Textiles as a tool for Development – Educational Day in Kalamata

The cultural organization Branding Heritage in the context of the project entitled “The Weavers of Greece (The Weavers of Greece) for the preservation of the traditional art of weaving and its use today – a project implemented with the support of the Directorate of Younger Heritage of the Ministry of Culture-, organized on Sunday, December 17, 2023, the educational day on “Weaving as a development tool – Business skills / Contemporary Design” in Kalamata, at the Victoria G. Karelia Greek Clothing Collection.

The purpose of the workshop was to train/strengthen the business skills of the Greek textile artisans who have been registered to date by the Branding Heritage team in the Peloponnese (Messinia-Lakonia-Arkadia-Argolida) but also to connect them with modern brands and Textile Artists for exchange know-how and development of synergies.

The ultimate goal is to implement the project in all 13 Regions of the country, with a tradition in weaving, to highlight the importance of the partnership of tradition with modern business and to create a modern database of Greek weaving artisans that will contribute to their extroversion and in their interconnection with networks in Greece and abroad.

The day was opened by Gina KARELIA, President of Kalamata Greek Girls’ High School & Member of the Board of Directors of the Georgios and Victoria Karelia Foundation. Ms. Karelia welcomed the speakers and the weavers of the Peloponnese and referred to the reasons why the G. & B. Karelia Foundation and the Hellenic High School of Kalamata support the work of the cultural organization Branding Heritage.

“We support the program “The Weavers & Weavers of the Peloponnese because we believe in the value of the program. This year the Greek High School of Kalamata for the first time decided to organize weaving courses for beginners. The first thing needed was a weaving teacher (weaver) who could take over these sections. He consulted the Branding Heritage Database and found Mrs. Stratigoula Heila, who agreed to take over the departments. This Database of Greek artisans (in this specific case of weaving) is therefore particularly important, which brings weavers and weavers into contact with people and agencies for the development of synergies. In the Museum’s shop there are objects created on the loom. Some people turned their passion into a profession and created individual, family businesses combining a traditional art with modern design and marketing and managed to sell their products all over Greece. The purpose of the conference, like the purpose of Branding Heritage in general, is to connect the Greek cultural heritage with modern creation and modern business, which I consider to be extremely timely and important”.

The Director of the New Cultural Heritage of the Ministry, Willy FOTOPOULOU, referred to the re-evaluation of traditional arts and the contribution of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. “2023 is a double anniversary, it marks 20 years since the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and 10 years since the start of registrations in the National Index of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece”. Ms. Fotopoulou also referred to the steps, methods of Safeguarding and registration criteria. “To date, 103 elements have been registered in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Index of Greece. An important goal of the Ministry of Culture for the coming years is the preservation and promotion of our Living Tradition”.

Katerina FRENTZOU, Journalist, Founder of Branding Heritage Cultural Organization presented the organization’s work. She explained how her journalistic pursuit of cultural entrepreneurship led her to found the non-profit organization Branding Heritage. The highlighting through her articles and reports (in recent years in the ‘K’ magazine of the newspaper I KATHIMERINI) of people who keep alive the tradition of the place continues with the vehicle of the cultural organization BH with projects of recording, preservation, digitization and education. The support of Greek craftsmanship and its transmission to the new generation are among the main issues that concern the Branding Heritage team, which is planning new programs in this direction.

INTRODUCTIONS

“The future of Tradition” was the title of the speech by Ms. Ekaterinas KAMILAKI, Emeritus Researcher, former Director of the Greek Folklore Research Center of the Academy of Athens. She explained “how it is a topic that seems surreal at first sight, as the future is linked to modernity, progress, while tradition has been linked to the past, yet perhaps for the first time in human history, modernity and innovation are linked by trying to take a step back and capitalize