Below are the primary conclusions from the conference in the four thematic areas: the institutional recognition of craft, the integration of technology, the role of collaboration, and the sector’s potential to address contemporary societal challenges. These core findings directly confirm the strategic necessity of the advocacy efforts and will provide a valuable narrative for the ECA Advocacy Activities.
1. Craft Deserves More Credit and Support
A central theme of the conference was the significant disparity between the craft sector’s societal value and its formal recognition. Speakers consistently highlighted that while craft functions as a serious economic driver for industries ranging from tourism to local innovation, it is frequently marginalized by policymakers and cultural institutions.
This perceived neglect is not merely anecdotal. Tonje Kjellevold noted the case of the National Museum in Oslo, where the former Museum for Crafts and Industry was absorbed into a new body. “Somehow the Kuntindustri is lost from the name,” she explained. “I mean the objects are still there, the collection is still there… but the name is gone” (2:48:00). This subtle omission signifies a broader institutional devaluing of the discipline. The issue is widespread, as Maj Sandell affirmed: “You can say Swedish design and it’s ‘oh that’s a good thing’ and you say Swedish crafts and ‘what is that?’ So we have to tell what it is and why it’s important” (58:27).
Despite these challenges, the suggested course was mobilisation. Rosa Muñoz issued a direct challenge to the sector:
“Why don’t we start speaking about crafts-driven innovation? … I believe that the vision and the capacity of the craft professionals is perfect to envision new ways of doing things and to contribute to innovation in a broad sense of the word.” (26:06)
The key point was that the sector must transition from a passive stance to one of active self-definition and advocacy.
2. Combining Traditional Skill and New Technologies
The conference dispersed the conventional dichotomy between tradition and technology, focusing instead on their synthesis. The most innovative contemporary work integrates deep material knowledge with advanced digital tools.
Digital weaver Kristina Austi breaks the misconception that technology is a shortcut. On the contrary – it acts as an amplifier of complexity. “People think okay, digital weaving, so you just push the button and things happen,” she said. “No, this is not the case. It’s thousands of years of knowledge in weaving combined with all this new technology… So, it’s even more complex” (2:06:46).
This conception of technology as a collaborative partner, rather than a replacement for manual skill, was further mentioned by designer Raquel Buj, who described her 3D printer as simply “another hands” (2:17:12) to be integrated within a hands-on process. Historian Christina Zetterlund provided historical context, where this innovative spirit is inherent to craft. The renowned “Graal glass technique”, she said, was “not an innovation of the designer but actually of the glass worker… an innovation that took place in the glass worker’s own time” (1:15:05).
3. Collaboration Makes Us Stronger
The vital role of collaboration emerged as one of the core principles for the craft sector’s vitality. Since crafts are a field composed predominantly of small studios, businesses and individual craftspeople, networks represent essential infrastructure for knowledge exchange, political advocacy, and collective strength.
“It is really when we join forces that we can make a meaningful impact,” stated Hege Veronica Henriksen (4:37). The Nordic Network of Craft Associations was presented as a prominent example of this principle. The network facilitates joint projects and also engages in strategic political lobbying.
Lise Stang Lund shared an inside: “That’s one of the oldest tricks in the books to say that the others have it and the others are better than you. So, you should be inspired and do the same. That’s a good way to do it.” (52:46)
This collective strategy provides the associations with a “stronger voice” (Helle Dyrlund Severinsen, 51:47), and the collaborative model is replicable. Due to digital tools (such as Zoom), they can be replicated in a low-cost, high-impact way in other regions and contexts.
4. Craft as a Solution for Contemporary Challenges
The conference framed craft not as a relic, but a vital resource for addressing contemporary challenges, especially in relation to sustainability and social cohesion.
Discussions about sustainability also focused on the inherent wisdom in craft-based production models, where the approaches extend beyond the use of sustainable materials, but rather to fundamentally different ethos of making.
Christina Zetterlund: “We want to form a project that alters the idea that innovation of sustainable technologies are solely finding in labs at engineering schools but also with the ingenuity of crafts and the depth of wisdom in historical knowledges.” (1:25:39)
Furthermore, craft was identified as a strong force for fostering social cohesion. The shared, tactile act of making provides a universal language that can mitigate division. Zetterlund‘s closing reflection on this:
“I think that the humbleness of craft… craft has a backdoor into communities… using that backdoor in order to open up where the walls are getting tighter and tighter… [it allows] you to meet in a different way.” (3:01:36)
The “Positioning Crafts in the Contemporary Economy” conference took place in Oslo, Norway, on 4 September 2025, co-hosted by the ECA and Norwegian Crafts as part of the CraftsNet project, co-funded by the European Union. More about the conference>>