Florence as Crossroads

Past and Present

This week in class we had the Scuola Del Cuio leather shop tour and a presentation from the Amir project!

Scuola Del Cuio:

The leather shop was really interesting to see, since it was so different from the hundreds of other leather shops and stands I see everyday around Florence. In class, we learned about the factories in Prato which mass produce leather products, specifically made for the shops around Florence that boast 'made in Italy' products. Some factories in Prato have underpaid workers, unfair labor and dangerous practices. The leather shop we visited focuses on training artisans in fair working conditions and taking time for each piece. This style of production makes products more expensive, but it does not but anyone in harm's way.

The tour guide at the leather shops shared her relation to the company, and how it is a family run business. Her grandfather had a special devotion to the craft which he passed down to the rest of the family members. They take great pride in their products and have the goal of making each piece with special care instead of producing as many pieces as fast as possible.

We got to see each type of leather and how much it costs. This really surprised me since I always knew leather was expensive, but I didn't know just how expensive it could get with high quality and rare products. The tour guide even shared that the most expensive product they have sold was 35,000 Euros!

Visiting this shop really showed the juxtaposition between the high quality leather products made here and the leather products throughout Florence. Even though the leather products in Florence seems to boost the economy and even revived the manufacturing industry, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes issues we don't see as tourists like working conditions, trafficking, and identity theft. All these issues intertwine to cause issues for the workers and the industry, making it important to research and consider issues like these when we consider buying products.

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The Amir Project:

Hearing about the Amir Project was really inspiring and interesting, since they offer great opportunities for migrants coming into Italy. The project has the goal of giving migrants the opportunities to tell their stories through museums and galleries.

Museums tell a story of the history of a certain time and place, but are often from the perspective of whoever wants to portray their own point of view. Having programs like the Amir Project allow for voices to be heard which may not be represented in museums, but have rich history during the time period.

In class, we considered the question: Should museums stay the same or be continuously updated to tell the most accurate and updated history? Personally, I think it is important to keep museums historically accurate and accommodate different cultures and groups that may not have been represented. These updates along with programs like the Amir project could offer a more accurate history of a place, and be beneficial to learn as a society.

Amir Project