Northern Crafts ID Online

COVID-19 pandemic has not destroyed the work schedule of the Northern Crafts ID project team. We carried out an online survey and currently are preparing a comprehensive educational programme on business development for craftsmen. While being busy with the planned activities, we also saw an opportunity in the fact that most of our target groups spend their time at home in self-isolation, and therefore we offered to them some useful online learning. In particular, over the last two months, we set up a number of weekly thematic webinars with talented professionals and skillful experts whose personality and experiences triggered a lot of attention. 

On the webinar “Role of tourism in the development of handicrafts”, director of the touristic company “Karelika” Elena Bagaeva elaborates on who is in a good position to shape the perception of handicrafts by tourists. Art curator Tatyana Kudryavtseva in tern insists that crafts should be approached from a position of design. Designer Svetlana Lipkina presented about searching for a national style in design, and how it can help to make craft products interesting and demanded. Estonian experts Aivar Ruukel and Oliver Loode told about their recent experience of preparing an application to UNESCO for inclusion of the tradition of building a dugout boat in the list of endangered intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Seto Elena Variksoo and Karelian Yulia Philippova discussed how handicrafts can contribute to the economic and social life of indigenous communities. And finally, Marina Kotysh of the Development Corporation of the Republic of Karelia listed different targeted state support programmes that craftsmen can benefit of. 

Webinars are available on the YouTube channel of the Association ECHO and on our social media accounts. Some of these topics will be deepened and included in the educational programme for craftsmen to be launched in the fall 2020.