MINC and the Progresando con Solidaridad program announced the winners of the Crafts and Nativity Scenes contest

MINC and the Progresando con Solidaridad program announced the winners of the Crafts and Nativity Scenes contest
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, December 18, 2012

The Ministry of Culture (MINC) and the Progresando con Solidaridad (Advancing with Solidarity) programof the officeof the VicePresident, announced the winners of the Crafts and Nativity Scenes contest, which was conducted within the framework of the XI National Crafts Fair 2012, and took place in the Columbus Park, this past weekend.

Under the line item Nativity scenes, the first place was awarded to ElvynVictorinoAurich for his “Crèche in Yagua”; OdiliaAlmonte won second place with “Christmas tree with nativity scene”; and the jury awarded third place to Benito Cuevas Franco for his exhibit “Nativity scene”.

In the crafts category, artisan Frank SánchezRobiouwon the first and second places with his artworks”Pezluciérnaga” and “Reflexiónsobre la basura,” both made from recyclable materials. The third place went to artisan Gilberto Pacheco, forhisartwork “Marchanteen coche.”

Under the line item Nativity scenes, the first place was awarded to ElvynVictorinoAurich for his “Crèche in Yagua”; OdiliaAlmonte won second place with “Christmas tree with nativity scene”; and the jury awarded third place to Benito Cuevas Franco for his exhibit “Nativity scene”.

Promoting competitiveness at home and abroad, promoting artisan production, and encouragingartisans to create new designs, were some of the objectives of this contest, which was conducted by the Ministry of Culture through the Cultural Heritage program,and the ProgresandoProgram of the office of the Vice President.

In addition to the three main prizes, the jury awarded honorable mentions to artisans Ana Yris De la Rosa, WilfredoBenjamín,AdalbertoNoble,Luis Ángel Pérez, AlejandroAdalberto, Robert GuerreroMota,andGenaro Reyes (Cayuco), who stood out because of the painstaking skills they demonstrated intheirpieces.

The closing of the fair was chaired by the coordinator of de department of Cultural Heritage, Luis O. Brea Franco; Claudina Valdez, director of Training and Development, ProgresandoProgram of the office of the VicePresident; Luisa Castillo, director of MINC’sCraft Fairs; Valentín Guerrero, director of the National CraftsCenter; and Virginia Roca, president of the jury of the Crafts and Nativity Scenes contest.

Brea Franco highlighted the current role of crafts and their contribution to the economy of the country: “we recognize the undeniable role that crafts play and represent in the economic, social and cultural development of the peoples who base their human and social growth in the development of tourism.”

He said that the Dominican Consortium of Tourism Competitiveness (CDTC for its acronym in Spanish) conducted an impact study with emphasis on the salesbehavior, customer preferences and the quality of the items being offered at the fair. The study was conducted especially for this event and through the Ibero-American Association for Crafts Development and Cooperation (AIDECAfor its acronym in Spanish).

This year’s fair was well received by the public, who took advantage of the opportunity to buy their Christmas gifts while enjoying the artistic attractions that had been carefully prepared by Carmen Durán.