Is there a future for crafts, creativity, and design?
The answer is, well, definitely yes! There are many passionate creators, designers and master artisans who want to share their expertise and skills with younger generations.
Additionally, there are excellent schools around the world that teach applied arts and design, including Geneva’s very own HEAD (Haute Ecole d’art et de design).
There is a great need for craftsmanship in a world which has become increasingly aseptic. For example, with the advent of large ‘box stores’, homes look more and more alike. However, there is a desire by many people to differentiate themselves and humanize their environment.
And there are many institutions throughout the world that take pride in displaying contemporary arts such as The Victoria & Albert Museum in London with its huge collection of applied and decorative arts. Also extremely popular is the island of Murano, near Venice, which contains numerous glassblowing workshops where they exhibit their skills and techniques.
A Learning Experience
Creativity, design, and craftsmanship are alive and well and will continue to flourish thanks to schools, museums, foundations and master artisans who desire to share their knowledge with young people who will, in turn, continue the traditions.
Fluid on Belle-Ile-En-Mer in France was founded in 2008 to perpetuate the tradition of glasswork by organizing workshops to foster creativity and share the knowledge of master glassblowers.
Geneva’s Michelangelo Foundation supports creativity and crafts, working with schools, other foundations, museums, master artisans, creators, and designers. Their mission “is to preserve, encourage and promote master artisans to secure their future and strengthen their connection to the world of design.”
They organise summer programs for students who are allowed to learn directly from passionate designers and master craftsmen in Europe. Workshops include basket weaving, tapestry, woodcarving, stone carving, and glassblowing.
Their flagship event is “a public exhibition of the finest European craftsmanship, staged at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy, every two years.” Their first event in 2018 attracted 62,500 visitors and had over 90 master craftsmen displaying their skills and techniques live at the event.
The next Homo Faber event will take place once again at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini from the 10th September to 11th October, 2020. An event not to be missed in the beautiful city of Venice.
Sources:
Crafts culture: an international comparison by Arjo Klamer, Erasmus University.
Michelangelo Foundation
HEAD, Geneva
