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Artisans get support through project

Helping local artisans bring their products to market is the purpose of the newly established Enterprising Artisans Project.

The project is a grass-roots initiative brought forward by Nadina Community Futures, the Chief Louie Paddle Company and Rio Tinto Alcan. Using funds donated in part from REDI — BC, a Community Futures of BC Initiatve and the Nechako-Kitimaat Development Fund, they’ll be working with artisans from Southside, Burns Lake, Granisle, Topley, Houston and Smithers to efficiently market their items.

The idea originated with the Chief Louie Paddle Company, a social enterprise owned and operated by the Cheslatta Carrier Nation. They were looking at means to efficiently market their wares, as well as gain access to International markets, and so they developed the Enterprising Artisans Project to unite all artisans who were facing the same challenges.

The project focuses on the specific potential of the local artist. Initial stages of the project will explore the local art industry, as well as determining how many local artists there are in the region. As such, they’ll be looking for interested artisans who would like to take part in the project that will also be looking at quality, production, and product potential.

They will also be conducting a market analysis for the demands for various types of art.

Gathering artisans together to create an advisory group is critical to the project as they will guide future development and process in the creation of a common brand and online distribution portal.

Interested persons can check out the Nadina Community Futures’ website, www.cfnadina.ca, or they can contact the project coordinator, Andrea Newell, at 250-845-2522 or send her an email at andrean@cfnadina.ca.