Georgia’s Unique Traditional Crafts Set for a Major Revival
Georgia’s Unique Traditional Crafts Set for a Major Revival
The youth in Georgia is seeing new opportunities to explore artisanal skills and crafts that their ancestors have cherished through centuries. Thanks to a project by the Georgian Arts and Culture Centre (GACC), a number of Georgian craft masters will be made available for mentoring people who wish to learn traditional skills. By strengthening the ties between the two groups, the initiative will help pass on the intangible heritage of Georgia and the richness of its traditions to new generations.
Recently recognised with the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards, the GACC project is aiming to connect experienced weavers, carpenters, sculptors and many other artisans with new apprentices. The idea is based on a preliminary research that has been carried out across the country and that helped plan and organise a number of heritage awareness-raising initiatives.
Among these activities, 22 artisan workshops have been opened to employ craft masters willing to transfer their knowledge to new generations. The whole initiative involved hundreds of training sessions, all of which highlighted the importance of preserving the legacy of Georgia’s heritage and developing an action plan to achieve this goal.
In relation to the values of this project, the jury selecting the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards winners pointed out:
“With a strong emphasis on the transmission of skills from one generation to another, this project has harnessed Georgia’s traditions to contribute to economic and social development across the country, including in communities of religious and ethnic minorities and in rural mountainous areas. These efforts put culture at the centre of this vital progress and establish its role in creating sustainable economic enterprise.”
Set to make it possible for more people to discover their cultural backgrounds and gain new knowledge of their past, this initiative offers something truly unique for all Georgians. With the possibility to explore their intangible heritage, they are able to rediscover their cultural identity and develop greater appreciation for their traditions.