For the ninth consecutive year the Awards for the Building Arts — with a total of €40,000 in prize money — have been granted to four outstanding artisans. The award ceremony took place at the Segovia Campus of IE University. The Awards for the Building Arts are organized by the Traditional Building Cultures Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Spain and in collaboration with INTBAU Spain and the Spanish Council of Architects (CSCAE). This year’s ceremony was held in partnership with IE University.
The awards are divided into four categories: masonry and stonework, carpentry, finishing and other traditional construction work, and glass and metal work.
The first category, which bears the name of Rodrigo de la Torre in tribute to a master who stood out among our country’s stonemasons and who was also awarded in the past, includes arches and vaults, vaulted stairs, stone carving and other masonry and stonework. The jury decided to give this award to the master stonemason Feliu Martín Farré, from La Floresta, Lérida province.
The second category covers wooden roofs, ceilings and structures, furnishings, muqarnas, woodturning, woodcarving, doors and windows carpentry, and other wood works. The award in this ninth edition was granted to the master artisan from Valladolid Miguel Ángel Tapia, recognized for his work in wood carving and image making.
The third category includes tiles, mosaics, plasterwork, scagliola, sgraffito, decorative flooring and other finishes. The award in this category was given to the master thatcher Manuel Monteserín, who keeps alive the trade of making thatched roofs in the El Bierzo area.
The fourth category focuses on forgework, ironwork, stained glass windows and other traditional metal and glass works. On this occasion the award was for the master blacksmith Juan José Gómez Delgado, who works wrought iron at his forge in Lebrija, Seville province.
Moreover, to help give continuity to the work they do, the jury selects one or more of the four award-winners to receive additional financial support for the training of an apprentice over one year. The apprentice, for his/her part, also receives financial support during the apprenticeship.
The jury selected master artisans Miguel Ángel Tapia and Manuel Monteserín for this purpose.
Congratulations to the awardees! Watch the documentary to learn more about their work HERE.
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Text and images: Traditional Building Cultures Foundation.