CRAFTING EUROPE – NEW MODELS FOR EUROPEAN CRAFT
MEET THE PROJECT
Image courtesy Boris de Beijer. Photo by Thijs Adriaans.
WHAT IS CRAFTING EUROPE?
Supported by Creative Europe, the ‘Crafting Europe’ project was inspired by the need to build capacity within the crafts sector across Europe. It is a partnership between nine expert organisations across Europe.
Specific priorities of the project include:
• Support transnational policy co-operation leading to policy development in the crafts sector
• Foster capacity building through innovative approaches through the development of skills and business models for craft professionals and representative organisations in Europe
• Enabling people to gain new skills which will enrich their professional life and open new channels in the labour market
A key focus of this project is to enhance new skills and improve employability of emerging and current professionals in the craft sector. Crafting Europe will include expert training and tutorials, seminars, webinars and collaborations between makers and designers. The project seeks to engage future generations of skilled craft professionals and to open up potential new markets and opportunities for the sector.
The project also includes a research element, which will be conducted across several countries in Europe. Detailed analysis and research into the economic value of the craft sector within Europe has not yet been undertaken. This leads to a knowledge, value and awareness gap both within the sector itself and at local, regional, national and European level. Crafting Europe will undertake research into the economic value of the craft sector, in order to disseminate a clear and cohesive understanding of the impact and value of European craft.
CORE ACTIVITIES
There are three main activities in the Crafting Europe project.
You can find a description of each core activity below.
TIMELINE
The project will run from 2019-2022, with research and activities taking place across European countries.
Image courtesy Idoia Cuesta. Photo by Estudio Julian Zapata.
THE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT – BACKGROUND
The European crafts sector combines tradition, heritage, culture, skill and design. Craft encompasses a wide range of disciplines that reflect the diversity of European cultural identity.
In economic terms, the crafts industry is characterised by small entrepreneurial businesses that provide viable, sustainable employment in cities, towns, villages and remote rural regions across the EU.
In 2010 an International Charter which sought to define Artistic Craftsmanship was shared and
endorsed at European and international level. Signed by more than 60 institutions, municipalities and regions in Europe, this Charter underlines the importance of preserving hand crafted skills handed down through generations. Crafting Europe aims to do this by using new technologies to augment and enhance craft practices in new and innovative ways. The project will promote cross-sectoral dialogue and cooperation between cultural and creative sectors, technological companies, and traditional industries through its educational, training and networking activities.
MEET THE PARTNERS
Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission, the Crafting Europe project is developed in partnership with nine partners. Each of the project partners have been selected as they bring unique knowledge and skills from their respective territories. Find out more about each partner below:
• Design and Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) – Ireland
• Artex – Italy
• Crafts Council (CCUK) – United Kingdom
• Limerick Institute of Technology – Ireland
• CEARTE – Portugal
• EOI-Fundesarte – Spain
• Crafts Council Netherlands (CCNL) – Netherlands
• Handicraft Chamber of Ukraine
• Georgian Arts and Culture Centre (GACC) – Georgia