Culture lives in crafts

September 25-28, 2013

European folk art and craft federation, which has been operating since 1972 and consists of professional organizations from ten EU countries (except Norway), at the annual assembly meeting held in Helsinki, on September 25, 2013, officially admitted Ethno Network as a representative of Serbia, into membership of the Federation. The assembly was held in Helsinki, Finland, that is presiding the Federation for the period 2012 to 2015, and is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Crafts Organization „Taito“. The assembly meeting was followed by an international seminar in Jyväskylä with lectures themed on sustainable development, Finno-Ugrian ethnicity and the wellbeing effects of crafts. The seminar was augmented with a one-day trip to visit most prominent crafts associations in the area, art galleries and cultural sights, which offered ample opportunity for meetings and exchange among seminar participants.

Presidency of the Federation looked into the effects of Ethno Network and visited Serbia in 2012 to confirm the relevance of the organization’s activities, along with its consistency and members as the main criteria for membership in the Federation. Ethno Network’s membership means it is formally accepted by the peer associations from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Denmark, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Latvia and Poland, as an equal participant in the preservation of traditional knowledge shared among European nations.

Admission to the Federation is a step that brings Ethno Network into the family of European associations that have for a century been devoted to preserving their traditions. Since 2005 Ethno Network has initiated and implemented activities that make a significant contribution to the preservation of old and near forgotten technique – gold embroidery, filet lace, kneeling technique in weaving and felting, as well as to creating sources of income for women and youth in rural areas.