Craft education in Germany

A condition of basketry craft in Germany and the craft education in this country – that was the theme of our study visit within the GPS project.

A basketry school in Lichtenfels – challenges and possibilities

Basketry craft in each of our GPS partners’ countries is in a different situation. In Germany, there is a vocational school for basketmakers. In our project we had a great opportunity to visit it and, what is more important, to talk with teachers and students. We listened to the problems students are struggling with and learned what their needs are. Also we joined the perspective of the school leaders, which was precious. Staatliche Berufsfachschule für Flechtwerkgestaltung in Lichtenfels – thank you! Now we know what challenges they face here. It was very interesting to be involved in the whole system od education and life of the school.We also joined the process of digital furniture design and craft lessons. It was a great time, but it’s only a part of our activities here!

Local networking – Lichtenfels

A public discussion panel, focusing on access to the weaving craft and how training can become more attractive for future generations. It was a main point of our program in Lichtenfels – meine Stadt, prepared by our partners from ZEF. It was a great occasion to hear voices of many groups—representatives of the city, the basketry vocational school, guilds and associations of crafters, students of the school, crafters, designers, and much more. It was a really inspiring evening at the Archive of the Future, in the heart of Lichtenfels. As experts in the GPS project, we also gave our perspective from the outside, which is also valuable. The GPS project aims to strengthen European cooperation in traditional crafts and to develop new, attractive, and sustainable approaches to non-formal vocational education in basketry.

A short film Festival in Bamberg

But not only that – we also participated in the 36th short film festival in Bamberg Bamberger Kurzfilmtage with short films about the craft experience. From Serfenta’s side it was a movie about root basketry from the Beskidy Mountains, and from Združenie košikárov Slovenska it was a movie about straw basketry in Slovakia. It took place in a cozy cinema in Bamberg. It was good to be a part of this event with the wide audience! It was possible thanks to our partners Manfred Rauh and @Jennifer Rubach.

Partners:ZEF – Zentrum europäischer Flechtkultur Lichtenfels e.V.Združenie košikárov Slovenska#SerfentaThe project is funded within the Erasmus+ Vocational Education and Training (VET) program and allows us to travel to all of our 3 countries to know, share, and understand the cores of our work. It’s a great experience to be a part of this project!#basketry#flechterei#lichtenfels

A great exhibition in Bratislava

🌿With the curator Zuzana Dedík Šidlíkovawe enjoyed a great exhibition “Jedna inšpirácia, dve cesty. ÚĽUV 1945 – 1989”, – highly recommended!

Craft in the public education system

🌿 We took part in a teachers’ seminar, where we learned about the possibilities of applying Regional Education and Traditional Folk Culture topics in public schools and within the environment of the ULUV School of Crafts (Slovakia). We also presented our experiences with education in NGO organizations in Germany and Poland. Craft is present in the public education system in Slovakia, which was very interesting!

🌿Craft is present in the public education system in Slovakia; that was inspiring!

Craft education in practice

🌿 We met with a community that takes care of its cultural heritage, including basketry — the residents of the village Vrbovce, from which the well-known basket maker Patinka also came. We were hosted by basket makers and the mayor of the village, and we also visited the local museum.

We also attended a local festival in Rudnik (Myjava district), where we could see an exhibition, demonstrations, and how the community takes care of its local traditions. And they do it wonderfully!

🌿We visited willow plantations (Prutnik in SK); the community of Vrbovce village takes care of it.

Basketry skills exchange

Besides the substantive meetings, there was also a practical exchange of craft skills! During the study visit to Slovakia:

we took part in workshops led by Slovak specialists and masters of crafts.

We wove with willow and cattail and took a look at other materials like straw and more.

For Paulina, Łucja, and Kasia from Serfena, and for Jennifer from ZEF, the roles were reversed—instead of teaching, this time they were the ones learning! New techniques of working with cattail, and also (finally!) weaving cattail on frame looms.

Easter/spring “korbacze” of fresh willow:

Frame loom weaving with cattail and the spiral technique. Weaving with willow, straw and cattail:

We would like to thank all the teachers and masters, both older and younger!

Erika Rudikova with her sons Tymek and Beniamin, Eva Horvath with her son Samko, Ivan Šoška, Zlatoń Hreha, Tomas Mikolaj and everyone who devoted their time to us

Partnerzy projektu GPS – new ways for basketry education:

ZEF – Zentrum europäischer Flechtkultur Lichtenfels e.V. (Manfred Rauh, Jennifer Rubach)

Združenie košikárov Slovenska (Tomas Mikolaj, Erika Rudikova, Martin Langer, Milan Marecek)

Serfenta (Paulina Adamska, Łucja Cieślar, Kasia Kowalska)

The project is funded within the Erasmus+ Vocational Education and Training (VET) program

Edukacja Rzemiosło Wymiana międzynarodowa