Badung
The Center of Tourism
Dekranasda Badung Assists Artists
The Regional Handicraft
Council (Dekranasda) of Badung Regency
regularly assists craftsmen and artists
in its region. The community of this regency
is deeply involved in making handicrafts
like sculpture, ceramics, Balinese traditional
umbrellas, silver jewelery, bedcovers,
plaited materials, knives for household
use and painters that are scattered throughout
the region.
Chairwoman
of Dekranasda Badung, Ida Ayu Manik more
familiarly known as Mrs. Oka Ratmadi (spouse
of Badung Regent, AA Oka Ratmadi) told
Bali Travel News that attention towards
the prosperity of craftsmen and artists
has been given regularly. For instance,
as chairwoman, she, along with her staff
makes visits to the houses of craftsmen.
It aims at performing dialogue and hearing
their complaints, then rendering assistance,
particularly for beginner craftsmen and
those who are financially disadvantaged.
The assistance, apart from cash amounting
to IDR 500,000, is in the form of carpentry
tools like sewing machines, chisels and
so on. “Materially, perhaps it does
not make sense, but, we morally would
like to establish affectional relationships
and care for craftsmen or artists and
also give supervision,” said Ida
Ayu Manik, who was during her bachelor
period as an artist, once played drama
gong ( drama accompanied by a gamelan
orchestra).
It is said that people’s lives in
Badung Regency mostly depends on tourism.
In this region, there are many hotels,
guesthouses, restaurants and handicraft
shops scattered throughout the Kuta and
Nusa Dua areas And at tourist centers
like Kuta and Nusa Dua Beach, Sangeh Monkey
Forest, Taman Ayun Temple and others.
“Therefore, artists and creator of
works of art such as paintings, sculpture
and other handicrafts need always to be
improving their creativity,” she
emphasized.
To market the works of Badung artists,
Dekranasda in cooperation with the Office
of Badung Industrial Affairs repeatedly
exhibits their works. The annual exhibition
is held at hotels in Nusa Dua and Kuta
Area, and often taken to exhibitions in
Jakarta, Semarang and Yogyakarta.
For the exhibition venue at the end of
January 2005, Dekranasda Badung contracted
a building that is not too large in Kuta.
The exhibition and bourse building for
artists of Badung Regency is located at
10X Jalan Raya Basangkasa (North Kuta),
next to Nominasi Cargo. “We have
contracted this building for a one year
term, and it may be extended if we receive
many tourist’s visits,” said
Manik. (BTN/Yan Beryas)
