The Karelia Foundation supports the work of the organization entitled Contemporary Loom-The weavers of Greece | Peloponnese
Having a moral obligation towards the rich tradition of our country, this project aims to preserve and highlight the weaving art of the country, to record traditional techniques, to support the weavers with advanced methodology in order for them to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge for business development and extroversion. In the Peloponnese and especially in Messinia, the project will be implemented in collaboration with the Lyceum Club of Greek Women of Kalamata and Social Cooperative Enterprise (KoinSep) for Education and Lifelong Learning Knowl with the support of the G. & V. Karelia Foundation. The support of our work in Messinia by the Karelia Foundation is particularly important as the valuable legacy of Victoria Karelia in Greek culture will make it all the more valuable. Our collaboration with the Lyceum Club of Greek Women of Kalamata and its president Gina Karelia will contribute to the efforts made towards strengthening the traditional occupation of weaver and integrating it into a contemporary environment. Our goal is to prove that culture and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand, to preserve an important part of our intangible cultural heritage, to enhance the economic development of local communities, to support people who keep the weaving industry alive but above all to give young weaving artists the necessary resources for development. The project is intended to create a contemporary database of weaving professionals with an emphasis on image and contemporary creation, digitization and manuals of basic techniques, as well as an intensive training programme for skill development.
