AEuCC has been part in the recent months of an important European Horizon Project of Cluster 2 Heritage in the field of handicrafts, titled: “TRAFT: CRAFTSMANSHIP FROM TRADITION APPROACH TO FUTURE”.

Thanks to a strong collaboration between all partners, the main initiatives of the project are:

• general project management;
• research and analysis activities by gathering requirements and analyzing real and common needs of the craft sectors all around the EU and some associated countries. This information will serve as requirements for the technical work packages WP3, WP4 and WP5;
• support the research and innovation about the possibilities of the new cutting-edge technologies in the craft sector. Those technologies will be related to different aspects of the creative path, from product development to production, including all the stages of the craft sector value chain;
• define the technology transfer process and test and experiment with technologies in the real craft sector by future and actual artisans and develop new professionalism, carriers and future CV of the new craftsman;
• create a platform in order to support technological developments of the WP3 and WP4, but also to share knowledged, techniques, materials and processes data registered in WP2 with the immersive experiences of the real artisans;
• communication, dissemination and exploitation of all results through many activities and events (with AEuCC as WP-leader).

The project was started and submitted by initiative of AEuCC which is, together with the lead partner University of Bologna, one of the main coordinators. Other partners are: Meditech Consortium for Innovation of Naples representing 7 universities, the World Craft Council Europe (European federation of craftsmanship chaired by Elisa Guidi of ARTEX), the University of Stuttgart and University of Leiria, Academy of Riga and Academy of Wroclaw, but also 3 very important private companies, such as Colorobbia, leader in the ceramic and glass materials sector, Cerámica Cumella of Barcelona, supplier of materials and technologies to the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guel and collaborator of architects such as Renzo Piano and protagonist of the “new European Bauhaus” and Manufaktura, the main company of Boleslawiec ceramics, and the very important Turkish City of Kutahya (with its partner Simpas)

Here the full list of participants:

• UNIBO Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna Italy
• AEuCC European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Cities of Ceramics limited Spain
• MEDT Consorzio Meditech – Mediterranean Competence Centre 4 Innovation Italy
• WCCE World Crafts Council Europe Ireland
• IPLEIRIA Politécnico de Leiria Portugal
• KUT Kutahya Municipality Turkey
• USTUTT University of Stuttgart Germany
• AAL Art Academy of Latvia Latvia
• CECUM Cerámica Cumella Spain
• COLOR Colorobbia Italy
• AADW Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław Poland
• MNFK Manufaktura Poland
• SIMPAS SIMPAS Turkey

WMN & Art / Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union

Project meeting in Portugal

On the 6th and 7th of June, the project partners were hosted by CTCP (Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal) in S. João da Madeira, Portugal.

Final meeting > June 27th and 28th, 2022 in Turkey

Discover all the news about WMN & Art from the website > 

CLAY project – Interreg Europe

Project meeting in Horezu – Romania / June 2nd – 3rd, 2022

The South-West Oltenia Regional Development Agency, as partner of CLAY – “Cross Sector Support for Innovative and Competitive Artistic Ceramic SMEs” project, organized together with the project leader, the Umbria Region of Italy, the first meeting of the second phase of the project.

The event, attended by partners from Italy (Umbria Region and the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation Cities of Ceramic) and from Portugal (Technology Center for Ceramics and Glass), together with relevant regional actors in the field of artistic ceramics, took place in Romania, Horezu – one of the representative places for authentic Romanian ceramics, between 2nd – 3rd of June 2022. Partners from France (Association for the Development and Promotion of the European Ceramics Center) and Finland (Southern Ostrobothnia Regional Council) also joined online the event.

The purpose of organizing the event was to exchange experiences and point of views on the first year of implementation of the action plans in the project regions, between the partner countries and also to identify possible improvements for the second year of implementation.

The meeting was opened with the speeches of:

– Mr. Ștefan-Cătălin Catană – Interim General Director of the South-West Oltenia Regional Development Agency;

– Mr. Nicolae Sărdărescu – Mayor of Horezu City Hall;

– Mr. Eugen Săvulescu – President of the Association LAG ”Horezu Microregion”.

The event continued with the presentations concerning the progress of the action plans implemented in the five regions covered by the project: South-West Oltenia Region in Romania, Umbria Region in Italy, Southern Ostrobothnia Region in Finland, Centro Region in Portugal and Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region in France.

Also, during the meeting were discussed the future steps to support SMEs in the field of ceramics, granting increased attention to product and process innovation, while maintaining the tradition of ceramics.

On the second day of the event, were organized study visits in the region, as follows:

– the first study visit took place in the workshop of the local ceramic artist, Sorin Giubega, from the village of Olari, Horezu, recognized by UNESCO for his works, as ”human treasure”. The artist talked about the craft of pottery, about the traditional pottery of Horezu and he also made a short demonstration of shaping and decorating clay.

– the second study visit took place in the store of Nicoleta and Laurențiu Pietraru, who developed a business in the field of ceramics through a unique marketing method. The store is, in fact, a unique construction in the area, it reveals a huge pot, representative of the traditional ceramics in the region.

– the third study visit was organized at the Romanian folk pottery fair ”Cocoșul de Hurez”, which reached its 50th edition, this year. The event brought together Romanian potters who presented their creations in an unique exhibition in the country.

Visit Clay Project – Interreg Europe page >

Transferring ceramic art hobbies into a future income

With the kick-off meeting held last December at the University of Ardahan, in the far north-east of Turkey on the border with Armenia and Georgia, the Erasmus+ project “Women & Art” officially started. The project is approved by the Turkish Erasmus+ program authorities and  sees the University of Ardahan as Lead Partner, the Ankara Point company as organizational consultant and the AEuCC (European Grouping of Cities of Ceramics) as consultant in the sector and communication.

The project involves 5 countries and 9 partners for 2 years: wmn&ART aims at supporting inactive women in developing home-based micro enterprises, with a particular focus on ceramic art and craft activities, increasing wealth in European society.

The project website: https://www.wmn-art.eu/ 

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Following the collaboration and promotion actions carried out by the Associations of the Cities of Ceramics in Europe and of the original members of AEuCC, following the initiative started by the city of kunstat, the Czech association was funded. It consists of 3 cities: Kunštát (www.kunstat-mesto.cz/), Dubí (www.mesto-dubi.cz) and Levín (www.mestyslevin.cz).

The Czech Asociation of Cities of Ceramics – AczCC was founded on 25 August 2016 in Kunštát with the participation of the mayors of the three founding municipalities.

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Cerasmus+ is a european project co-funded by the program Erasmus+, which was born from the initiative of AEuCC – European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation “Cities of Ceramics” and has started in 2017 with the goals to protect the European traditional heritage, to modernize the ceramic sector and to develop vocational training in ceramic craft industry enhancing work based learning models.

Cerasmus+ faces the challenges of global competition, loss of skills, difficulties of getting into the market and lack of financial resources and economic capacity, relying on three pillars: Heritage, Innovation and Network.

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The final meeting of the Cerasmus+ project was held on 21-22 november 2019 in Spain, hosted by EASCM (ceramic school of Manises), a hundred years old institution born to provide competences to the workers of the ceramic industry and evolved to a high school of fine arts.

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On November 22nd, in Manises (Spain), the assembly of AEuCC members took place, with the participation of 15 people, coming from 5 European countries (Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland), who took stock of the activities and projects and made important decisions. Continue reading →

From the Needs analysis of the artistic ceramic sector to the identification of good practices: the third meeting of CLAY – Interreg Europe project was held in Seinäjoki (Finland) on September 11 and 12, 2019.

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In February 2019 the CLAY project saw the second partnership meeting and study visit.

We prepared a video to show the work done in Limoges (France) and the ideas developed: