Artesanía de Galicia - POTSFINK

For several years Rosa Segade has headed A Mouga, a shop specialisingin crafts, both traditional and more recent ones, and in which Galician craftwork occupies a privileged place. In her establishment one can find the mostvaried products made by the hands of our craft workers, ranging from potteryto avant-garde jewellery, and including one of her specialties: traditionalcostume. Despite having a fluid relationship with the craft workers, an eventlike the Galician Craft Exhibition was an ideal place to measure the state ofproduction in the sector.OpinionWhat idea did you have about the MOA at first?What I expected to find was basically Galician craft workers, and then whenI got there I was surprised to see people from other places, which I also thinkis a good idea. But at the MOA I expected to find Galician craft workers withavant-garde products, that was the idea I had when I went to buy things formy shop. I didn’t have any preconceived idea.And did it live up to your expectations?There was a little of everything. I already knew a lot of the craft workers, becauseas I am from here it is easier to get to know them than what is done inGalician crafts. T thought the fair was excellent, very well set up. And indeedI bought things I didn’t have.Do you think that this MOA, the Galician Craft Exhibition, isnecessary as a meeting point between the craft worker and theshop?“I believe that theMOA is the righttype of fair”Rosa SegadeProfessional VisitorTo some extent, because the small craft workers usually come to the shopa lot. Then when they are established they logically visit fairs because theyhave access to a wider public. Being a shop we have the advantage that thesmaller craft workers who make a special product usually come to the shop toask if we are interested in it. So until now they have been supplying us. Evenso there are always unemployed people or those who work on a very smalllevel. I work with all kinds of craft items, I have works from other places, butI try to work within what I can with people from here. So it seems to me thata fair held here and with craft workers from here provides me with a greaterquantity of attractive products, of a certain standard and of a more avantgardecharacter than one sees here in Galicia. That’s what I was looking forat the MOA.And what did you think about the standard of the works?Generally good. Although in my case this didn’t surprise me because I alreadyknew the work of most of the craftsmen and women. But I believe thatthe people who came from abroad would find a really good level of craftwork.I discovered some firms that I really liked, and in the Swiss representationthere were some special and very striking works, it was a very pretty andimaginative craftwork. At the MOA there was a lot of choice. For examplethere were plate-makers with intricate works, although we don’t work withthem in the shop. There were many craft workers who had very pretty products,well-made and of high quality.A MougaRúa Xelmírez 26Santiago de CompostelaSo you would recommend other shops to visit it?Without any doubt. It seemed very well organised to me. One has to considerthat it was the first edition, and that these things usually improve: you realisewhat was lacking in the previous edition, and people already know the fair andturn up more. I mean that a first edition will always have fewer participants.Would you suggest any changes?Not really. I didn’t see anything lacking. I think it is the right type of fair.47