Projects of Estonian Native Crafts
Ongoing Projects:
Higher Education on Craft Traditions (15.05.2019-01.10.2020)
Higher Education on Craft Traditions is a network connecting the Estonian Native Crafts Department (University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy) as the lead partner with the Department of Traditional Arts and Traditional Music (University of South-Eastern Norway); the Department of Art History (Uppsala University), the Department of Conservation (University of Gothenburg), and the Department of Education (University of Helsinki) with the aim to advance international cooperation in traditional craft studies. Our aim is to exchange experiences, ideas and practices in the field of traditional crafts education, and to promote international collaboration between HEIs in this field. The aim is to encourage teachers and students to seek innovative approaches to already established practices by exchanging knowledge, experiences and visions on how to combine traditional crafts with the contemporary environment and the labour market. We intend to develop new methods and to put them into practice, keeping in mind the needs of the future.
The main projects in the recent years:
EUdigiTAC – Digitally crafting new communities of practice 01.05.2016-30.04.2018 is an international project by Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan Västra Götaland, Changemaker AB, University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy and Confartigianato-Imprese Udine co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union and Region Västra Götaland. It is a digitisation project looking to showcase existing local efforts within textile handwork and artisanship in Europe, with an aim to integrate the local artisan communities into the digital cultural economy.
Handmade Wellbeing - Collaborative Learning in Craft and Welfare Interfaces 01.09.2015-31.08.2017 is a collaborative learning opportunity in craft and welfare interfaces. It is funded by Erasmus Plus and our lead partner is the University of Helsinki (Department of Teacher Education). Our partner organisations are UniT in Austria and SuperAct in UK. Our work will focus on the co-design of educational models that will enable craft professionals to work with different target groups in Social and Health Care.
PROLOG - Assessing and Developing the Situation of Log Building Education in Nordic-Baltic region 08.06.2012- 08.06.2014 is a Norpdlus Horizontal project that seeks to remove development constraints of hand-crafted log construction industry by creating a comprehensive survey and integral vision for future development of log building education in Nordic-Baltic region.
„Promoting Natural Material Know-How“ ProNatMat 01.09.2009 - 31.08.2012 aimed at increasing and improving the use of and knowledge about natural material in Finland and Estonia, and organised the exchange of knowledge and know-how between both countries.
The Threads That Connect Us - LLP Grundtvig Learning Partnerships 01.08.2010 - 31.07.2012. Project aimed at promoting and increasing the value of traditional handicraft as an expression of local culture, resulting of ancient knowledge that enriches the variety of European cultural heritage.
“Applied Inherited Crafts Centre Development (PÄRTEL) - the project aims at developing cooperation between companies, practitioners and professional unions a centre on the field of inherited crafts in terms of applied knowledge and competence. Project partners from Estonia and Finland (Hirspek OY, Hiidenlintu OY).
„Advancement of the Research Methods Used for Research on Handicraft Heritage” researches how knowhow constitutes a special form of knowledge. Based on this the practitioners view on the object of research is of crucial importance that enables to pose new questions and hypotheses in object- and technology research and find new explanations and solutions (cp. practice-lead research).
„Enhancement of Outcome Focused Ability in the Field of Creative Arts Entrepreneurship and IT through Interdisciplinary Basic- and Applied Research”.
“Viljandi County Handicraft Cluster Development” consisted the following sub-projects: development of continued-, further- and vocational education in log building; building up a study centre in inherited crafts and launching log-building and native textile study programmes in the vocational training institutions of Viljandi County.