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Var-Matin Newspaper: Daily newspaper of the Var department

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LE CASTELLET — A Convention to Support Artisan Crafts
As part of the ongoing “Métiers d’art” exhibition in the village of Le Castellet (running until Sunday), a convention was signed yesterday between the Chamber of Trades and Crafts and the Ateliers d’Art de France.

Le Castellet, one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, is far from being just an open-air museum. It is also home to around thirty artisans year-round. This weekend, over twenty guest creators have joined the village for the artisan craft exhibition: jewelers, metal engravers, cutlers… and even a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Artisan of France), the haute couture embroiderer Satoshi Sekimoto!

Nineteen exhibitors
Many artisan trades are represented by local craftspeople based in the heart of this medieval village.

For instance:

• Pierre-Elliott Belet, who handcrafts buffalo horn eyeglasses in Le Brusc.
• Camille Dalmas, a Santon maker from Six-Fours, working in the workshop founded by his grandfather.
• Daniel Carrey, a cork wood turner from Var trained at the Escoulen school.

The exhibition offers a rich showcase of regional know-how that’s well worth the visit.

Among the nineteen exhibitors present until Sunday:

• Pauline Arnaudet displays her wool and felt creations under the label “En vie de laine”.
  “With my partner Mathieu, a shepherd in Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon (Bouches-du-Rhône), we raise 350 ewes for lamb meat. But our goal is also to make the most of the wool,” explains the Ollioules-born artisan.
  From shawls to felt hats (her specialty) and beanies, the variety is impressive.
• Fabrice Serafino, a basketmaker from Solliès-Pont, works with willow, Provence reed, and cattails.
  On Friday, in the Place du Champ de Bataille at the foot of the town hall, he exhibited one of his creations: a large ribbon-shaped “figure eight” made of 60 kg of wicker, requiring ten days of work. Stunning.

The Convention
“There are 7,000 artisan professionals in the Var. It’s a sector that keeps growing and draws many people seeking career changes, authenticity, and fulfillment,” says Roland Rolfo, president of the Var Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA).

This is why the CMA and Ateliers d’Art de France signed a partnership agreement during the exhibition’s opening.

“The uniqueness of artisan crafts meets today’s consumer demand for meaningful contact with local artisans,” explains Stéphane Galerneau, president of Ateliers d’Art de France.

The artisan sector, synonymous with quality and creativity, is booming in France.
Yannick Mazette, president of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, adds:

“This collaboration is essential to ensure the vitality and transmission of the rare skills of artisan crafts, true ambassadors of France’s living heritage.”