UNESCO Creative Cities of Crafts & Folk Art Annual Meeting 2017

Paducah hosted UNESCO Creative Cities representatives and special guests for the first annual meeting of the Crafts & Folk Art sub-network, September 24-27, 2017.

Delegates converged from 8 cities of Crafts & Folk Art representing four continents: Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia; Fabriano, Italy; Hangzhou, China; Icheon, Republic of Korea; Nassau, Bahamas; Paducah, USA; San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. U.S. Creative Cities Iowa City (Literature) and Austin (Media Arts) also attended along with representatives of three UNESCO Candidate Cities: Cararra, Italy (Crafts & Folk Art); Kansas City, USA (Music); and Lexington, USA (Literature).

View the Paducah Meeting Recap: UNESCO Creative Cities' Paducah Fingerprints here!

The meeting featured plenary sessions with national and international expert speakers, Creative Field workshops and hands-on study tours around three themes:

• Creative Cities & Tourism Opportunities
• Economic Development & Urban Revitalization Using Arts & Culture
• Education, Institutions & Natural Resources for Sustainable Economic & Cultural Development

Paducah artist Kijsa Housman graphically recorded Creative Field Workshops led by Dr. Maurizio Carta to create an actionable roadmap for a future built on creativity. See that colorful visualization here.

View the Flickr photo gallery of the Paducah meeting below featuring images of the event by Glenn Hall Photography!

Learn more about Paducah's Creative City designation through the Paducah Life Magazine UNESCO booklet here!

• Paducah Hosted the First Annual UNESCO Creative Cities of Crafts and Folk Art Annual Meeting - UNESCO
• Where You'd Least Expect Them - PCMA Convene
• Paducah, Kentucky Shares Secret to Creative Culture with the World - Kentucky City
• UNESCO Creative Cities: The Paducah Edition - GoUNESCO
• We Welcomed the World! - Paducah Life Magazine
• Paducah Crafts & Folk Art Cluster Conference - Creative Nassau Radio
• Creative Nassau Solidifies the Bahamas Presence in the Global Arena - National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
• Mayor of Paducah, USA, congratulated Al Ahsa and appreciated her position in the field of handicrafts - Alyaum Saudi Daily Newspaper
• UNESCO Creative Cities of Crafts & Folk Art Annual Meeting - American Quilter's Society Quilt Chat Live
• UNESCO: Hear from Delegates & City Officials - Paducah 2
• UNESCO: Hear from Guest Panelists - Paducah 2
• UNESCO: Hear from Paducah Panelists - Paducah 2
• Lexington Learns Lessons in Paducah on Lending Literary Heritage to UNESCO Network - WKMS
• Creative vibe helps Paducah thrive, drawing tourists to crafty Kentucky town - Chicago Tribune

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