Top 30 at Loewe

As this year's Loewe Foundation Craft Prize ceremony takes place in New York's Noguchi Museum, Malika Verma writes about Maina Devi from Rajasthan, the only India entry that made the shortlist.

- MALIKA VERMA

Over a warm Spring evening in New York, a diverse gathering of individuals from the craft, design and fashion communities met at the Noguchi Museum. Intending to honour and celebrate the 30 shortlisted finalists from the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, the even ing a l so cu lmina ted in the announcement of its winner: Eriko Inazaki, a ceramist from Japan.

Initiated in 2016 by creative director Jonathan Anderson, the platform was conceived as a tribute to the design house’s beginnings as a collective craft workshop in 1846. Now in its 6th edition, it has become one of the largest global awards for craftsmanship. With a focus on excellence, artistic merit and contemporary craftsmanship, it is supported by The Loewe Foundation, a private cultural foundation established by Enrique Loewe, a fourth-generation member of the founding family. It is currently directed by his daughter, Sheila Loewe, who continues to invest in cultural heritage across craft, design, photography, poetry and dance. Previous iterations of the prize have been exhibited worldwide including Madrid, London, Tokyo, Paris and Seoul and the substantial 50,000 Euro prize drew almost 3000 entries this year.