SEMA was born from the meeting of two men, Gustave Larroumet (1852-1903), director of the Beaux-arts and Gustave Sandoz (1836-1891), famous jeweller. The SEAI (Société d’Encouragement aux Arts et à l’Industrie) was founded in 1889.

Its mission was to revive the applied arts, bring creators and industrials closer together and to encourage cooperation between artists and Arts and Crafts professionals.

In 1976, it changed its statuses to become the SEMA, Société d’Encouragement aux Métiers d’Art (Society for the Promotion of Arts and Crafts) with the mission of promoting French Arts and Crafts on behalf of the State. Its mission is to coordinate operations in view of upholding the tradition of quality in French Arts and Crafts.

The SEMA is a non-profit organization under the law of 1901, of recognised public interest, under the supervision of the French State Secretariat for the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Employment in charge of Companies and Foreign Trade. 

• Our mission: To promote the Arts and Crafts in France and intenationally.
  
  
• 2 objectives: To provide information on the Arts and Crafts and to promote the Arts and Crafts.
  
  
• Our organisation: a team of 23 people and a network of over 90 delegates accross the French départements and regions.

• Encouraging exchange in terms of ideas and energy in favour of the Arts and Crafts.
• Monitoring the sector's development, capitalising on knowledge, experience and good practices and encouraging group operations, distribution and information pooling.
• Facilitating the implementation of projects.
• Bringing together players and bearers of projects
• Coordinating an "Arts and Crafts" network with national and international scope.

It thereby encourages and coordinates schemes in favour of the Arts and Crafts.

The specific nature of its mission in favour of the Arts and Crafts entails unique national-level tools specifically designed for providing information on the Arts and Crafts: its "Métiers d’Art " magazine, its Arts and Crafts media library and its Website, a web portal for the Arts and Crafts.