This publication surveys our most representative crafts and includes a directory of craftsmen and –women in order to simplify contact between artisans and buyers. As a further aid, a map of the country indicating the main centers of crafts production is also included.

For the creation of this catalog, some 130 crafts people – as well as the organizations that represent them - were contacted and visited. For editorial reasons, it was not possible to include all the artisans who were interviewed. However, 102 craft products, representing some 20 traditional and contemporary crafts media and styles are represented here.

We hope that this catalog stimulates the interest of private and governmental agencies in collaboratively putting together proposals and adapting them to each context, in order to truly address the needs of craft artists.

The offices of UNESCO in Havana and Santo Domingo deserve thanks, and so does the Dominican Development Institute, Inc. (IDDI), for having entrusted me with the coordination of this project. I also especially want to thank all the artisans who graciously shared their experiences, and their aspirations to enjoy a respectable life style that their sons and daughters can emulate.

José De Ferrari
Coordinator