Celebrating 40 Years of Supporting European Craft
WCC-Europe was established in Florence in 1979, with the ambition to elevate awareness and appreciation of crafts and create a world where craftsmanship and its inherent skills are valued and appreciated at every level of society. Forty years on, the inherent value of craft practice is extremely relevant to our cultural, economic and societal evolution.
To celebrate 40 years of European Craft, WCC-Europe which represents thirty craft organisations in twenty European countries have planned a series of exhibitions, seminars and presentations exploring, promoting and celebrating excellence in craft practice.
Selected highlights of the year-long international programme include:
The WCC-Europe ‘Crafting Europe Exhibition and Symposium’ at Révélations, 23rd to 26th May 2019, Grand Palais, Paris.
The 4th edition of Révélations, organised by Ateliers d’Art de France, will present an exhibition of exceptional work by twenty-four craftspeople from across Europe. The exhibition will take place at the Agora entrance to the Grand Palais, where 40,000 visitors to the fair will be welcomed under the WCC-Europe banner. In tandem with the exhibition a ‘Crafting Europe’ symposium, hosted jointly by Atelier d’Art de France and WCC-Europe will explore opportunities and challenges for the sector under themes of society, economy, territory, skills and policy.
Following events at Révélations, the WCC-Europe General Assembly and Conference takes place in Tbilisi, Georgia from June 6th– 9th, 2019. Hosted by the Georgian Arts and Culture Center (GACC), the Conference ‘40/40 Heritage Past and Future’ will explore the relationship between heritage and contemporary craft practice looking at ways we can use skills and lessons from our past and combine them with current trends in craft practice. We will explore how craftmanship may develop over the next 40 years and what we need to preserve and protect.
On June 17th and 18th WCC-Europe, President Louise Allen, will participate in the Flourish Conference. Organised by the Crafts Council, Flourish is a two-day conference for makers and designers. This year the implications and impacts of Brexit will be explored in the context of the European and broader international craft market.
The National Design and Craft Gallery in Kilkenny hosts Monumentality / Fragility, the exhibition for the European Prize for Applied Arts until June 23rd. The prize and exhibition which attracted over 600 entries from across Europe through an open call resulted in a selection of 74 makers from 19 European countries and is supported by WCC-Europe in partnership with BeCraft, Belgium.
How to get involved?
WCC-Europe members can promote any events and activities they have planned for 2019 under the ‘WCC-Europe 40th’ banner and reach more audiences through the World Crafts Council-Europe website. Members are invited to highlight their programme of events using #wcceurope40 and integrate their activities into a larger European network.
If you would like to become a member of WCC-Europe you can find out more about our network and membership application HERE.
About World Crafts Council-Europe
The World Crafts Council-Europe is a non-profit membership organisation set up to promote an international interest in crafts and encourage contact between the craftspeople of different countries.
Our mission is to elevate awareness and appreciation of crafts as an integral part of societies cultural, social and economic wellbeing. Our vision is a world where craftsmanship is valued at every level of society.
In 2019, our organisation celebrates 40 years of promoting and supporting European Crafts. Find out more at wcc-europe.org
To join in and learn more, follow WCC Europe on social media:
Instagram @wcceurope
Facebook @WCCEurope
#wcceurope40
For further information and high res images (via Dropbox link), please contact: wcceurope@dccoi.ie
Featured image: Zsolt József Simon, Untitled, 2017 ©János Bánáti