Icheon

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2010

City presentation

Since becoming a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art, Icheon has established itself as a leader in the Korean crafts industry, particularly in ceramics. With a tradition spanning over 1,000 years, Icheon is pivotal in both modern and traditional ceramics. The city boasts essential infrastructure, including industrial enterprises and educational institutions, making it the only crafts-specialized zone in Korea.

The ceramic belt around Icheon produces 55% of the nation’s ceramics, featuring 320 studios, making it the largest center for crafts in Korea. Events like the Icheon Ceramic Festival and the International Sculpture Symposium promote cultural exchange and creativity. Icheon is committed to preserving its cultural heritage while sharing its values with other cities globally.

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Isfahan

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Isfahan, Iran’s third largest city with 1.5 million inhabitants, is a hub for crafts and folk art, featuring 9,000 workshops across 167 disciplines, including carpet weaving, metalwork, and ceramics. The historic Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, serves as the main venue for showcasing high-quality crafts. Events like the International Cultural Heritage Festival highlight local and international artistry, with a special focus on female artisans.

Isfahan’s Municipality actively promotes social cohesion and the preservation of traditional knowledge through training workshops and financial support, particularly via Handicrafts Cooperative Societies. As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Isfahan aims to enhance the capacities of artists, promote gender equality, and foster international cooperation, ensuring the growth and visibility of its rich craft heritage.

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Jacmel

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2014

City presentation

Jacmel, known for its rich heritage and vibrant carnival, takes pride in its history as a hospitable trading port. Following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010, the city has focused on preserving its invaluable tangible and intangible heritage.
Jacmel promotes culture, traditions, art, and crafts, with the Carnival of Jacmel serving as a key driver of creative development through its deep-rooted local traditions in painting, sculpture, and papier-mâché. This event attracts thousands of visitors each year and emphasizes the importance of revitalizing Haiti’s cultural heritage. The “Destination Jacmel” initiative aims to restore and protect the historic center to enhance cultural tourism and preserve traditions for future generations. With artistic figures like painter Préfètte Duffaut and writer René Depestre, Jacmel embodies the motto “Jacmel, Sursum corda!”—a call to rise and celebrate its creative spirit.

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Jaipur

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan in India, has a population of 3 million and a rich history as a trade center known as the House of the 36 Industries (Chattis Karkhanas) in the early 18th century. This historical identity is preserved through dedicated streets and markets for crafts like painting, carving, and jewelry, which employ about 175,000 people across 53,500 workshops. The city views creative industries as vital for sustaining its cultural heritage, actively promoting local traditions through festivals such as the Jaipur International Heritage Festival, which highlights both traditional and contemporary crafts. Initiatives like Heritage Walks aim to revitalize ancient streets, improve artisans’ working conditions, and support direct selling. Jaipur also plans to establish a Global Art Square and promote international showcasing through a museum and gallery at the airport, fostering knowledge exchange with other Creative Cities.

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Jingdezhen

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2014

City presentation

Jingdezhen, often referred to as the “Porcelain Capital,” boasts a legacy of porcelain production that dates back over 1,700 years, making it China’s foremost ceramic production center. Renowned for high-quality porcelain, the city has historically facilitated cultural and commercial exchanges along the Silk Road.

In recent years, Jingdezhen has leveraged its cultural assets to organize prominent events in ceramic arts, such as the World Summit of Mayors from Ceramic Cities and the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair, promoting cultural heritage and diversity. These initiatives emphasize capacity building and international collaboration, particularly with Africa and the Arab States, establishing Jingdezhen as a vibrant creative city. As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts, Jingdezhen aims to foster exchanges among member cities, promote industrial cooperation, share creative processes, and host forums focused on the protection of intangible heritage and crafts.

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João Pessoa

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

João Pessoa is the capital of Paraíba, in the northeast of Brazil. The third oldest city in the country, founded in 1585, it is also known as the “Gateway to the Sun” because it is located on the easternmost point of the Americas. A UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017, it has been implementing various initiatives aimed at incorporating the concepts of creativity and innovation, as well as the transversality of segments, fostering the local economy and meeting the commitments made when the municipality joined the UCCN.

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Kanazawa

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2009

City presentation

Kanazawa, influenced by the samurai lifestyle, is renowned for its artisan workshops and is recognized as a City of Crafts and Folk Arts. The city’s crafts reflect a unique blend of techniques introduced by skilled artisans from Kyoto and Edo, combining dynamism with the elegance of samurai culture. Traditional craftwork, such as kaga-yuzen silk dyeing for kimonos and gold leaf lacquer ware, continues to enrich daily life. Local artisans are now exploring collaborations with other creative fields, merging traditional crafts with innovation and new technologies.
The Kanazawa Citizens’ Art Center, operational 24/7, provides free spaces for artistic activities, while the 21st Century Museum for Contemporary Art, inaugurated in 2004, attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually, showcasing modern art and craft collections.

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Kargopol

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2019

City presentation

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Limoges

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Limoges, with a population of 135,000, is renowned as the French capital of ceramic arts, boasting a rich history of nine centuries in ceramics, enamel, and glass-making. The discovery of kaolin in the 18th century solidified its reputation in the porcelain industry, which contributes around 60% to the national income, totaling approximately US$138 million annually and employing nearly 1,200 people. The city hosts numerous artisan workshops, associations, and factories, complemented by research centers, schools, and museums. Events like the Toques & Porcelaine festival highlight the synergy between cuisine and porcelain. Additionally, the City of Limoges promotes contemporary art in public spaces and aims to foster experimentation in ceramic arts while developing educational initiatives to encourage cultural expression and social interaction within the community.

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Lubango

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2025

City presentation

Rising in the southern highlands of Angola, Lubango is the administrative capital of Huíla Province and the region’s most populous city. Its 22 urban and peri-urban neighbourhoods are home to a richly multi-ethnic population whose cultural diversity finds expression in initiation rites, music, dance and a wide range of artisanal practices. Pottery, basketry, jewellery, footwear, and stone and wood sculpture form the core of local craft production, alongside textile traditions including Samakaka — recognised as national cultural heritage — and handmade Nonkako sandals, both embodying knowledge systems rooted in the local territory. Around 650 artisans organised into three cooperatives, and some 120 folklore practitioners, sustain a creative sector that provides self-employment and skills development, particularly for young people. Production, exhibition and sales are supported by a business incubator, two arts centres, municipal markets and a network of craft kiosks distributed across public spaces. Events such as the Expo-Huíla and local handicraft fairs ensure ongoing public visibility for the city’s artisans.

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Lubumbashi

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2015

City presentation

Lubumbashi, the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a population of 1.7 million, is located in the Copperbelt mining region. Historically reliant on copper and malachite industries, the city aims to revitalize its development by leveraging creativity to celebrate its industrial legacy.

With over 50 workshops focused on malachite carving, Lubumbashi’s policies prioritize this trade as a means to stimulate employment. Artistic expressions stemming from local copper miners, such as street performance and music genres like karindula, enrich the city’s cultural identity.
The Copper Eaters Festival, celebrating artisan work for 15 years, and the Picha Encounters, an innovative visual arts biennale, underscore Lubumbashi’s commitment to cultural vitality. Although much of the cultural landscape has developed informally, the Municipality seeks to create a comprehensive policy framework to support cultural organizations and creative industries, aiming for sustainable urban renewal through creativity.

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Madaba

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2017

City presentation

Madaba, located 33 kilometers from Jordan’s capital and home to 180,000 inhabitants, is renowned as the “city of mosaics,” famous for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, including the oldest depiction of the Holy Land. The protection and restoration of these mosaics are vital to both citizens and local authorities, leading to a revival of mosaic handicrafts and the establishment of 150 workshops that provide 800 jobs.

The discovery of numerous mosaics through archaeological excavations led to the creation of the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration, the only one of its kind in the Middle East. Supported by the Municipality, local mosaics have become an economic driver, facilitating international partnerships and events like the Mosaic Festival, launched in 2014. The city was designated as Mosaic City by the World Crafts Council in 2016. Collaborative efforts are also focused on training artisans in sustainable practices and improving their working conditions.

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Manises

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2021

City presentation

Manises, a Mediterranean city with over 31,000 inhabitants, is renowned for its ceramic crafts that trace back to the 13th century, particularly known for the Islamic gold luster technique. The 20th century marked another flourishing period for the ceramics sector, especially during the Art Nouveau movement, which transformed Manises into a vibrant ceramic landscape now protected by law.

Today, the city boasts over 46 enterprises and artisans, three major associations, and two official ceramic educational centers, including Spain’s first Higher School of Ceramics, which has a high percentage of female students. The city hosts a lively calendar of craft events, such as the International Ceramics Biennial and the Ceramic Festival, attracting over 40,000 attendees. As a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Manises aims to preserve its ceramic heritage, support local artisans, and promote creative tourism and integration efforts for migrants.

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Masaya

City of Crafts and Folk Art since 2025

City presentation

Just 28 kilometres from the Nicaraguan capital, Masaya holds an unrivalled place in the country’s cultural landscape as its foremost centre of craftsmanship. Textiles, leatherwork, pottery, metalwork, woodwork, traditional sweets and decorative objects flow from workshops embedded in a social fabric where craft and festivity are inseparable. Dance, music, popular theatre and street celebrations punctuate the city’s calendar, culminating in the country’s longest traditional festival, which runs from September to December. The economic weight of this creative culture is considerable: 1,192 craft establishments are officially registered, and artisanal activities account for roughly one in three jobs across the city. Dedicated infrastructure — including the Handicrafts Market, Houses of Culture and Creativity, Schools of Arts and Trades, museums and cultural squares — provides the foundation for production, training and skills transmission across generations.

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