CULTURE DEVELOPS. The team of ASTRA Museum in Sibiu continues the implementation of a training plan for Romanian craftspeople and artisans to enable them to become sustainable on the market and to make a living from the trades they practice. Italian specialists presented this week, at Casa Artelor in Sibiu, ideas and business models implemented by artisans from the Tuscany region. The pilot project CRAFT-I(n)G focuses on the Sibiu community that embroiders the celebrated “Ie de Mărginimea Sibiului” (the blouse of the Mărginimea Sibiului area).
Dr. Letizia Donati, senior manager of the Foundation for Development and Innovation of the University of Florence, presented to the Sibiu community the elements of a sustainable business model for the “IA from Mărginimea Sibiului”, as well as case studies of craft-based businesses.
How Craftsmanship Becomes Sustainable – Practical Workshops
The women from the community learned, in detail, what additional skills and competencies they need in order to develop a system that transforms their extremely valuable work into a viable future activity.
“An organised entrepreneurial framework would ensure, in the long term, both the prestige of the community and the income necessary to live comfortably from this activity,” stated Dr. Letizia Donati.
In turn, Dr. Elisa Guidi, coordinator of ARTEX – the largest organisation of artisans and craftspeople in the Tuscany region – emphasised the importance of promotion and collaboration with European artisan networks.
“An organised entrepreneurial framework would ensure, in the long term, both the prestige of the community and the income necessary to live comfortably from this activity,” stated Dr. Letizia Donati.
In turn, Dr. Elisa Guidi, coordinator of ARTEX – the largest organisation of artisans and craftspeople in the Tuscany region – emphasised the importance of promotion and collaboration with European artisan networks.
“Artistic and traditional craftsmanship is an economic sector in itself and, implicitly, an actor on international markets. You must have the courage to assert your presence because you have every reason to! (…) The development of projects for the territorial promotion of crafts goes hand in hand with tourism promotion and traditional food,” declared Dr. Elisa Guidi.
Who Carries on the Tradition – The Main Objective of ASTRA Museum
The ARTEX Tuscany coordinator also highlighted the importance of establishing a training system (called Bottega Scuola in Italian) for passing on crafts to future generations.
“We are trying to provide all information to Romanian craftspeople and artisans so they can become sustainable on the market and live from the trades they practice. At the same time, it is clear that we must further develop a simple and efficient teaching system to pass on unique craftsmanship techniques to future generations,” emphasised Ciprian Ștefan, manager of ASTRA Museum Sibiu.
The event was hosted at Casa Artelor by the Centre for Regional Activities and Resources, inaugurated in 2024 in Sibiu. ASTRA Museum is accredited by the National Authority for Qualifications as a Centre for the Assessment and Certification of Professional Competencies in trades involved in the construction and preservation of the built/vernacular landscape in rural areas (log worker, adobe, stone; manual artisan carpenter; maker of wooden craft support objects). Certified craftspeople become a resource for all activities involving the (re)construction and compliant restoration of wooden structures.
How to Protect Authentic Craft Products
Starting from several well-known cases of cultural appropriation and plagiarism of craft products, Dr. Lucrezia Palandri (Department of Legal Sciences, University of Florence) presented to the Sibiu artisan community various practical legal means of protecting cultural products. The Italian specialist in international law acknowledged that “unfortunately, the inclusion of a cultural element on the UNESCO list is by no means sufficient for it to be legally protected in international courts! This became clear in 2024 when the fashion house Louis Vuitton launched a collection inspired by your beautiful Ie de Sibiu and could not be held accountable. A multiple legal protection system is needed for authentic products.”
In this system, “the first element of legal protection for the IA from Mărginimea Sibiului should be the application for and granting of a Geographical Indication (GI) type protection,” also considered Dr. Ondina Tăut (Association “Ars Monumentum Natura”), referring to the recent EU Regulation that allows such GI protection to also cover craft products.
The specialists gathered in Sibiu concluded on the need to implement a multi-level legal protection system for craft products and outlined the steps required for its adoption.
Background
In turn, Dr. Elisa Guidi, coordinator of ARTEX – the largest organisation of artisans and craftspeople in the Tuscany region – emphasised the importance of promotion and collaboration with European artisan networks.
“Artistic and traditional craftsmanship is an economic sector in itself and, implicitly, an actor on international markets. You must have the courage to assert your presence because you have every reason to! (…) The development of projects for the territorial promotion of crafts goes hand in hand with tourism promotion and traditional food,” declared Dr. Elisa Guidi.
Who Carries on the Tradition – The Main Objective of ASTRA Museum
The ARTEX Tuscany coordinator also highlighted the importance of establishing a training system (called Bottega Scuola in Italian) for passing on crafts to future generations.
“We are trying to provide all information to Romanian craftspeople and artisans so they can become sustainable on the market and live from the trades they practice. At the same time, it is clear that we must further develop a simple and efficient teaching system to pass on unique craftsmanship techniques to future generations,” emphasised Ciprian Ștefan, manager of ASTRA Museum Sibiu.
The event was hosted at Casa Artelor by the Centre for Regional Activities and Resources, inaugurated in 2024 in Sibiu. ASTRA Museum is accredited by the National Authority for Qualifications as a Centre for the Assessment and Certification of Professional Competencies in trades involved in the construction and preservation of the built/vernacular landscape in rural areas (log worker, adobe, stone; manual artisan carpenter; maker of wooden craft support objects). Certified craftspeople become a resource for all activities involving the (re)construction and compliant restoration of wooden structures.
How to Protect Authentic Craft Products
CULTURE DEVELOPS. The team of ASTRA Museum in Sibiu continues the implementation of a training plan for Romanian craftspeople and artisans to enable them to become sustainable on the market and to make a living from the trades they practice. Italian specialists presented this week, at Casa Artelor in Sibiu, ideas and business models implemented by artisans from the Tuscany region. The pilot project CRAFT-I(n)G focuses on the Sibiu community that embroiders the celebrated “Ie de Mărginimea Sibiului” (the blouse of the Mărginimea Sibiului area).
Dr. Letizia Donati, senior manager of the Foundation for Development and Innovation of the University of Florence, presented to the Sibiu community the elements of a sustainable business model for the “IA from Mărginimea Sibiului”, as well as case studies of craft-based businesses.
How Craftsmanship Becomes Sustainable – Practical Workshops
The women from the community learned, in detail, what additional skills and competencies they need in order to develop a system that transforms their extremely valuable work into a viable future activity.
“An organised entrepreneurial framework would ensure, in the long term, both the prestige of the community and the income necessary to live comfortably from this activity,” stated Dr. Letizia Donati.
In turn, Dr. Elisa Guidi, coordinator of ARTEX – the largest organisation of artisans and craftspeople in the Tuscany region – emphasised the importance of promotion and collaboration with European artisan networks.
“Artistic and traditional craftsmanship is an economic sector in itself and, implicitly, an actor on international markets. You must have the courage to assert your presence because you have every reason to! (…) The development of projects for the territorial promotion of crafts goes hand in hand with tourism promotion and traditional food,” declared Dr. Elisa Guidi.
Who Carries on the Tradition – The Main Objective of ASTRA Museum
The ARTEX Tuscany coordinator also highlighted the importance of establishing a training system (called Bottega Scuola in Italian) for passing on crafts to future generations.
“We are trying to provide all information to Romanian craftspeople and artisans so they can become sustainable on the market and live from the trades they practice. At the same time, it is clear that we must further develop a simple and efficient teaching system to pass on unique craftsmanship techniques to future generations,” emphasised Ciprian Ștefan, manager of ASTRA Museum Sibiu.
The event was hosted at Casa Artelor by the Centre for Regional Activities and Resources, inaugurated in 2024 in Sibiu. ASTRA Museum is accredited by the National Authority for Qualifications as a Centre for the Assessment and Certification of Professional Competencies in trades involved in the construction and preservation of the built/vernacular landscape in rural areas (log worker, adobe, stone; manual artisan carpenter; maker of wooden craft support objects). Certified craftspeople become a resource for all activities involving the (re)construction and compliant restoration of wooden structures.
How to Protect Authentic Craft Products
Starting from several well-known cases of cultural appropriation and plagiarism of craft products, Dr. Lucrezia Palandri (Department of Legal Sciences, University of Florence) presented to the Sibiu artisan community various practical legal means of protecting cultural products. The Italian specialist in international law acknowledged that “unfortunately, the inclusion of a cultural element on the UNESCO list is by no means sufficient for it to be legally protected in international courts! This became clear in 2024 when the fashion house Louis Vuitton launched a collection inspired by your beautiful Ie de Sibiu and could not be held accountable. A multiple legal protection system is needed for authentic products.”
In this system, “the first element of legal protection for the IA from Mărginimea Sibiului should be the application for and granting of a Geographical Indication (GI) type protection,” also considered Dr. Ondina Tăut (Association “Ars Monumentum Natura”), referring to the recent EU Regulation that allows such GI protection to also cover craft products.
The specialists gathered in Sibiu concluded on the need to implement a multi-level legal protection system for craft products and outlined the steps required for its adoption.
Background
The strategic project CRAFT-I(n)G of ASTRA Museum, funded by the European Commission, focuses on the direct support of the human resource represented by Romanian craftspeople and artisans, with the primary target being the community that embroiders the “Ia de Mărginimea Sibiului.”
The project “Supporting Craftspersons in developing new Skills and Competences following the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 on Geographical Indications (GIs)” is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
