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European leather art and craft right now.

Pictures from the great leather art and craft arrangement in Shenzhen in China have this summer gone over the facebook screen. But in Europe is it not so funny by the time. It’s clear that it not will be any ELWATS (= European Leather Worker and Artists Trade Show) this year. An even if this years Al Stohlman award winner came from Europa, for the first time in history, can it not cover over the fiasco European leather art and craft is in and have been in fore a long time concerning the organizsation. I hope the organizers of the European arrangement in Firminy will take the time to publish a statement about the absence so it not get object fore unwholesome speculations. It would besides be political democratic – fore a arrangement as looks to have the businesslike  for the eye. It could also be with on to trow a light on  European leather art and craft – as tell something about what is right – and what is wrong –  seen from a standing place fore a arrangement fore leather art and craft – on background of the experience as already  is done. Like that will not the experience get lost – they are important to take care of – also inside of the future if it should be the same problem concerning make a arrangement. But in the contemporary time could it help to constructive speculations fore the individual artist/crafters own thought about European leather art and craft. It’s said that the arrangement in Firminy perhaps will be back in 2018. But you wonder on if the road to a new  European arrangement will be equal long as it took from Leather 2000 in Waalijk in Holland to Firminy in 2015, the first year it was arranged; it took 15 years. And as fare as I could see in Firminy in 2015 was it, besides some american crafter/artists only very few artists/crafters as partisipated 15 years earlier  on Leather 2000 in Holland. It means that it was very few who was able to think that this two different arrangement should have something common. But they was both European arrangement. One of the experience from Leather 2000 i Waalijk in Holland was that it not would be possible to arrange  the arrangement without the European union Leeder Guilde as in many ways tied up crafters and artists around in Europe, USA and  the East until its flaue sorti in 2003. And it can only be hypotetic answers to the qustions how the arrangement in Firminy could have been or be developed if Leeder Guilde had contiued its work in Europe between interested of leather art and craft on all different levels on this 15 years as is gone. In Firminy, in spite that it was a European arrangement – was it a type  arrangement over a american last – where the french company Logis des Cordes and the american magazin The Leather Crafter and Saddlers Journal tried to make a european leather art and craft show with, in main point, except from some french artist/crafters, american leather crafters and artists. The american contribution was in much the engine in the arrangement where also parts of the american leather art and craft industry partisipated and had interest of such arrangement. When you try to understand why it not are any arrangement this year – so is it easy to point on that the profit not have been as it was expected. But it can also be compeared with a car seller as try to sell a used car without engine. When the show was over and the americans travelled home with theier magazin, crafters, artists and trade moved also the engine out of a European leather art and craft as could have draw it in a direction of a yearly  gathering around a leather art and craft arrangement in Europe. And that is what the problem are in european leather art and craft. It has not a engine as is able to to keep the business going  as a common  european phenomen . Instead is european leather art and craft divided up in french, english, spanish, german or italian leather art and craft. And the only as Europé not exist fore is the europans themself. On the other hand since it’s reasonable to belive that the industry not was satesfied with the profit it get out of the arrangement in Firminy so is it also reasonable to belive that it was coming to few interestet to the arrangement. Even if it had good comodities in all joints and top teachers in the classes a courses.  It was not enough to generate enough interestet of such show and by that money enough  to keep the arrangement going. It cost quit much to arrange a american/european leather worker and artist trade show.  Some of the reason fore  the support around the arrangement was probably in the promoting of the show. The mass media was almost absent. The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal wrote about it. And you could see some notices on Facebook. But both places was it only very few european leather artists/crafters as wrote something about the arrangment, except from the french artists/crafters as had been part of the arrangement. And that do not stay in relation to the number of european crafters/artists as partisipated on Leather 2000 15 years ealyer. Or to the number as in the years from Leather 2000 to Firminy  2015  have partisipated on leather art and craft courses around in Europe. It have been many smiling faces to see from all this courses . But this do not tell any about the abandon from  leather  art and craft in Europe. As: if you should use the hypotetic answer the  absence of this years arrangement in Firminy give, must be quite large!. In Scandinavia is it calculated with a abandon up to 80-90 % for courses related to leather art and craft. It’s is probably no so very different in Europe. But without any concrete material or numbers can it only be speculation about what is the fact. And as longest you can fill up with new partisipants on courses will the abandon from them not be seen. And European leather art and craft can appear as a sucess. But when you try to make a european arrangement get it obvious that something is wrong. Any trade, as operate with a number on 80-90 % abandon is condemn to go under,………so also the leather trade. The only way to get out of such mud on is to start in the realistic end of the problem – it is to put a european engine in the european wagon, who can pull the loot.