academic year under the auspices of the General Directorate of Trade, Crafts and Consumption of the Generalitat, and the support of the Crafts Center of the Valencian Community, is nominated for the Award in the category “Promote Public Sector”. The awards ceremony will take place at a gala in Madrid, scheduled for December 17, at the same Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Martínez Torán emphasizes that this nomination is thanks to so many people who have collaborated from inside and outside the university, so that all the initiatives have been developed successfully.
