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Team

Serfenta is one of the three UNESCO-accredited NGOs in Poland. Our international basketry journey has continued for 17 years now. Leaders of the organization are experts at modern and business approach to basketry craft. We created our own Business Model, thanks to which we earn money to carry out our activities regardless of external funding. Our goals include sharing, promoting, and managing knowledge about the intangible heritage of basketry. Our activities cover workshops and expert events about the meeting point between cultural anthropology, craft, and market and bringing the craft experience to everyone. We teach those, who then teach others to spread the knowledge and skills of the basketry. In 2022, we received the EUROPA NOSTRA 2024 Award, and also Jeonju International Award for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage (JIAPICH) with strong focus on sustainable business. We are also finalists of New European Bauhaus Award 2023 with the Innovation Model of Craft Revitalisation.

We are experienced basketry experts and craft instructors, we lead craft workshops simple and short, available for all. Willow, straw, cattail and relax, we also propose the craft adventure for those, who wants to discover Poland in the unusual way.

Check the workshops and weave with us!

https://serfenta.pl/en/basketry-workshops/

Paulina Adamska

Cultural anthropologist and educator, the Serfenta Association leader. She is leading Serfenta in the direction where the crafts meets people’s needs and business, what makes her beloved crafts – basketry – vibrant and alive. She is responsible for business developing and international sales. The craft instructor experienced in teaching basketry skills, she loves especially willow, straw and rattan. She gained her knowledge by studying artistic crafts at a the University of Art and Crafts in Poland and by practicing crafts with the most outstanding masters and artists in Poland and abroad. She has conducted hundreds of basketry workshops for children, adults and seniors. Exemplary practices and a strong focus on sustainable business are her key to the success. Paulina is a researcher, who started cratfs oriented projects in Serfenta by working in Poland, now she represents the intangible cultural heritage at the UNESCO and around the world.

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Łucja Cieślar

The entrepreneur, the manager, the craft instructor, also the SM and sales specialists. She believes in the power of connections – people’s needs, with cultural heritage and a modern market. She loves to transfer the knowledge and skills from the older generation of Polish basketry masters – through a modern touch and look for craft in Serfenta – to new generations, new ideas. Transmission is the future. Her favourite work is with the great Polish botanical material – cattail, typha latifolia, rogożyna – which almost passed away as a basketry material. Now she is leading a cattail workshop for designers – material, tradition, experiments.

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Serfenta Urszula Szwed doradczyni biznesowa

Urszula Szwed

The business advisor, a responsible business specjalist. En expert of products and services developement – created for a strong market, based on Intangible Cultural Heritage. An ngo’s economisation procesess specialist. Trully in love with an Excell and calculating.

Daria instruktorka wyplatanie z wikliny Serfenta

Daria Czauderna

Daria is a skilled craft instructor, she gained the knowledge and experience in Serfenta. You can meet her during willow workshops of Serfenta for children and for adults. She works with children for many years, and she knows how to do that very well. She works with willow, straw and rattan.

Katarzyna Kowalska

A talented basket maker and craft instructor, her favourite material is willow. She gained her knowledge by studying artistic crafts at the University of Art and Crafts in Poland and during many basketry travels, workshops, experiences. A traveller, a globetrotter, always full of energy and new ideas. We recommend meeting her during our basketry workshops!

Aleksandra Mendroch

A graduate of the Cieszyn School of Crafts, where she gained knowledge and skills in the Serfenta’s Basketry Class. She specializes in leading workshops for children and seniors. She is always searching for new materials and inspiration. A huge fan of straw weaving.

Sabina Witek

She graduated from the School of Crafts in Cieszyn, the basketry at Serfenta. She works with children at a private kindergarten, trying to instill in them a love for crafts and manual work. The Serfenta instructor of simple workshops, she has a special love for rattan in her heart.

Norman Tighe

A talented basketmaker working with unique material – spruce roots. He learnt his skills from our master Jan Zogata. Now with us he is sharing his skills and knowledge about this amazing material. We have to say that – he is the best in our team with the English language! He is from the United Kingdom but has lived in Poland for many years. Serfenta’s instructor. 

Magdalena Kokora

An artist with all her heart and soul. When she’s not occupied with weaving, she’s a painter, designer, and dancer.

Anna Krężelok

A cultural manager. At Serfenta she’s a part of a council. She loves weaving willow cats, spiral-knot’s straw technique  and speaking Spanish. She can do all of this in the same time!

Anna Koblak

Ania is a very talented basket maker. She is leading our basketry workshops with a fantasy and flexibility. For weaving she uses straw, cattail or long grass – but not only, she is very skilled. Workshops with her is a pleasure, we recommend our workshops, join us or invite us!