Syria’s traditional glassblowing is an ancient craft with roots dating back to the Roman period, and Damascus is one of the world’s earliest centers of glass production.

Glassblowing techniques from Syria spread widely across the Mediterranean and Europe, and Syrian artisans were historically famous for their innovation, producing distinctive blown glass items such as lamps, vases, and colored glassware.

The craft became an important part of Syria’s cultural identity, with glassblowing workshops forming a vibrant element of Damascus’s artisanal life for generations.

Syrian glassblowers pass down knowledge and skills from master to apprentice, preserving unique forms, decorations, and traditional designs in their craft.

However, the industry has been seriously threatened in recent years due to war, economic hardship, the destruction of workshops, and the loss of traditional markets.

Many skilled craftsmen have become displaced or have emigrated, and only a handful of traditional glassblowers remain active in Damascus today.

The craft’s continuity is endangered as fewer young people take it up, given instability and the rapid changes affecting the country’s economy and society.

In recognition of its urgent situation, UNESCO placed Syrian glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2023.

UNESCO’s decision was motivated by concerns that traditional knowledge and skills could be lost forever without immediate local and international support.

The survival of Syria’s glassblowing tradition is now critically dependent on focused efforts for documentation, training, and support to keep the craft alive for future generations.

This craft not only represents a living link to Syria’s rich artistic heritage but also provides crucial opportunities for economic recovery and community resilience in the aftermath of conflict.

Preserving the art of glassblowing in Damascus means safeguarding a symbol of Syrian identity, creativity, and cultural continuity.

Syria’s tradition of glassblowing is an ancient craft, renowned for its intricate hand-made techniques and deep roots in the city of Damascus.

The process depends heavily on the complexity and size of the products, with items featuring many details—such as peacock designs—being particularly prized.

Syria’s artisanal glass products are not only purchased by local residents but also sought after by connoisseurs from major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The importance of these traditional crafts is reflected in numerous regional exhibitions, workshops, and master classes that highlight unique local techniques and foster cultural appreciation.

Artisans have long relied on home-based workshops to sustain their practices and protect the transmission of traditional skills across generations.

These home workshops have often been compared to museums due to the preservation and display of historic and artistic craftsmanship.

Children are actively involved as the most responsive new generation, learning these skills through summer schools and community classes, ensuring the continuity of the tradition.

The making and selling of hand-crafted glass serve not only as a source of pride but also as an identity marker and a story around which the community unites.

Despite the strong cultural value, the practice faces challenges, with the number of master glassblowers dwindling each year.

Many traditional crafts across regions now rely on small numbers of dedicated artisans, often self-employed, rather than large factories or workshops.

UNESCO recognizes the urgent need to safeguard Syria’s traditional glassblowing by placing it on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The recognition by UNESCO stems from concerns about the risk of disappearance, given the declining numbers of artisans and the threats posed by modern industrial methods, economic hardship, and regional instability.

Preserving the centuries-old glassblowing craft is thus vital to maintaining Syria’s cultural heritage and to ensuring that future generations can continue practicing and appreciating this unique art.

Damascus is renowned as the birthplace of traditional Syrian glassblowing, a craft considered among the oldest in the region.

This artisanal glassblowing involves creating glass objects by shaping molten glass, often crafted in family-run workshops using techniques passed down through generations.

The craft is historically rooted in Damascus, whose artisans are famous for their distinctive styles and methods, blending local resources with centuries-old traditions.

The glassblowing industry contributed significantly to Syria’s cultural identity and economy, with its products ranging from utilitarian vessels to intricate decorative pieces.

Throughout history, the craft has been vital to Syria’s heritage, symbolizing artistic ingenuity and serving as a vehicle for cultural expression.

Presently, traditional Syrian glassblowing faces severe challenges due to modern industrial alternatives, war, economic hardship, and the destruction of workshops.

The number of skilled craftspeople has drastically declined, with the craft now sustained by only a handful of master glassblowers dedicated to passing on their knowledge.

Efforts are ongoing, including workshops, exhibitions, and heritage incubators, aiming to revive and market Syrian crafts and provide creative spaces for innovation.

Organizations and cultural initiatives also support the documentation and teaching of crafts like glassblowing to new generations, protecting the country’s intangible heritage.

UNESCO has included Syrian traditional glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, recognizing the risk of the craft’s disappearance.

The designation cites threats such as the loss of master artisans, dwindling transmission of skills, and the urgent need for safeguarding measures to maintain the craft’s continuity.

UNESCO’s recognition highlights the significance of Syrian glassblowing not only for Syria but for global cultural diversity, creativity, and human heritage.

Protecting this ancient Damascene craft is essential for preserving Syria’s cultural identity, supporting artisans, and ensuring that future generations can experience and sustain the art of glassblowing.

Syria’s traditional glassblowing is an artisanal craft that has flourished for centuries, with Damascus historically known as an important center of glass production in the world.

The origins of the craft date back to at least the first century BCE in the region, where Syrian artisans are credited with inventing the glassblowing technique itself, revolutionizing glass production across the ancient world.

Syria became famous for its distinctive blown glass, characterized by graceful forms, vibrant colors, and unique decorative motifs, many of which are produced with local materials and specific firing and shaping processes handed down through generations.

Damascus in particular developed techniques such as “free-blowing” and “mold-blowing,” enabling the creation of both utilitarian vessels and intricate decorative pieces.

Syrian glass products historically found their way across trade routes into Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and were prized for their quality and beauty.

The craft holds deep importance within Syria’s cultural heritage, symbolizing both artistic achievement and the ingenuity of its people, and traditional glassware remains a presence in Syrian households and at celebrations.

However, war, displacement, and economic hardship have put the survival of this ancient craft at risk in recent years.

The once-thriving workshops of Damascus have dwindled dramatically; only a handful of master craftsmen remain, and the transmission of skills from one generation to the next has been deeply disrupted.

Industrial production, imported goods, and difficulties in obtaining raw materials have also contributed to the steep decline in traditional glassblowing.

As of recent assessments, only a few families still practice the full, traditional process, and younger Syrians have limited involvement due to instability and lack of economic incentives.

In recognition of these threats, UNESCO inscribed Syrian glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

UNESCO highlighted the urgent need to protect this living tradition, pointing to its unique cultural value and the real danger of its extinction without immediate support for the remaining artisans and the transmission of their knowledge.

The international listing seeks to mobilize attention, resources, and policies that can keep Syria’s glassblowing heritage alive for future generations.

Syria’s traditional glassblowing is an ancient craft with roots dating back to the Roman period, and Damascus is one of the world’s earliest centers of glass production.

Title:

Content: Art of glassblowing returns again in Aleppo countryside liberated from terrorism

The town of Urem Al-Kubra in Aleppo province in northern Syria has historically been famous for its skilled glassblowing craftsmen. The war considerably affected this traditional craft inherited from our ancestors, but after the liberation of the city from terrorism, some artisans have brought it back to life. The artisan, Yassin Arab learned the glassblowing craft from his father when he was a child, and after the town was liberated from terrorism, he returned to his small facility, where he worked to restore it and start working again. Arab does not hide his enormous passion for the craft of glassblowing and his belief in the need to preserve this ancient Syrian heritage. Regarding the working mechanism, the artisan explained to SANA that he uses recycled glass, melts it again in the oven at high temperature, and then chooses a specific shape for its manufacture, whether hookah bottles, vases, plates, small jugs, fish houses for decoration, decorated cups and antiques of different sizes. After that, t he piece is blown, rotated and processed by the artisan until it takes its final shape using white and brown colors, and once the manufacturing of the product is finished, it is decorated and colored to give it the required aesthetics. For his part, Hussein Najjar noted that he learned the craft of blowing glass manually since he was young and has been working in this field for 40 years. He added that he is able to make any shape or glass container, using his imagination, and considered that the art of glassblowing is one of the types of plastic arts. Traditional glassblowing is a profession that dates back more than two thousand years (since the time of the Phoenicians) and was included in December 2023 by UNESCO on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity that needs urgent preservation. Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Glassblowing techniques from Syria spread widely across the Mediterranean and Europe, and Syrian artisans were historically famous for their innovation, producing distinctive blown glass items such as lamps, vases, and colored glassware.

The craft became an important part of Syria’s cultural identity, with glassblowing workshops forming a vibrant element of Damascus’s artisanal life for generations.

Syrian glassblowers pass down knowledge and skills from master to apprentice, preserving unique forms, decorations, and traditional designs in their craft.

However, the industry has been seriously threatened in recent years due to war, economic hardship, the destruction of workshops, and the loss of traditional markets.

Title:

Content: Selma Feriani Gallery opens a new artistic era in Tunis

Tunisia has a long and distinguished history of art and the appreciation of art. Young artists are exploring new visions and building bridges to the rest of the world through a growing proliferation of art spaces. Omar Ben Yedder visits the Selma Feriani Gallery in Tunis, one of the latest to open.

By

Selma Feriani’s eponymous art gallery, which opened on 25th January 2024, is one of the growing number that have sprung up in Tunisia in the wake of the Arab Spring which also ended the dictatorial rein of Zine El Abedin Ben Ali in 2011.

Feriani says this reflects not only a change in the cultural climate, but also that there are fewer logistical barriers. “What really changed after the revolution [of 2011] was the use of public spaces, which was not possible before the revolution.

“That allowed for a lot of interesting projects sourced from outside galleries and outside institutions. There is also an emergence of art project spaces like La Boite Contemporary Art Centrale,” she explains.

Increased access to the city’s spaces for the artistic community has allowed greater forms of self-expression, she says. “For me, one of the most important festivals in Tunisia is Dream City, “she says.

The 9th edition of the Dream City festival took place in Tunis’s old town, the Medina from 22 September to 8 October 2023. The programme for this unique festival of Art in the City includes numerous works by artists from over 18 countries – Tunisia, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Portugal, Lebanon, Egypt, Belgium, Syria, United Kingdom, Palestine, United States, Kuwait, Nigeria, Haiti, Turkey, Mali, and Argentina), with creations, concerts, debates and immersive projects.

“The festival has expanded a lot after the revolution because they’ve been able to use the Medina and downtown Tunis in a very efficient way. They had access to a lot of sites that were not necessarily accessible to the public.”

Art has always been central to Tunisia, which in the 16th century was one of the centres of Arab culture and learning. Its artistic heritage bears influences from the Levant, Italy, Spain, Persia and the Near East, resulting in a distinctive Arabesque style.

Tunisian artists have long been recognised for their expertise in creating captivating mosaics and pottery which not only provide mesmerising decorative designs, but also narratives around the culture and history of the people.

With her new gallery, Feriani, who curates another gallery in London, wants to build cultural bridges from the Middle East to Europe and Latin America. The United States, she says, is a place that she will turn her attention to later.

The opening, attended by a who’s who in Tunis as well as renowned international collectors and specialised media, saw an exhibition by Nidhal Chamekh, one of five Tunisian artists Feriani represents in addition another 12 international ones.

She opened her first gallery in 2010 in London where she lives and another at Sidi Bou Said, a picturesque village, that is home to a bustling community of artists, in 2013. Housed in a former convent, it had nowhere near enough space to house the curator’s big dreams. Sidi Bou Said with its cobbled stones and narrow streets was also difficult to access and the space limiting for artists to fully work with.

The new gallery, located in La Goulette, an industrial port area in the northern suburbs of the capital, Tunis however, is a full 2,000m2, enough to accommodate the broad ambitions of its owner – such as having 17 artists in residence – as well as hosting others from other parts of the world to come and create site-specific pieces.

A big space for big ideas

She says it is the result of three years of “painstaking work” by herself and her team. “My idea was to work on site-specific projects, so every artist would come and put together a project that is specific to the space, because it was very difficult to develop a project in their studios, and then come and work on the scenography. They had to come, spend time in the space in Tunisia, and then develop the project.”

Naturally, the very idea of such a space can be challenging but Feriani says she is happy with the results. “A new space comes with a challenge because you need to get used to the space and understand how you’re going to take things forward, especially when you are displaying visually strong works and also very research-driven and with a lot of conceptual elements but I really took my time to make sure every single detail is looked at. I wanted to make sure it’s perfect so that when you come in, you have the same experience as you would in any major gallery around the world.” The initial reviews would seem to bear out her tenacity. “Art,” as she herself puts it, “has always been an act of resistance.”

With this new space. “We have an atelier (a residency) where the artist can spend time from August until January to produce sculptures and other installations. In September we will show, for the first time in Tunis, ‘French Pavilion’ [a grouping of installations and a film by Algerian artist Zineb Sedira) so that those who couldn’t go to the Venice Biennale can watch it here in Tunis. We have a Peruvian artist coming in November with a show developed in Tunisia with marble artisans.”

On the global art map

She wants the space to be a hub for international collaborations and artistic conversations. “So we will create this bridge and foster these conversations which, for me, are very important.” She has a schedule of events already planned for the next two years.

Feriani’s desire for international cooperation is mirrored by international interest in the artists that she is curating, some of whom have been associated with her gallery for over a decade and have really matured in their output over the period.

She expects that some of the artists will have the opportunity to showcase their work at the next Venice Biennale, for example, while globally renowned galleries such as the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim in New York, US.

A lot of institutions globally are looking at us as a result of the work we have done to promote our artists. I think curators and institutions are definitely looking at what’s happening here. Undoubtedly, we are on the map for them now.”

Will local collectors be able to make her venture viable? Despite the growth of the local art scene and collectors in Tunisia, Feriani says she doesn’t anticipate commercial success in the near term, especially given the economic downturn the country is facing.

“Commercially, the domestic market alone will not make [the gallery] necessarily viable. I think that’s the case for most of the commercial galleries and tours because there are very few domestic collectors and they are very price sensitive as well. And I don’t think it’s going to get better anytime soon.” she reports.

However that has not deterred her. “It looks complicated right now but we have a vision and we have a strategy, so there is no way for us to go backwards. We will continue to develop things back home. It’s in the DNA of the gallery. It’s my vision, my strategy, and it’s important for me to do it in Tunisia and to have a voice from Tunisia to the world,” she says.

It surely also helps that as an international gallery, the works are displayed elsewhere (in Western cities), enabling them to reach a wider audience and potential buyers.

World class

Feriani says she intends the gallery standards and quality to evolve to world class – her inspiration is London’s famous White Cube.

 “A new space comes with a challenge because you need to get used to the space and understand how you’re going to take things forward, especially when you are displaying visually strong works,” she says.

“But I really took my time to make sure of every single detail. I wanted to make sure it’s perfect so that when you come in, you have the same experience as you would in any major gallery around the world.” The initial reviews bear out her tenacity. “Art,” as she herself puts it, “has always been an act of resistance.”

The gallery also has extra facilities such as a bookstore and a library where people can either buy or borrow books. Again, unlike in purely commercial galleries, viewers will get a peek behind the curtains of the creative process, as they were able to with the exhibition that the gallery opened with.

“For the show we put together for Nidhal Chamekh, we had the main space showing the project but on the mezzanine and in the basement, we were able to show the process, how the exhibition was made and all the bibliography, meaning all the information and books used by the artist and the imagery and research behind the project.”

This is some distance from the typical commercial gallery where visitors are only able to see the product and make a purchase when they are moved to. “It was important for me to show a little bit of what happens behind the exhibition because it gives artists and also students a way to access the research and to better understand the thinking behind the creative work,” she emphasises.

Summarising the concept behind her efforts, she says: “What we are trying to do, is not only to promote art, but everything related to the city of Tunis.

“So people can come, travel for three days or a long weekend and not only go to the beach but also discover all the art centres and studios; take part in culinary tours and of course, visit the most famous museums – Carthage, and its Roman ruins, and the newly renovated Bardo, one of the largest museums on the continent. So we provided a tailored programme for our international guests.”

Feriani says she has received positive feedback from critics, curators, collectors, journalists and art lovers who saw the first exhibition and the city of Tunis as part of the package. For her, that’s exactly the objective she has set out for herself.

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Omar Ben Yedder

Omar is Editor-in-Chief of African Business.

Many skilled craftsmen have become displaced or have emigrated, and only a handful of traditional glassblowers remain active in Damascus today.

The craft’s continuity is endangered as fewer young people take it up, given instability and the rapid changes affecting the country’s economy and society.

Title:

Content:
Afghan Women Defying Countless Restrictions

(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Written By: Zahra Rashidi

In Afghanistan, women face multiple layers of restrictions, often rooted in undesirable customs and practices driven by low education levels in society. The resurgence of the Taliban regime has further obscured these restrictions under the guise of“religious” or“Afghan cultural” norms, leading to Afghanistan being ranked as the worst country for women for the second consecutive year. Despite numerous challenges and instilled fear, some resilient young girls run private businesses, pursue education, and are dedicated to personal growth and combating ignorance. This report highlights the story of a young woman managing a women's restaurant in Kabul.

Samira, a young woman, has created a restaurant in the Khair Khana area that employs over 20 women who are heads of their families. At 31 years old, Samira not only owns the restaurant but also works shoulder-to-shoulder with 20 other women daily, serving customers.

Samira completed her education in short-term business courses and is striving to continue her university studies in this field. She currently oversees the“Afghan Women's Restaurant” and a tailoring workshop that provides training in the sewing profession to underprivileged girls.

Samira's small establishment, 'Afghan Women's Restaurant' not only serves as a place where people can buy affordable food but also creates job opportunities for many women, all in a time when women and girls lack security in various parts of the city.

Afghan Women's Restaurant/Image/Khaama Press.

This restaurant, by cooking local, affordable, and delicious food, has managed to attract a large customer base from the bustling areas of Kabul's Khair Khana neighbourhood.

The prices at Samira's restaurant start from 5 Afghanis and go up to 150 Afghanis. This has led to a steady stream of customers flocking to the Afghan Women's Restaurant in Khair Khana daily. Here, not only is mouthwatering cuisine prepared, but special occasions like birthdays and small gatherings are also celebrated affordably.

In response to the question of how she has succeeded amidst these increasing restrictions, Ms. Samira said,“When women support each other, they can succeed. Success knows no gender boundaries.”

She added,“We have approximately three categories of employees: girls who were students, girls who are currently in school, and women who are heads of their families and take care of their own dependents.”

Delicious dishes like Ashak, Mantu, Samosa, and Bolani are among the most popular items at this restaurant, and the number of daily visitors keeps increasing. However, Samira personally addresses the various challenges that arise.

She states,“We face many challenges, including attempts to intimidate us, occasional power outages, and sometimes direct or indirect efforts to prevent customers from entering our restaurant.”

These problems and obstacles often come from individuals who own shops near the Afghan Women's Restaurant. Such harassment has recently become a serious concern for Samira.

Samira explains,“Restaurants run by men located near our restaurant try to harm us.” She added,“It has been at least two months since the Afghan Women's Restaurant has been operating without electricity due to these issues.”

Afghan Women's Restaurant/image Khaama Press.

While expressing her concerns about the fate of the women working at her restaurant, Samira recounted,“I have heard several times that the owners of shops and restaurants next to ours playfully tell their male apprentices that it's your fault that a woman has managed to disrupt your market and our restaurant.”

Ms. Samira adds that she initiated the Afghan Women's Restaurant with an initial investment of 7,000 Afghanis. This entrepreneurial woman is now working to expand her representation and employ more women from the earnings of this restaurant.

Although many women-only restaurants have been established in Afghanistan, Samira explains that in the previous government, she was able to employ 500 women by running a tailoring workshop. However, after the change in the regime, her workshop ceased operations, and she started the women's restaurant in August 2021. According to her, it was the first restaurant managed by women after the resurgence of the Taliban administration.

Samira has not only opened doors for dozens of young girls to learn the art of tailoring alongside the restaurant but has also provided an opportunity for girls who have missed out on formal education. She has managed to create a platform for them to acquire tailoring skills through the cooperation of her former trainees from the tailoring workshop.

She clarifies that she doesn't profit from teaching tailoring to these girls; her only goal is to assist women and girls who, for various reasons, have been deprived of their basic rights.

Samira hopes that the current situation will change, and people will come to terms with the fact that women have the right, both legally and humanely, to work outside their homes.

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In recognition of its urgent situation, UNESCO placed Syrian glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2023.

UNESCO’s decision was motivated by concerns that traditional knowledge and skills could be lost forever without immediate local and international support.

The survival of Syria’s glassblowing tradition is now critically dependent on focused efforts for documentation, training, and support to keep the craft alive for future generations.

This craft not only represents a living link to Syria’s rich artistic heritage but also provides crucial opportunities for economic recovery and community resilience in the aftermath of conflict.

Preserving the art of glassblowing in Damascus means safeguarding a symbol of Syrian identity, creativity, and cultural continuity.

Syria’s tradition of glassblowing is an ancient craft, renowned for its intricate hand-made techniques and deep roots in the city of Damascus.

Title:

Content: Izhora Culture Centre in Vistino: from mittens to pottery
Participants of the project “From a needlewoman to a manufacturer of souvenirs ”, organized by the non-profit organization“ Planet of Good ” from p.
Siversky, visited the Museum of Izhora Culture in the village of Vistino, Kingisepp district.
The purpose of the trip was to get acquainted with the deeds and fruits of the hands of the masters of the Soykin Peninsula.
Category: Culture
Within the framework of the project “From needlework to the manufacturer of souvenirs ”, lectures, master classes in needlework and field classes are held.
The main goal of the project is the production of high-quality souvenir products for guests of the Leningrad region and, in particular, the Gatchina district.
One of these outbound classes was a trip of the project participants to the Soykin Peninsula, to the village of Vistino, where a unique ethnographic complex is located - the Museum of Izhora Culture.
The participants of the project got acquainted with the way of life and life of the indigenous peoples of the Soykin region, with the Izhora master knitters, visited the pottery workshop.
But the main topic of the lesson was a kind of master class on turning their own products into sought-after souvenirs by tourists and locals.
Features of national tourism on the Soykin Peninsula
On the way to the village of Vistino, the project participants listened to a small lecture on the ways to develop the tourism industry in the current realities.
The tourism industry is currently actively focused on domestic tourism, and it, like any other type of tourism, has many components - from logistics and services to the purchase of local products, in particular, souvenirs.
And in this sense, the trip to the Soykin Peninsula was very important.
Izhora Museum is known not only for its wonderful local lore exposition, but also for the fact that it is a launching pad for the development of creativity and folk crafts.
According to the staff of the museum, it is with the history of cultural heritage that any initiative aimed at the future can begin.
The Soykin Peninsula is located more than a hundred kilometers west of St. Petersburg.
The indigenous inhabitants of the peninsula are representatives of the Finno-Ugric Izhora people.
Here you can still hear the Izhora speech, the famous Izhora singing, join the national traditions of this people.
The village of Vistino is considered a kind of unofficial Izhora capital of our days.
It is here, on the border of two villages - Vistino and Ruchya, that the ethnographic museum of the history and life of the Izhora people is located.
According to the director of the Izhora Museum Elena Kostrova, it was formed in 1993, in the former building of the primary school.
In 2015, a young creative team came to the museum, and life in the whole district literally turned around.
- In fact, we are not museum workers by profession, we all have different education, - says Elena Kostrova. - I am by profession - a director, our master potter Dmitry Tkachev - a teacher, a teacher of art, drawing and technology.
Our guide Nikita Dyachkov is a culturologist who has Izhora roots and knows Izhora language.
We do all this with our own hands and work.
For five years, the sponsor watched the actions of our team, only then offered his help.
We had to develop one of the directions – pottery, which once flourished here in the Yamburg district, on the territory of the village of Big Aspiration.
The sponsors helped us build a pottery center.
In 2020, the governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, came to open it, who twisted his first plate here with his own hand.
There will never be support for nothing, and no one will notice you.
You have to do something first...
Land of fishermen and needlewomen
Currently, the museum space in the village of Vistino includes two wooden buildings.
In one of them there is an ethnographic museum with an attic for classes and conferences.
In another building, the Izhora Language and Skills Center is located.
The main exposition is located in two halls on the first floor of the museum building.
The participants of the Gatchina project got acquainted with the history and culture of Izhora, traditions of local life and way of life, folk crafts and crafts.
All the exhibits were produced in different ways.
Most of them were brought by people from their homes, and some were found in burial grounds, which are enough on the Soykin Peninsula.
The age of some archaeological finds is hundreds and thousands of years.
A significant place in the exhibition is occupied by items related to marine fishing, which is not surprising: for Izhora it was the most important fishery for more than one hundred years.
- Almost all the idols were engaged in fishing, - says Elena Kostrova. - Here were strong dynasties, fishermen for a long time went to the sea.
They lived in boardhouses, women gave birth to children there, and all the Izhortsy therefore were strong, healthy, tall, strong.
By the way, on the Soykin Peninsula at one time flourished well-known throughout the country fishing collective farm "Baltika", which in recent years, unfortunately, fell into decline.
While men were fishing, women were engaged in housework and needlework.
On the Soykin Peninsula, oats, flax and some other crops were grown.
The museum presents samples of linen products with a unique ornamental embroidery, made in red and blue colors.
How an ordinary mitten became a regional souvenir
Particular attention of the participants of the Gatchina project was attracted by the stand with a collection of mittens with a variety of ornaments, each of which has its own history and meaning.
As Elena Kostrova said, ornamental knitting is another iconic tradition of the Soykin Peninsula.
- Everyone kept sheep here, everyone knitted, - says Elena Ivanovna. - Mittens and socks were made of coarse wool - warm and prickly.
Women preserved and transmitted the memory of the traditional Izhora ornaments, the variety of which is represented on these mittens.
Once these ornaments were a kind of language: for example, from the ornament of the mittens it was possible to find out from which family the daughter-in-law came.
Izhora Museum is a participant of the large-scale project “Villaväki – Woolen People ”, which is aimed at preserving and developing traditional occupations of the indigenous peoples of the Leningrad region, related to the processing of wool and the manufacture of clothing, toys and household items made of wool.
In Vistino, a program for the revival of traditional ornaments and knitting mittens "Ornaments Izhora Soykinsky Krai" has been implemented for several years.
- At first, we had only five old ornaments and three participants in the project, - says Elena Kostrova. - In fact, we carried out the reconstruction of these ornaments.
To date, we have more than thirty women who have become good, strong masters themselves.
They knit at home, go to fairs and sell their products.
By the way, the largest fair on the territory of the museum is the festival of Izhora culture, which takes place in July.
Many of the Izhora masters are already under ninety years old.
They not only knit socks and mittens, but also work to preserve the unique culture of ancient peoples, creating on the basis of museum samples of traditional knitting copies of Finnish, water, Izhora objects.
Some of them work, as they say, “from the Sokha ”.
So, for example, the participant of the project Valentina Vasilyevna herself breeds and grows sheep, sheds them, processes wool, spins it on a real spinning wheel, and then knits wonderful mittens.
The participants of the Gatchina project were pleased to meet Valentina Vasilyevna, who held a small master class on spinning wool for them.
The librarian of the Kobrin school Anna Surina has a special interest in this process.
- My grandmother constantly spun dog and sheep wool, - she says. - Now I have a dream to learn how to spin with a spindle and a spinning wheel.
I've already started buying equipment and got Angora rabbits.
Currently, souvenirs from natural materials - wood and wool are in great demand.
The master in the pottery
Near the Center of Izhora Language and Craftsmanship, under glass caps are samples of ceramics made in the Soyka pottery workshop.
In the workshop itself, work is constantly boiling - potter Dmitry Tkachev works here.
Pottery production has always been an integral part of the traditional culture of the Izhora people.
The main production of this fishery was in the village of Big Aspiration, where by the beginning of the XX century there were about a hundred workshops.
In 2014, the Izhora Museum began research and practical work to revive the pottery of the Soykin region.
Unfortunately, the culture of burning the Great Aspiration is lost today, and there are practically no masters left.
Dmitry Tkachev is engaged in the reconstruction of pottery, not only preserving the forms of traditional pottery, which have reached us, but also recreating them literally from archaeological fragments.
There is only one departure from traditional fishing: the improvement of clay processing technology.
Products of the workshop "Soyka" can be seen at the exhibition of ceramics of gas firing and at the stands of the photo exhibition "Graphics".
At the same time, on the territory of the Izhora Museum, programs are being implemented to teach children and young people pottery and the Izhora language.
What unites us
Gatchina craftsmen were greatly impressed by what they saw in the Center of Izhora Culture.
Someone gathered new ideas and began to better understand how to establish their own production of souvenir products.
Someone was pleased with the scale of Soikin residents, whose activities have long been of serious interest to tourist structures - even despite the difficulties of travel to this remote corner of the region.
- A very interesting museum, - says the head of the Kartashevsky patchwork club "Sudarushki" Anna Gradovich. - What we have seen is in Russian culture, and at the same time we see some differences.
Something we take from the ijor, something they take from us.
It is very important now to talk about the different nationalities of Russia, about what unites us, not divides us.
It is important to bring our cultures together.
This is what happens when we communicate, when we listen to each other, delving into the culture, traditions and history of each nation – albeit through needlework.
In general, the topic itself - "From needlewomen to souvenir manufacturers" - is very interesting and promising.
Women in our club are creative, but sometimes we do not understand how to apply, to realize our skills and talents.
We sew for ourselves, have already supplied our products to all relatives and friends.
But the person still reaches for creativity and continues to do something.
Our project helps us to think creatively and understand where and how to apply our creativity, how to sell our products, which can be in demand in our cultural centers, museums, at holidays...
Julia Lysanyuk

The process depends heavily on the complexity and size of the products, with items featuring many details—such as peacock designs—being particularly prized.

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Content: The project "Light and color" is implemented in Tyumen
12: 34 01 October 2022
The project "Light and Color" of the Tyumen regional public association "Guild of Masters" won a presidential grant in the amount of 460 thousand rubles.
They will be sent for the purchase of equipment and materials for the creation of stained glass products.
These are glass cutters, glass breakers, breakers, soldering irons, grinding machine, foil smoothers.
This Tyumen line was reported by the chairman of the "Guild of masters" Inna Gaiduk.
Within the framework of the project, 48 master classes will be held, their participants will be more than 60 young residents of the region from 11 to 14 years old.
"For the students of the Gymnasium of Russian Culture, we hold master classes, where we create pendants, mirrors, panels, lamps in stained glass technology, including elements of the flora and fauna of the Tyumen region," Inna added.
She explained that at first the guys cut out the details from the glass, then they are polished to fit to a given template, wrapped with foil and soldered.
It all depends on the complexity and size of the products.
Hangers on the curtain 10-15 cm children are made in two classes.
If there are a lot of elements, time takes longer.
For example, a peacock, where there are a lot of details.
Glass products are bought by local residents, as well as connoisseurs from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Tags: project
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November, 2022

Syria’s artisanal glass products are not only purchased by local residents but also sought after by connoisseurs from major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The importance of these traditional crafts is reflected in numerous regional exhibitions, workshops, and master classes that highlight unique local techniques and foster cultural appreciation.

Artisans have long relied on home-based workshops to sustain their practices and protect the transmission of traditional skills across generations.

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Content: I found an error
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In Russia came into force a new law on folk art crafts
January 17, 2024 14: 03
190
Its main advantage is that the status of masters of folk art crafts can now be obtained by self-employed, and not only individual entrepreneurs or large factories.
In Russia, a new law on folk art crafts came into force.
Now masters can choose the appropriate tax regime, and the authorities will provide them with systemic support.
What other innovations are fixed in this document, will tell Anna Shuster, writes Watch.
The house of Victoria and Leonid Chernovs has long been compared with a museum.
In 1988, they got into Gzhel by distribution after graduating from the Krasnoyarsk Art Institute.
At first, they worked in a production association, then opened their own individual entrepreneurs – they became individual entrepreneurs, then they received the status of self-employed.
When there are only two masters in production, it is much more profitable.
Income tax is only 4%, in addition, self-employed are exempt from insurance premiums.
But the artistic value of their products self-employed masters could not prove, the expert art council could not certify their works.
Until in December, a new law on folk arts and crafts was issued.
The status of masters of folk art crafts can now be obtained by self-employed, not only individual entrepreneurs or large factories.
Here, in the Union of Gzhel Masters, this was expected for several years, because 90% of the members of the union are self-employed.
"Now the artist, a natural person, in the status of self-employed can also pass the art expert council and get the status already legally - the status of" Master of folk art craft ", - comments the representative of the Union of Gzhel masters Valentin Rozanov.
In the 1980s, Valentin Rozanov worked as the chief artist of the Gzhel production association.
He has seen nine of the 16 local ceramics factories shut down over the past two decades, and the number of workers in the porcelain factory has dropped from 1,500 to 100.
The only way to survive and preserve the craft traditions was the opening of home workshops.
This is the way the Kashtanovs went.
Moreover, Nikolai himself built a kiln for firing with a temperature of 900 degrees and a slicker-mixer for the preparation of porcelain mass.
Here it is stirred at a constant speed of 320 revolutions per hour – otherwise air bubbles will appear – and is cleaned.
It is important that the new law on folk arts and crafts fixed the concept of "model model product of folk arts and crafts" and fixed the main directions of state support for masters.
Industry experts consider this extremely important, and propose to go even further - to introduce an additional article of state financing - for the technical re-equipment of production.
“We use stoves in almost all industries, and replacing these old stoves with new ones will reduce energy costs by almost three times, ” says Gennady Drozhzhin, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Folk Artistic Crafts of Russia.
Even for the preservation and development of folk crafts, the Association considers it important to develop sales markets and cultural tourism, because it is one thing to buy a ready-made thing in the store, another thing - on an excursion in the workshop to witness the birth of an art object and make sure that the gods do not burn the pots.
Photo: pxhere.com

These home workshops have often been compared to museums due to the preservation and display of historic and artistic craftsmanship.

Children are actively involved as the most responsive new generation, learning these skills through summer schools and community classes, ensuring the continuity of the tradition.

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Content: Surprise with algae and clay
Khruleva Inga
The main feature of the Sevastopol socio-cultural project “Kamka and Kil ” is products made of unique blue clay and the unexpected use of seaweed.
The creative project combines craft workshops and educational and leisure space, where they teach pottery, cook soap, soak in a bath and rejuvenate in a tank with black sea algae.
How it all started
Sergei and Olga Moskalyuk moved to Sevastopol from Moscow.
Being tourists and having traveled around different countries and cities, they fell in love with the Crimea and chose Sevastopol for life and creativity.
Their dream was to create an attractive tourist destination that combines production and interactive excursions.
In 2016, in the Delagardova beam, the couple built a manor and began to develop their project.
They believe that in the world of consumption, there is little to surprise a person who has everything, but you can help realize creative opportunities!
Based on this, enthusiasts decided, based on old practices and experience, to return interest in forgotten crafts, to teach children and everyone who wants to create utilitarian things by hand.
Today, in the open workshop "Kamka and keel" there are several craft "stations", educational programs and master classes have been developed, and even there they try to make various tourist souvenirs.
Children are the most responsive audience.
They always want to do something, they do not need to be persuaded and it is not difficult to interest them.
Only, small children do not hold the focus for so long, it is easier for them to do than to listen, so that young guests do not get tired, the estate has a choice of craft locations for different types of "doing", - said the head of the craft workshop O. Moskalyuk.
In just a season, interactive excursions in the workshops are visited by up to two thousand children.
Soap "Kil" - a souvenir legend
According to O. Moskalyuk, now souvenir soap is made by a huge number of people in different regions.
But the Kil soap, which is produced in Sevastopol as part of the project of the same name, is a special story.
- Keel's nowhere else.
Soap "Keel" is our thing, and around this we spin the story, - says the head of the workshop.
The Crimean keel is not just clay particles formed during the destruction of various rocks and settled on the bottom of the water basin, but the converted volcanic ash is bentonite clay.
It has long been mined near Sevastopol on Sapun Mountain (translated from Turkic "sapun" means soap) and in Balaklava.
Taurida vice-governor, scientist and traveler Karl Gablitz wrote in 1785: "Six versts from Inkerman... deserves a note fossil there from the earth soap clay, which Tatar and Turkish women in the baths for washing the head is used and in many places from Balaklava to Constantinople is released."
It is believed that this is one of the first descriptions of a special Crimean clay - keel, which was actively mined and used on the peninsula from ancient times until the middle of the 20th century.
Before the revolution on the peninsula was widely advertised expensive Sevastopol soap of the highest grade "Miracle of Crimea", made of keel and palm oil.
Everyone knows that soap is made from natural oils.
In our case, it is coconut, palm and fir.
Everything is natural.
The main idea of our soap is to use a keel.
We always tell our guests its unique story, - shares the secret of soap making O. Moskalyuk.
Soap "Kil" has a marble texture of stone.
Consists of 85% oil and 15% of the caring component - keel, it is added to soften the mass, and fir oil - for flavor.
According to O. Moskalyuk, cooking soap is “not a higher mathematics, but still a chemical process ”, so children do not participate in it, but watch it with pleasure.
Ceramics
Everyone wants to have handmade ceramics, but it ’ s an expensive product.
Producing ceramic products is interesting, but difficult.
The organizers of the project believe that a quality tourist souvenir is determined by two criteria: it should not be expensive and have its own history.
In their workshop, two pottery wheels and a kiln are installed, and they directed the focus of their creative activity towards conducting master classes on working with clay.
On excursions, visitors are told about the history of crafts, which traditions in the production of ceramics have been preserved on the peninsula.
In their work, the masters are guided by the age of the guests.
Young children are offered to sculpt angels from clay for the New Year, in the fall - vegetables: pumpkin, tomato, which can be used as caskets.
Teenagers prefer to make more complex things: cups, plates.
In this work, the tourists are assisted by professional artists-ceramists.
Algae rock
In addition to popular educational programs, the estate has a leisure space - a wood-fired sauna and a large cast-iron vat installed in the open air.
It can take health baths at the same time six people.
Under the tank there is a furnace, which allows you to maintain the water temperature at the optimal level depending on the time of year.
For rejuvenation, algae is added to the water - a stone that gives a relaxing and calming effect.
Kamka (translated from Turkic "spring") is a genus of green algae, common in the Black and Azov seas.
Its scientific name is Zoster.
Algae are rich in organic iodine, iron, zinc, copper, cobalt and other trace elements.
According to our interlocutor, recently kamka is in high demand.
These algae are also used as insulation in the construction of houses, for therapeutic and therapeutic purposes in the form of pillows and mattresses, bads and even seasoning.
Work with enthusiasm
In addition to soapmaking and ceramic production, the workshops in Delagardova Balka have platforms for the production of raw oils from seeds and chocolate from cocoa beans.
- Despite the fact that the project is actively developing, it is still difficult to work, - complains O. Moskalyuk. - We are not a commercial, but a socially oriented business.
But in connection with the pandemic and now, against the background of a special military operation, it is necessary to work with zero financial returns.
She and her husband have two companies - one non-profit with jurisdiction in Sevastopol, the second - IP - is registered in the Crimea.
“We do not change the jurisdiction, because in the Crimea at least small subsidies, but we receive.
There, with projects like ours, they work more quickly, ” O. Moskalyuk stressed.
According to her, their Sevastopol NGO is a creative project, and therefore it is difficult to identify.
Last year, they applied for participation in the competition for a grant announced by Rosturizm.
We wanted to re-equip the craft grounds to improve the quality of excursions, but did not receive a grant.
Officials explained that their NGO is “not quite tourist ”.
Since educational activities are more for the soul, you have to earn the production of souvenirs: soap, oil, ceramics.
“At the state level, the task is set to help artisans to sell their products through the development of fairs, but at the local level everything is done formally, ” O. Moskalyuk believes.
And they want to sell their souvenirs in conceptual shops, where the product is selected according to the meaning, has a history or legend.
But such fairs, in her opinion, there are in Evpatoria, in New Jerusalem, on Massandra beach in Yalta, but in Sevastopol they are organized only for a “tick ”.

The making and selling of hand-crafted glass serve not only as a source of pride but also as an identity marker and a story around which the community unites.

Despite the strong cultural value, the practice faces challenges, with the number of master glassblowers dwindling each year.

Title:

Content: News section
The “fourth dimension ” of Vitaly Skobeev: what will be the transitional age of mankind
In the gallery "Dom-Art" opened an exposition of philosophical paintings of Kazan painter Vitaly Skobeev.
The work of the Honored Artist of Tatarstan has always been distinguished by a particularly close interest in mythology, biblical subjects and religions of different peoples.
Working in the style of symbolism, he seeks to combine all the best created in the most diverse areas of human life.
It brings to the fore the philosophical questions that every person is asked at a certain period of life.
This is evidenced by the names of his paintings - "The Creation of Man", "The Birth of the Soul", "The Tree of Life".
More details in the material "Real time".
Tips from the past and the future are not for everyone
Vitaly Skobeev combined in this exhibition works from different series - "Annunciation", "Mythology", "Teachers" and "Tablets of Space", adding to the already known, exhibited paintings and new, which, in fact, lead to the theme of the exhibition - "The Fourth Dimension".
The meaning of the name is that the three-dimensional, regardless of our will and desire, gradually disappears.
In fact, only those who expand and change their creation will be able to enter the future, and the events of recent years confirm this.
For a long time I had planned to make an exhibition, but like many, the pandemic broke our plans.
Perhaps now the time has come, ” said Vitaly Skobeev.
According to esotericists, now the development of mankind has come to the point where it is necessary to make a choice: the old world or the new era.
We end our lives in the third dimension, that is, in the material world, in order to move into the fifth, truly spiritual, with different values and aspirations.
Why not the fourth?
Because it is impossible to make such a leap in one leap, a transitional period is required, that is, a gradual change.
Thus, the theme of the exhibition can be interpreted both as “the transitional age of mankind ”, and as clues in the way from the sages of the past, and the future spiritual beauty that will open to a person if he is able to take this step.
Reasoning, of course, difficult, but so far the ideas of the artist can simply be felt, having come, to be silent near his paintings.
Fathers and children
Vitaly Skobeev was born in the family of the famous artist and socialist realist Valery Nikolaevich Skobeev, a graduate of the Kazan Art College named after Nikolai Feshin and the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin.
The young painter studied in the traditions of the academic art system, but did not remain within the framework of the realistic direction, preferring his own individual style and author ’ s artistic style.
At one point, a conflict between fathers and children was brewing in the family, but seeing how contemporaries evaluate the work of his son, Valery Nikolaevich retreated and even began to help him.
My father always told me that the basis of everything is harmony, in it beauty, through which you can influence people.
Look, harmony is everywhere – in music and architecture, even mathematicians appreciate a beautiful formula or theory.
If we talk about my art, it is at the junction of esotericism, religion and science.
And look - now all these spheres seem to unite, returning to their origins.
Physicists, for example, make discoveries that were once written in the Vedas, the artist reflects.
All at the right time
It is difficult for Vitaly Skobeev to say how much time it takes to create one work.
Sometimes, pictures are written quickly, sometimes you have to postpone work, because the final idea is not “crystallized ”, you need to take a pause“ to think ”:
First, a general idea comes to me, then, starting to work, I begin to fill it with details.
Look at the picture "Tree of Life" - I have collected an image of this symbol from all nationalities of different times and beliefs.
They are like bricks of a common tree, similar to a castle or fortress.
Its roots go to infinity, and upwards it tends to the sky, the highest mind, the purest energy.
The artist in the broad sense of the word, like the great scientist, is often associated with something mystical.
It unites us.
Remember, Beethoven said that the music comes to him in a finished form, he only writes it down, Mendeleev his table at all dreamed.
Perhaps we are guides, at least we should strive for this.
The higher forces see everything and give us something only at the right moment.
As they say, “The teacher comes when the student is ready. ”
Delayed Journey and Teachers
It is interesting that the artist himself has not yet managed to go on a pilgrimage to Nepal or live in an ashram in India - he postponed everything, and now it is difficult to plan at all.
And you have to constantly think about the daily bread.
“I see a special meaning in self-restraint, I find pleasure in a certain maximalism.
Like everyone else, I find a compromise between the material and the spiritual.
Ask and it will be given to you, as they say in the Bible, ” admitted Vitaly Skobeev.
In his knowledge and creativity, Vitaly Skobeev also relies on great teachers, who often act as heroes of his paintings.
Pythagoras and Diogenes, Paul Florensky and Helena Blavatsky, the Roerichs and Sri Aurobindo - their teachings slide through the entire vernissage, they are dedicated, in particular, to the cycle "Teachers".
The connection of the upper world and the earthly world, according to the artist, is carried out through the Messengers, who, in accordance with the plan of the Universe, are sent to people throughout the history of mankind to convey the sacred knowledge of Eternity.
The series includes works dedicated to Plato, Diogenes, Confucius, Buddha, the Old Testament prophet Moses, Leonardo da Vinci and others.
Myths and space
The cycle "Mythology" includes works on mythological subjects of various peoples and world cultures: Ancient Greece, Egypt, India, myths and legends of the Middle Ages.
According to the author, myths of all times and peoples have a common origin and are the key to knowledge about life.
The paintings of the cycle, for example, “Adam and Eve ”,“ Orpheus and Eurydice ”, “The Death of Atlantis ”,“ The Swan and Leda ” touch upon the issues of the creation of the world and the origin of mankind, themes that are the leitmotif of the entire creativity of Vitaly Skobeev.
The cycle of the “Tablets of Cosmos ” contains a metaphorical understanding of those laws and postulates that were sent and sent to humanity in different forms and types, the laws by which the entire outer space is arranged and by which humanity must live and develop.
The paintings of this cycle have a single compositional solution - in the upper part of the canvas, cosmogonic projects, the work of the Cosmos are depicted, and below - the course of earthly evolution, the stages of human development, the embodiment of the "Global Plan" about it.
Update for Easter
On Friday, the exhibition held a re-exposition, and the whole first floor was occupied by the cycle "Blagovest".
This was done specifically for the celebration of Orthodox Easter.
Traditionally, the word "gospel" is called the ringing of a large church bell, announcing the beginning of worship.
The theme of the outgoing life, folk customs and patriarchal order will remind the viewer of the eternal spiritual values accumulated by our ancestors, values, preserving which, a person is able to cultivate purity and spirituality in himself.
The works of this cycle - "Life-Being", "Spring Equinox", "Apple Saved", "Sacred Spring" immerse the viewer in the original world of folk life, its traditional way of life.
The exhibition runs until May 3.
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Many traditional crafts across regions now rely on small numbers of dedicated artisans, often self-employed, rather than large factories or workshops.

UNESCO recognizes the urgent need to safeguard Syria’s traditional glassblowing by placing it on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Title:

Content: Within the framework of the new project of the International Mugham Center "Azerbaijani Mugham", master classes "Ustad dərsi" dedicated to the performing art of playing the container are continuing.
Another lesson of the famous tarist and teacher Elkhan Muzaffarov was dedicated to mugham "Nava", which is performed extremely rarely and is known to a few music connoisseurs, is one of the little-studied and forgotten mugams, reports Day.Az.
The master noted that despite the fact that the mugham "Nava" is included in the curriculum, there are a small number of performers who know this mugham with accuracy.
Among the performers of "Nava" can be noted the names of outstanding performers Akhmed Bakikhanov, Bahram Mansurov, as well as performers of our time Vamig Mammadaliyev and Sabukha Jafarov.
This mugham is on the list of complex mugams.
The master also mentioned that in addition to originality during instrumental performance, mugham "Nava" has originality and during the performance of his hanende, also requires extensive experience in musical skill.
Elkhan Muzaffarov informed the participants about the differences of mugham "Nava" from other mugams and noted that it arose as a result of the merger of several mugams, includes "Dashti" and "Bayaty-Kurd" and has a more ancient history than dastgah "Shur".
During the session, which was remembered by interesting and informative discussions and analysis of mugham participants and the technique of their execution, problems regarding gaps in the teaching of mugham dastgah were touched upon, as well as sections "Nava", transitions between sections and additional tones were discussed.
The purpose of the project is to preserve and pass on to future generations of the Azerbaijani school of classical performance, to preserve the tradition of "mentor-pupil".
In the master classes, which will be held regularly throughout the year, it is planned to participate prominent representatives of the performing arts on the container.
Participation in the master classes is free and anyone can take part in them.
Information support - Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az
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The recognition by UNESCO stems from concerns about the risk of disappearance, given the declining numbers of artisans and the threats posed by modern industrial methods, economic hardship, and regional instability.

Preserving the centuries-old glassblowing craft is thus vital to maintaining Syria’s cultural heritage and to ensuring that future generations can continue practicing and appreciating this unique art.

Damascus is renowned as the birthplace of traditional Syrian glassblowing, a craft considered among the oldest in the region.

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Content: (Hakawati) Drama of the beautiful time and nice Ramadan evenings
Damascus-Sana
The image presented to us by the visual space through its channels, which compete strongly for the premiere of its dramas in Ramadan, is only a natural evolution of an art that began more than a hundred years ago, based on the story, using the efforts of one hero, the storyteller, how did the art of storytelling begin?
RAMADAN NIGHTS
A storyteller, storyteller, storyteller or storyteller, by definition, is a person who has been a storyteller in homes, shops and cafes, who used to crowd around people in the past, not only telling the story in constant interaction with his audience, but motivated by enthusiasm to embody the role of the character that he tells about with movement and voice.
Hakawati is a profession that relied on one character, the character of the storyteller, she possessed her own treasure of diversity and difference, and she roams the psychological character in all respects and depends on the extension and prolongation of the story so that it turns into a night series that can cover the days of the month of Ramadan.
Folk cafes are a theater for storytellers
With his voice and image, Hakawati is the alonis of the Ramadan evenings, telling stories of heroism and manhood in front of a group of people in the popular cafes. Mohammed Khair Kilani, who for thirty years embodied the role of Hakawati in the Ramadan evenings of Homs, showed that the popular cafes were the center of Hakawati and his stories were linked to the holy month. She, they follow attentively his movements and his interaction with the storytelling and sometimes embodying the role of her characters.
Al-Hakawati is a character, according to Kilani, was once considered a means of collective entertainment and education for the real and fictional stories of heroism and the promotion of moral values and positive behaviors, pointing to the most famous tales known (Antara, Al-Zir Salem, Al-Himma, and Strange Beni Hilal) and others.
The origin of the folk tale
The East was the source of popular tales, as most studies and researches in the field of the history of the emergence of the folk tale, and the opinions differ between those who consider the Arab East the source of the tale and its origin as the Babylonians, Assyrians and Pharaohs, and between Persia and India is the origin of the tale, and then moved from it to Mesopotamia according to the book of the popular tale between the past and the present by Mustafa Muhammad Ali Mystic.
The popular tale was known in the Arab heritage early on, as the books of Tabari, Isfahani, Masoudi, Ibn Kathir and others gathered many of these tales, which were known in the pre-Islamic era and what followed, mixed with the traditions and news of kings, as well as what was deposited in the collective memory of old news and facts.
It was formed in the beginnings in the public circles did not take care of anyone of the private, except as a kind of nice Asmar, and in the second century AH accounted for the interest of news and poets and writers, especially in the Abbasid era where translated Ibn al-Maqba book (Kalila and Damna) and increased interest in the third and fourth centuries, and mentioned historian Hamza Esfahani that it was in his era of books of the brown hands circulation Of the seventy books, books on the Hadiths of Sinbad and the Snail and the Mouse also appeared during the period when there was a wide discussion about the introduction of the tales of One Thousand and One Nights into the Arab heritage.
It ’ s a job that doesn ’ t die in Damascus.
In 1990, Rasheed al-Hakawati al-Damascene revived the profession of Hakawati at the coffee shop (al-Nawfra) at the request of the owner of the coffee shop Abu Saleh al-Rabat grandfather and the heads of religious rituals, where they decided to serve it after the Maghreb prayer until the Isha ’ an to be served in Ramadan after the Taraweeh prayer.
Hakawati Al-Sham Rashid Al-Hallaq started the art of Hakawati for the intangible cultural heritage since 1990 and continued until 2014 at the Nofra Café and was presenting stories that combine lessons and awareness, where he dealt with the story of the apparent King Bebars, Antra bin Shadad Al-Absi and many others.
On this subject, Shadi Alhallaq, Jr., spoke in a statement to SANA correspondent, saying that the tourist delegations had a permanent stop in the cafe to attend the Hakawati and take commemorative pictures with him, pointing to the works of his father Rashid, which exceeded the Syrian borders, where he participated in the Jerash Festival in Jordan in 1992 and until 1995 on the theater of sound and light. Hump, participated with the UNESCO Committee of the Medleheart Project for the Protection of the Heritage of the Mediterranean Countries in 2010.
Shadi the barber deepened his father ’ s career and began searching for the mythical and historical stories loved by the audience of storytellers from Syrian cafes and collected handwritten books and restored them as the story of One Thousand and One Nights and the sword of the son of Yazan. The French Institute for Middle Eastern Studies printed the story of the apparent king Bebars with the help of his father to explain some words and their meanings.
The son of the barber pointed to the heritage treasure that he found during the search operations, which was written in a coded language, which he discovered that it is a tent of Karkouz and preachers of Syria, where his father explained to him how to present and make them of leather, colors, ways of moving and the names of the pieces and their recipes to present the first presentation of shadow fiction in the presence of a group of shadow fiction.
Shadi Alhallaq practiced this profession with the art of Hakawati until it was classified by UNESCO on the list of urgent conservation in cooperation with the Syrian Secretariat for Development and provided a workshop to teach 22 students to make shadow and animation and teach them the basics of the profession and traditional craft.
Hereditary career:
Shadi went on to turn the Hakawati profession into a continuous work project for him and his children, pointing out that it is his profession that he loves and he continued in it after the death of his father in 2014 and continued the journey of Hakawati Al-Sham with the shadow imagination and currently his children learn this art.
Jawad bin Rashid, the oldest barber, has performed shadow fiction since he was nine years old at Qasr al-Azm Theater in the festival of (grandparents to grandchildren) and now he is 10 years old has more than 40 shadow fiction shows, the youngest of them and helps his father manufacture pieces and make presentations.
Eight-year-old Rashid is also learning the profession of storyteller and shadow fiction, and five-year-old Jad is driven by his passion for shadow fiction, which he drinks from his family, to provide dialogues at home and for the family.
Hakawati is a comprehensive artist:
Hakawati Ammar Jarrah says in a statement to SANA correspondent: The character of Hakawati is a historical figure known from the immaterial heritage inherited from generation to generation, and he has been working in this field since 2000 and every year of the month of Ramadan appears in this character to protect it from extinction, like the shadow imagination (Karkouz and Ewaz), and the world fund to remain in memory.
Al-Jarrah pointed out that he is working on developing it to suit the people ’ s desire through his presence with his audience in traditional restaurants and cafes, choosing local stories that carry humor and interest to the public in addition to the presence of an oriental takht to play music, and the presentation of the Mesharati segment.
Tarek Ali, one of the listeners of the storytellers, said that the choice of the presence of storytellers for the folklore stories and the stories of his heroes revives the beautiful times, where he catches their eyes with the tone of his voice, which rises and falls in harmony with the course of events and the enthusiasm contained in his story.
Lawyer Rana Bakbashi found in the character of Hakawati a return to the revival of the immaterial heritage, and to create an atmosphere of love and harmony, and a little away from the pressures of life in addition to attracting the young generation to listen to the championships of Antra and Abu Zaid al-Hilali and learn the values of chivalry and Arab ethics.
Economic and Heritage Project
Hakawati is not only a profession, but the details of the owner of the profession carry with it a growing economic importance in the Syrian society, starting from the clothes of Hakawati, which includes a dark red cowl on the head and a bra made of hand looms and long Shami pants. The zenar is a roll of Damasco fabric, Damasco brocade, in addition to a shawl on the shoulders of silk and an Arabic jacket called Damer. The silk belly is as black as the trousers are black and the storytellers sit in the public cafes on a chair that represents the work of the hands of the Damascene craftsmen of carved wood and mosaic restaurant with seashells.
These details represent traditional heritage crafts bearing the distinctive Syrian character of Damascene brocade, Aghbani mosaic, engraving and engraving on wood and shells, explained by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Syrian Development Society Ramal Saleh, indicating that this heritage has become a development project for many Syrian families through the project (Orient House for Heritage) launched by the Society with the support of the Syrian Trust for Development, which includes 13 artisans. Zain, whose workshops were destroyed by the terrorist war on Syria, was collected in an old Arab house with an area of about 750 meters, and provided them with production tools and requirements to preserve the cultural and cultural heritage and their production is present in external and local exhibitions.
Saleh pointed out that the Aghbani industry is also one of the most important projects of the Association, which was established at the end of 2017, which brings together women affected by the war in Douma city in Damascus countryside, where it started with four women to include 450 women within four years.
As for the Damascus brocade, Saleh pointed out that it is one of the finest and most luxurious fabrics in the world, as it is woven from natural silk threads extracted from silkworm cocoons, a luxurious fabric woven on the hand loom and added to it golden and silver threads. Damascus is known as the incubator of this industry, which is one of the oldest Syrian industries.
Saleh added that the Damascene brocade reflects the culture, nature and history of the region through the drawings called princesses or Damascene cloth and its threads woven the most beautiful paintings and prints such as the lover and the mahshooq, Salahuddin, Romeo, Juliet, Damascus rose and Damascus jasmine. The brocade is expensive because of the difficulty of extracting natural silk and the presence of silver and gold threads inside.
Saleh said that Damascus included several factories for the production of Damascus brocade, the most famous of which was the Naasan factory for handicrafts near Bab Sharqi. The importance of Naasan Palace with the factory lies in the fact that its founder is one of the mosaic and brocade artists, the young Georges Naasan, who built the factory in 1720 in Bab Sharqi to pour his leadership in the mosaic school itself.
Muhasen Awad - Rasham Mahrez - Tamam Al-Hassan - Alaa Al-Shehabi
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The storytellers...
An authentic Ramadan heritage

This artisanal glassblowing involves creating glass objects by shaping molten glass, often crafted in family-run workshops using techniques passed down through generations.

Title:

Content: Iranian calligraphy and gilding arts attend workshops and group exhibition in Damascus
Damascus-Sana
The workshops in the arts of Arabic calligraphy and gilding, in which four Iranian artists and a group of Syrian artists and calligraphers participate, opened windows for dialogue and exchange of experiences and to learn about the peculiarities of these arts in the two countries.
The workshops, which came in cooperation with the House of Arabic Calligraphy and Arts Association, were accompanied by an exhibition entitled Iranian artistic touches at the Iranian Cultural Center, which included about 40 paintings in calligraphy, gilding and miniature with the participation of the Iranian calligrapher Abdollahzadeh and Iranian decorators Leyla Azimi, Zahra Khaleghi and Zahra Shaqlani.
On the exhibition, the decorative artist Shaqlani, specialized in the art of miniature, said in a statement to SANA that the exhibition provided an opportunity to introduce the Iranian calligraphy and decoration arts to the artists and the public in Syria and exchange experiences that will reflect on the work of the participants in the future.
In turn, the plastic artist Reem Qabtan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the House of Arabic Calligraphy and Arts, explained that the event is a consolidation of dialogue and cultural exchange between the two friendly countries and participants to learn new knowledge in the arts of calligraphy, gilding, decoration and miniature.
For his part, the calligrapher Adham Jaafari, who participated in the workshop, pointed out that the event provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge between Iranian and Syrian calligraphers, especially in the arts of gilding paintings and the steps of their implementation, especially for young artists, considering that such realistic events are important for all artists to achieve real communication between them.
The calligrapher Ahmad Swar, who participated in the workshop, pointed out that the event allowed to learn about the methods of implementing the Iranian calligraphy and minawatars, especially the Nastaliq calligraphy, stressing that such joint events with Iranian artists are important and should continue to exchange experiences among artists specialized in Arabic calligraphy.
The two young artists Nour Najiba and Maisa Aldagr expressed their pleasure to participate in the workshop, where the participants gained new artistic and technical knowledge in the art of gilding, while learning about the secrets of the art of miniature in painting with gouache and acrylic techniques, as well as the visual and artistic pleasure presented by the works of the exhibition.
Mostafa Madah Nazari, the artistic official at the Cultural Center of Iran, explained that Iranian art is about a thousand years old and its inscriptions were taken from the Sassanid era, which blended with Islamic arts and influenced them in terms of aesthetics and documentation of narratives, especially Arafani, describing the effectiveness as a bridge of communication between the two friendly peoples to create artistic cooperation.
The workshop will continue until the end of the week at the Dummar Museum of Modern Art in cooperation with the Directorate of Fine Arts within the activities of the celebration of the Syrian formation days held by the Ministry of Culture.
Mohammad Samir Tahan
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The craft is historically rooted in Damascus, whose artisans are famous for their distinctive styles and methods, blending local resources with centuries-old traditions.

The glassblowing industry contributed significantly to Syria’s cultural identity and economy, with its products ranging from utilitarian vessels to intricate decorative pieces.

Throughout history, the craft has been vital to Syria’s heritage, symbolizing artistic ingenuity and serving as a vehicle for cultural expression.

Title:

Content: Dummar Incubator for Heritage Crafts is the first development project to protect the Syrian heritage from extinction and maintain its continuity, and provides the right conditions for professionals to innovate, develop ideas and access heritage products with creative ideas.
Khobar Code: 576992
Publication date: 27 September 2021
The incubator is the product of an idea that is part of an integrated scientific research entitled "Syrian heritage between the heritage of the past and the challenges of the present", a research that won the Syrian Innovation Award for 2014, and was invested by the General Federation of Craft Associations with interest and support from the central leadership of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party.
He pointed out that the incubator consists of several departments, including the Assad Academy of Craft Arts, in addition to workshops for craftsmen, a cultural center, an exhibition hall, and a commercial center whose mission is to promote and market the craft product in local and foreign markets.
He complained that the incubator provides support for small projects.
The Director of Dummar Incubator for Traditional Crafts said that the incubator ’ s work is based on providing the possibility of gathering various “kar sheikhs ” and craftsmen in one place, which leads to the generation of new ideas through this convergence and convergence and access to new projects.
On the objectives of the incubator, he stressed that "it aims to establish branches in all the province and friendly countries as the basis for the development of small projects."
In turn, Nabil Karkutli, who specializes in alternative energy, pointed out that the objectives of the presence of his craft in the incubator aims to qualify cadres to make alternatives to imports to face the Caesar law as well as recycling materials, in addition to the production of alternative energy devices, especially solar energy.
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Presently, traditional Syrian glassblowing faces severe challenges due to modern industrial alternatives, war, economic hardship, and the destruction of workshops.

Title:

Content: The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
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Shamsa Bilal leads the hall of Khan Asaad Pasha, an old and different woman, nestled inside her head with soft, colorful silk threads that weave them and pass through them traces of those who were here before.
Sixty years ago, these silk threads wrapped themselves as soon as they were touched by Anamel Shamsa, who stands today to plunge into her memories and come out opening a hole in the wall of the souls of twelve women sitting in front of her, imparting the secrets of the captivating “silk cricket ” profession that seeped into their souls.
Mrs. Shamsa is now the last professional of the Silk Screen..
This description stores a human journey that appears among the silk strands of Syrian history for thousands of years, and the colors of its strands store a personal life story with all its sweetness and bitterness.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
As a princess and guardian of history, Shamsa sits on the throne of Syrian silk, but this dramatic picture is not without tragic glimpses. Today, she stands on the doorsteps of her castle as the last pure dynasties do, lest her throne be transformed into the ruins of the future.
Afaf al-Nabwani, a plastic artist and member of the National Association for the Development of Tourism in Syria, was the author of the idea, as he drew her attention through the internal tourism tours held by the association to produce silk in the city of Hama, specifically the craft of “Sarr al-Qaz ”, which means binding silk threads produced by the silkworm, a craft that is dying in Syria.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
Al-Nabwani told Sputnik that Sarr Al-Qaz is an ancient Syrian craft, where it was made of silkworm silk Hamwi folklore, and this silk was spread throughout the Syrian geography, and its workers produced more than 72 different types, and the city of Palmyra was a center for the production of silk, which was distributed to the countries of the world through the famous Silk Road. Its high durability and health benefits, ancient producers called it "second skin" because of its health benefits, especially for people with skin allergies.
“During my visit to the city of Hama, I met Mrs. Shamsa Bilal, who is the last person to practice the craft of Sarr Al-Qaz, and I came to the need to preserve this craft from extinction and thus cooperate with Mrs. Shamsa to teach the profession of Sarr Al-Qaz to a number of trainees wishing to learn it. ”
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
As for the education course of Sarr Al-Qaz, which is hosted by one of Syria ’ s most prominent heritage landmarks, Khan Asad Pasha, Al-Nabwani revealed that all 12 trainees are interested in silk and aware of its value and have pre-hand skills in dealing with these materials.
On the other hand, the artist Afaf al-Nabwani talked about the role of silk in supporting the Syrian economy, pointing out that if more attention is paid to the production and manufacture of silk will be one of the most important tributaries of the local economy. In the past, silk was traded for gold. C among them.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
Mrs. Shamsa Bilal, the last practitioner of silk sorting, sits at her table, carrying her eighty years with all her experiences and memories, linking her with twelve trainees and linking silk threads together, to weave a new generation of enthusiasts to practice this ancient profession and keep it from disappearing.
The smile on Ms. Shamsa ’ s face reveals how happy she is to be among the trainees and how responsive they are to her, “I teach the ladies here this ancient craft so that it doesn ’ t go extinct, and I ’ m thrilled to see them hand-knit silk threads of all colors and shapes, ” she said.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The octogenarian woman recalls when she learned this profession at the hands of her mother-in-law and worked in it 60 years ago, when every bride in the city prepared a silk dress in her "apparatus", that is, the bride 's clothes after marriage, and the women gathered to make it. Some of them were in charge of tying silk threads and forming it into pieces of cloth, and others were tailoring and sewing. It enables employees to live a comfortable life.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The participants in the Sarr Al-Qaz course had their opinion regarding this ancient craft, where the artist Alissa Sharabiya, a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, confirmed that she wants to practice the profession of silk production because it is a Syrian heritage and learning it is an important gain for those who are proud of the heritage of his country.
Sharabiya was not the only one to be proud of her love of ancient Syrian heritage, as artist Jelnar Hamdan, who is also a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, pointed out that the profession of sorghuz is a dying profession and it is up to us as new generations to preserve it because it is our heritage.
© Sputnik.
Mohammad DamourShamsa Bilal, the last of the princesses..
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
The last of the princesses.
Syrian eighties flirted with the “silk palace ” for 60 years
Twelve Syrian women are proud of their country ’ s heritage and identity, taking it upon themselves to preserve this heritage and pass it on to future generations who will preserve it and the identity of a country that has always been proud of its children.
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The number of skilled craftspeople has drastically declined, with the craft now sustained by only a handful of master glassblowers dedicated to passing on their knowledge.

Efforts are ongoing, including workshops, exhibitions, and heritage incubators, aiming to revive and market Syrian crafts and provide creative spaces for innovation.

Organizations and cultural initiatives also support the documentation and teaching of crafts like glassblowing to new generations, protecting the country’s intangible heritage.

UNESCO has included Syrian traditional glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, recognizing the risk of the craft’s disappearance.

The designation cites threats such as the loss of master artisans, dwindling transmission of skills, and the urgent need for safeguarding measures to maintain the craft’s continuity.

UNESCO’s recognition highlights the significance of Syrian glassblowing not only for Syria but for global cultural diversity, creativity, and human heritage.

Protecting this ancient Damascene craft is essential for preserving Syria’s cultural identity, supporting artisans, and ensuring that future generations can experience and sustain the art of glassblowing.

Syria’s traditional glassblowing is an artisanal craft that has flourished for centuries, with Damascus historically known as an important center of glass production in the world.

Title:

Content: Alert
In the afternoon, 1591 households in Beitou were without warning.
The people in the sports center changed their clothes in the dark and the telco spoke.
The Three Great Families of Lacquer Arts in Taichung
(David Su / tr. by Phil Newell)
Lacquer art is widely recognized as an art medium that tests the limits of a creator ’ s body and mind. However, the variety and irreplaceable texture of lacquer still attracts artists to devote themselves to lacquer art.
Taichung is the birthplace of Taiwanese lacquer art. During the Japanese period, due to the development of two forest farms in Daze Mountain and Baxian Mountain, and the opening of the “Yamanaka Art Craft Lacquer Manufacturing Institute ” by Mr. Yamanaka, a Japanese lacquer craftsman, later established the“ Taichung City Craft Institute ” (later renamed as the Taichung Craft College). Ching, Wang Ching-chang and Lai Takayama have become giants in the development of Taiwan 's lacquer art. With strong professional spirit and family heritage, the beauty of lacquer has taken root and thrived in this land.
Lacquer is Life: The Wang Ching-shang Family
The 101-year-old Wang Ching-chang is a true national treasure. In 2016, the Presidential Office awarded the second-class King Star Medal. In May this year, Wang Ching-chang was awarded the Executive Yuan Culture Award, and then praised Wang Ching-chang for his contributions to the lacquer industry.
Wang Ching-chuang was born in 1922 in Kamioka. After graduating from the Taichung School of Arts and Crafts in 1941, Wang Ching-chuang was recommended by Yamanaka to the Tokyo Art School ’ s body painting workshop. The spirit of the staff "is deeply rooted in Wang Ching-chang's heart.
80 years of paint.
After returning to Taiwan, Wang Ching-chang not only founded a lacquer company, but also continued to teach lacquer art. In 1954, Yen Shui-long, known as the "father of Taiwanese craftsmanship", saw Wang Ching-chang's rich practical and teaching experience, and invited him to set up a craftsmanship research class in Nantou (now the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Center). Frost focuses on the creation of lacquer painting, showing the technique to the fullest. Because of his own high requirements, he held his first solo exhibition at the age of 80, and still maintains the habit of daily creation at the age of 100.
With paint for more than 80 years, still maintain a high degree of enthusiasm, Wang Qingshang will undoubtedly play the staff attitude of the benefactors to the utmost.
"Craft into life" is Wang Ching-chang's persistence, the second son Wang Hsien-min and the third son Wang Hsien-chih recalled helping in the lacquer factory from childhood, the brothers graduated from Feng Chia University's business management department, it was the peak of domestic industry export, "then a month can produce a container of about 10,000 jewelry boxes (cookie boxes) to the United States, the profit of about 30 million yuan, when old. The salary of a teacher is about $1,000 per month, which can be said to be very substantial.
And in the beginning it was only our family doing this, so there was almost no need to solicit business, and traders and customers came to the door. "
Talking about the good business at home, in addition to taking the lead, but also using plastic carcasses and screen printing to accelerate production, Wang Ching-chang obtained the latest technology and materials from his Japanese friends, so that the Wang family created Taiwan's first dragon lacquer production line.
Lacquer art has finally come to fruition.
However, with the impact of the relocation of industries, the Wang brothers turned their focus to creation and learning, and the two people who were originally Wang Ching-shang's assistant teachers were also able to cope with the teaching of the syllabus, whether they were early in Fengyuan Lacquer Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of History, Ilan Art Center, or even in the Tonglin community of Hsinyi Township, which is already at the foot of Yushan Mountain.
"20 years ago, when the enrollment, the venue and materials were ready, but no one came to learn, now is not the same, 12-person class unexpectedly more than 100 people registered, Dad said that everyone to learn to give them the best, we are very pleased to insist for many years, paint has become a prominent school! Even the Japanese teachers are very envious!" 」
"Taichung has rich resources and convenient location. Fengyuan is also a heavy lacquer town. With the lacquer art museum, and Dadun Art Exhibition, more lacquer works have been added in the past year. As long as the cultural city continues to promote and expand its lacquer art pattern, the lacquer art city has a large number of lacquer works." Now Wang Junwei, the third generation of the Wang family, has chosen to take the path of inheritance. Wang Xianmin and Wang Xianzhi, who have been registered as the Preservors of lacquer craftsmanship, continue to teach and create.
The Chen Huo-ching Family
When it comes to the Lord of the Mountain, you will definitely mention his first apprentice, Chen Huoqing.
Unlike Wang Qingshang and Lai Takayama to Japan, Chen Huoqing always stayed close to Master before he returned to Japan. He even gave him horns and tools he used when he was a teacher.
After the war, in order to maintain his family's livelihood, Chen Huoqing entered Taichung's "Air Force Third Aircraft Manufacturing Plant" (later known as Shuinan Airport) and did aircraft chemical painting work for 12 years. However, Chen Huoqing never gave up his studies and continued to make lacquers during off-hours.
Create Fengyuan lacquer ware peak
Then because of the Japanese wage increase and mountain forest protection policy, Japanese lacquer manufacturers began to come to Taiwan to seek cooperation opportunities, Chen Huoqing's good skills immediately favored, officially opened the era of Taiwan lacquer exports to Japan.
Chen Ching-hui, the eldest son, recalled the scene at that time: "At that time, when the supply of lacquer ware for export was in short supply, his father simply passed the technology to the technician who made the tire or the owner of the lathe, etc., creating a prosperous period for the export of Taichung lacquer ware. At that time, there were at least 40 lacquer factories in Fengyuan, so his father was respected by the people."
After being banned from logging and related industries moved to China and Vietnam, Chen Huoqing began to focus on the inheritance of arts and crafts, and was invited to the Institute of Handicrafts to guide and teach, and began a technical apprenticeship program, creating lacquers such as Liao Shengwen, Liu Qinglin, and Huang Lai-shu. Chen Ching-fai takes over.
"In the past, I always helped silently at home, and my father and third brother were responsible for external social interaction. After they died, I began to have more contact with everyone." 」
Master is committed to teaching.
Chen Ching-hui was deeply interested in painting from childhood, so junior high school chose to study at night, and studied with Wang Shuihe, who was known as the "father of advertising", and then went to Tainan to engage in film board painting work. After marriage, he set up an advertising company, made charts, acrylic advertising, etc., for 30 years, until computer graphics replaced manual advertising.
In order to get to know more lacquer artists and improve their skills, Chen Ching-hui participated in the art transfer program that Wang Ching-chang took over.
"Teacher Wang Ching-chang once asked me why I didn't go to Teacher Wang Shuihe, in fact, because every time I went to Teacher Wang, he would be scolded by him, saying that he had taught me kung fu so well and went to the countryside to do it!"
Chen Huoqing, Wang Ching-chang, Wang Shuihe and other masters, Chen Ching-hui was listed as the “Preserver of Lacquer Craftsman – Lacquer ” by the Cultural Bureau of Taichung City Government, and won the 3rd Taichung City Craftsman Award. The seed will be planted in the seed, and the seed will be planted in the seed.
Brushed Lacquer Style 4 Generations
Chen Ching-fai, the third generation of the Chen family, who has also been involved in the creation and dissemination of lacquer art, said that although many courses have been changed to online during the epidemic, lacquer art is prone to detailed errors and difficult to display in video. determination.
Now the fourth generation of Zhang Qifang, in addition to his regular work, has also begun to contribute to the family ’ s nearly century-old lacquer art, and specially filmed the documentary “Grinding the Heart ” to spread the story of the development of the family ’ s lacquer art.
Chen Ching-hui recalls Chen Huo-ching ’ s work attitude: “His father was obsessed with his work, he always kept his work satisfactory until it was delivered on time and always on time! This is the work spirit of the staff! ” Chen Ching-hui, who is 86 years old, still showed unparalleled determination to pass on the beauty of lacquer with his daughter and granddaughter.
Reappearing the Mountain of Light: The Lai Takayama Family
"What Grandpa brought me was the way of doing things, and the care of running the company, and the craftsmanship was more concerned with every detail.
My father taught me the skills, and also used many positive and negative teaching materials in my life to let me know what I should take care of in addition to craftsmanship.
I think the common point of the two is the love and attachment to the profession, which is infused with all the spirit and strength to invest! "
Inheriting the spirit of the two generations of workers, Lai Xinyou opened the tabletop full of tools.
The Road to Taiwan Lacquer Art
Lai 's grandfather, Lai Takayama, received a recommendation from Yamanaka to enter the Tokyo University of Fine Arts after graduating from the Taichung School of Crafts and Crafts. After returning to Taiwan, he founded the "Light Mountain Tour". He was sent to Kanazawa University of Fine Arts and Crafts in Japan to study ancient lacquer techniques.
Lai has been promoting the name of “Tree Paint ” and combining lacquer and pottery as“ TAIWAN WARE ”. Over the years, he has been teaching courses and continuing to hold international exchange activities. He hopes that not only painters, but even the general public can understand the infinite possibilities of changes in lacquer techniques.
Selfless teaching to apprentices, for their own children is more sincere, originally Lai Zuoming wanted to follow his father's model, arranged Lai Xinyou to study in Japan, but he did not want to take this "arranged" road.
The full harvest after the invasion
Lai Hsin-you, who was an assistant to his grandfather when he was a child, wanted to build a deeper foundation for his art. So he took longer to make his products and shortened the time to create them. His father, Lai Tso-ming, wanted him to put aside the production of these daily necessities and focus on creating them. He then turned to the sales of famous souvenir shops, and finally came home because of Lai's poor health.
“I ’ m actually very happy that I ’ ve worked outside, because these experiences have given me a better understanding of the workings and needs of the consumer market.
For example, in the past, my father's works may only be packaged in newspapers. Although the work may be nearly perfect in terms of craftsmanship, the overall consumer experience needs to be taken care of from the service to the store, to the product packaging, and every detail must be taken care of. Get your father ’ s approval.
Bring the paint back to life.
Lacquer ware and the lives of ordinary people have produced a distance, so Lai Xinyou actively through a variety of experience activities and cross-industry cooperation projects, so that people understand the actual appearance of lacquer ware in life, "like a very popular video game" Animal Mori Friends ", to actually put objects into life, you can imagine.
He boldly curated in bakeries and coffee shops, looking for common points between different groups of customers, and opened the door to craftsmanship.
Lai Xinyou also believes that the craftsmanship must keep pace with the times, not completely subverting tradition, but making the lacquer art in line with the modern life field, and looking for demand from life, there is demand to have a market.
Lai Xinyou this pragmatism is the experience of himself, his father and grandfather all the way, is the dedication of the staff to promote craftsmanship.
Wang Qingshang led Wang Xianmin and Wang Xianzhi brothers to industrialize lacquerware, and boldly tried new materials to export Taiwan lacquerware to other countries. Chen Huoqing taught the technology to let Fengyuan lacquerware processing industry flourish for a while. Chen Ching-hui combined with his years of advertising and painting skills. On his own way, Lai Shin-you organized an experience event and promoted the restoration of lacquerware to integrate into modern life. Three different families, the same true love of lacquer art, still stack up in modern society, patiently grinding the lacquer, step by step, inheriting the "professional spirit" of no complaints, no regrets, and admirable.
[See full article on Cultural Stage # 48.]
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The origins of the craft date back to at least the first century BCE in the region, where Syrian artisans are credited with inventing the glassblowing technique itself, revolutionizing glass production across the ancient world.

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Content: People 's Network > > Education
Students, practice craftsmanship in this way.
— — College Art Workshop Innovates to Educate People with Beauty
August 17, 2021 08: 29 | Source: Guangming Daily
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Original title: College students, practice craftsmanship with art
During the summer vacation, college students taught their children to sing at a "nursery gas station" in Ninja Village, Xiadawu Township, Maqin County, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Xinhua News Agency issued
Several students in Ganyu District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, practiced painting.
Photo by Siwei / Bright Pictures
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hohhot City primary and secondary school students creative building model.
Photo by Wang Zheng / Bright Picture
One wall, one culture, one landscape.
This summer, a number of young figures were ushered in in the village of Huomachong Town in Chenxi County, Hunan Province.
In the past few days, a wall painting on the theme of rural revitalization appeared in front of the villagers, becoming a beautiful scenery line showing the new style of rural civilization.
How many possibilities can the spirit of art be transformed by the youth of college students?
Because of the common love and artistic pursuit, college students are gathered together in the form of "art workshops" and other organizations.
They grafted traditional art with modern elements, docked commonplace art forms with new technologies, and combined artistic inspiration with rural revitalization "seamlessly."
They use meticulous care and perseverance to explain the open and inclusive charm of art with one activity and one piece of work, and also write "Youth, I line" in the growth of the team.
Bringing flowers to life, let art innovate in inheritance
“To participate in this art exhibition is a rare opportunity for me to exercise. The dazzling array of exhibitors not only condenses the sweat of the team, but also carries the genes of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. ” At the time of the workshop, my understanding of the shadow is still in the stage of ignorance.
Later, under the guidance of the instructor, after continuous learning and exploration, he gradually realized the important role of innovative thinking in artistic creation.
It is a national intangible cultural heritage.
The workshop uses big data and virtual simulation technology to combine the teaching resources of national universities and the literature resources of museums.
Original works such as Wukong, Wukong, Wukong, and A Dream in the Garden, developing shadow art images such as The Legend of the Fairy Sword, The Legend of the Cat, and introducing percussion and string music into the shadow music score. The fusion of artistic resources expands the radiative value and expressive power of shadow culture.
The integration of inheritance and innovation is also the heart of a group of students who love art at Jilin Institute of Architecture and Technology.
Entering the exhibition area of the "Northeast Big Flower Fabric" Cultural Inheritance and Innovation Workshop, the red festive faces came - boat bags, mandarin duck bags, and red and blue color masks customized for epidemic prevention.
"Northeast big flower cloth" is an important part of the folk culture of the Northeast region, which is characterized by colorful and festive patterns, and is mostly used for clothing and home accessories.
On the basis of giving full play to the rich traditional connotation of Northeast China's big flower cloth, the workshop developed a series of products such as home decoration, clothing accessories, daily necessities and installation art.
"The graduation of the college requires not only design drawings, but also the display of manual works, and usually attaches great importance to cultivating our hands-on ability."
The Northeast big flower cloth flourished in the 60s and 70s, and we integrated the new era elements in it. Before the cloth group used to learn to create hand-dyed cloth and blue dyed cloth. We combined the Northeast big flower cloth and the two together, forming a jump with the red of the big flower cloth, and developed the boat bag, the mandarin bag, and the cloth bear doll.
Team members introduced to the reporter, "the course learned public art, modern design how to combine with home, soft packaging, the workshop to provide us with new ideas, deepen our understanding of professional knowledge."
"Let's record history, let's record our efforts," the workshop continued to innovate, promote the Chinese spirit and national culture, and create cultural products with the characteristics of the times and modern aesthetic taste.
At the same time, we should pay attention to the current social development, establish family feelings and cultural self-confidence, and actively transmit the positive cultural energy of the new era, so as to realize the correct innovation of cultural inheritance in the aesthetic education of colleges and universities.
Smart brain, let art embrace technology and avant-garde
In the exhibition area of Shanghai University's wearable technology and Chinese non-heritage embroidery innovation workshop, 40 colorful embroidery pattern display walls attracted the attention of the reporter, "This wall is not simple, and may contain the code of the traditional Turkish craftsmanship 'disc embroidery'."
We have selected a representative who has been engaged in disc embroidery for 34 years and a novice who has learned disc embroidery. Let the teachers and students embroider 20 traditional patterns separately, and compare the perspective, length of the line, EEG, myoelectricity and other data used in the process to reveal the secret behind the process.
Turkish embroidery has a history of thousands of years, has been passed down to the present, however, due to the complexity of the process, time-consuming, many Turkish young people do not want to learn this craft, once faced the danger of losing it.
Shanghai University Wearable Technology and Chinese Inheritance Embroidery Experiment Workshop Teachers and students combined wearable technology with Chinese Inheritance Embroidery, using microprocessors, low-temperature thermoplastics and other technical means to complete the prototype of wearable components. Creative works with the characteristics of science and technology, national characteristics and modern design, classic modeling and innovative application.
"Through the construction of more than two years of workshops and activities, we have built a new interdisciplinary training mechanism for the integration of science and art, so that art students can understand the non-heritage through the mutual promotion of modern science and technology and traditional skills. With respect for different nationalities and national cultures, we will create new technical services from the perspective of people-centered, so that the development of science and technology will ultimately serve the society. ”
What will you do with old clothes? In front of the students of the "HuanRan New" art workshop of Zhejiang University of Technology, there may not be a treasure from inside to outside.
It is reported that the workshop takes clothing and clothing regeneration as the entry point, and takes the curriculum, scientific research and practice as the support of multi-dimensional platform, leading college students to play the new fashion of aesthetic education. With sales of more than 4 million yuan, the "Kunyuan in Tie Dyeing" series is linked with the University of Mauritius and the Confucius Institute in Suriname every year to transform the fabric of recycled old clothes and spread Chinese culture through traditional straw and wood dyeing and tie-dyeing technology.
"Red tiles, green trees, blue water and blue sky" describes the scenery of Qingdao coastal scenic belt, and the historical buildings distributed therein make the city block more sense.
Students of the “Qingdao Historical Architecture Digital (VR) Museum Workshop ” at China University of Petroleum (East China) have“ pegged ” the treasures of this historical legacy and tried to build their “digital archives ” with familiar VR methods.
"The workshop is composed of three teachers and a number of students, and teachers and students use their spare time to carry out the work of digital museums in combination with their research interests and the need for the preservation and renovation of historical buildings in Qingdao."
The “Qingdao Historic Building Digital (VR) Museum ” established by this workshop aims to present the colorful historical and classic buildings in Qingdao to the audience through advanced digital technology and multimedia display methods, so that the audience can have a comprehensive and close understanding of the historical buildings through online tours.
In addition, the digital museum can also retain a digital archive for historical buildings in Qingdao, and retain a digital data for future renovation.
Home country feelings, let the art dot the beautiful countryside
Poverty alleviation, victory over; rural revitalization, is still on the road.
How to coordinate the relationship between man and nature and create a beautiful countryside more suitable for human habitation has become the theme of creative expression in many art workshops in colleges and universities.
Many people in Guangzhou may not be familiar with the word "river".
Urban rivers can provide water for residents, promote business prosperity, and are an important site for people's daily leisure.
It was a common childhood memory for the elderly residents of Guangzhou to swim, play in the water and catch fish and shrimp in the river.
As a representative of the village type of Guangzhou, the coastal village can be said to be both universal and special - the life and production of the villagers have converged with the city, but its village landscape is the rural style of large farmland.
"Through the exploration of its urban life and rural features, we discovered the problems it has, and at the same time excavated its social, cultural, living and ecological values, and designed the village."
We find that it is the carrier of the residents' memories of the river, and the artistic design of it is not only to provide the villagers with a place for activities, but also to the continuation of the culture of the river.
In the design process, we studied and reorganized the activities of the river flow space, determined the type of space, and then extracted and laid out the elements, and finally formed a multi-functional public space that can be used for rest and play. ”
The first is to explore the combination of rural revitalization practice and rural teaching, and form their own rural planning teaching methods; the second is to pay attention to the excavation and inheritance of regional characteristics, to find the old and new as the theme, continue to study the planning and design and transformation of local villages, and strive to find beauty in the countryside., pay attention to probing and cultivate students' research ability. "said Hu Yuan, a teacher leading the team.
How do ethnic minority villages blend tradition and modernity? This is what Hainan Normal University ’ s workshop “Art and Beautiful Countryside – Dreaming in the South China Sea ” is dedicated to.
At the exhibition site of the workshop, a "boat house" is very eye-catching.
Members of the team told reporters that this is a model of the houses of the local Li nationality residents live in, showing the living conditions of the local residents.
"In the workshop, we will also display and remake products with the intangible cultural heritage of the Li people, such as Li Jin, known as the living fossil of China's textile history, and bamboo weaving with Lingnan characteristics."
In addition to the original cultural products and modern art, the new concept and polishing, creating new cultural and creative products of the Li nationality, showing and promoting the wisdom of the Li nationality people's selfless dedication passed down from generation to generation, driving the industrial development of the Li nationality villages and helping the rural revitalization.
Wang Dengfeng, director of the Department of Physical Education and Arts Education of the Ministry of Education, said that the theme of art practice activities for college students is combined with the revitalization of rural areas and the construction of beautiful villages, which not only reflects the characteristics of aesthetic education and life, but also closely focuses on the major strategies that the party and the state pay close attention to.
This shows that allowing college students to find beauty and create beauty in the major strategy surrounding national development is also a very important link in the comprehensive education of people.
"The results of the excellent art practice workshop fully reflect that aesthetic education is an important part of the daily life of college students, and it also carries the important function of educating people, reflecting aesthetic education 'for everyone'."
The university students who participate in art shows may not be able to become artists in the future, but I think they have a common characteristic, high artistic quality, humanistic quality, aesthetic quality. "
King said.
(Newspaper reporter Zhou Shixiang)
(Edited by: Hao Mengjia, Xiong Xu)
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Syria became famous for its distinctive blown glass, characterized by graceful forms, vibrant colors, and unique decorative motifs, many of which are produced with local materials and specific firing and shaping processes handed down through generations.

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Content: People 's Network > > International
Chinese National Dance at the Saudi International Mountain Art Festival
January 22, 2024, 19: 40 | Source: Xinhua Network
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Xinhua News Agency, RIYADH, January 22 (Reporter Wang Haizhou Hu Guan) On the afternoon of the 21st, dancers from the Chinese performance team, dressed in various ethnic costumes, appeared in the third Saudi Quimam International Mountain Performance Arts Festival, and successfully completed the first dance performance of the festival, winning the praise of the Saudi people and the international performance team.
The International Mountain Performing Arts Festival kicked off on the 20th in the Asir region in southwest Saudi Arabia, with a total of 25 international performing groups and 20 Saudi local performing groups participating, including China.
Teachers and students of the dance performance department of the Shanghai Academy of Film Arts were invited to participate in the festival on behalf of Chinese performance groups, and prepared 14 dances with Chinese national characteristics for the festival, showing China's excellent traditional culture.
Deng Yijun, a student of performance, said: "When I saw foreign friends shouting 'China' excitedly during the parade, I felt a strong sense of pride.
"I am proud of China's rich and colorful national culture, and deeply realize that art is a bridge between different cultures and helps promote mutual understanding, communication and integration among people around the world," he said.
Sultan Al Bazi, CEO of the Saudi Council for Theatre and Performing Arts, welcomed the arrival of the Chinese performance team and said that the festival has set up eight unique performance venues in combination with the mountainous terrain of the Asir region, which is larger than last year.
The festival, sponsored by the Theater and Performing Arts Committee of the Saudi Ministry of Culture, will feature hundreds of performances on the theme of mountainous areas in various historical and cultural villages and archaeological sites in the region.
The series runs until January 27.
The reporter learned from the Saudi Committee for Theatre and Performing Arts that there are cultural experience activities, handicraft shops, traditional clothing exhibitions, local food trucks, etc., in various exhibition venues, aiming to provide a full range of services for tourists.
Currently, the Qimam International Mountain Performing Arts Festival is an annual event organized by the Saudi Council for the Dramatic and Performing Arts in the Asir region, aiming to introduce the various performing arts and cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia and the world to local communities, expatriates and tourists, encourage international cultural exchange, and create jobs for local talent.
(Editor: Cui Yue, Liu Hui)
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Damascus in particular developed techniques such as “free-blowing” and “mold-blowing,” enabling the creation of both utilitarian vessels and intricate decorative pieces.

Syrian glass products historically found their way across trade routes into Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and were prized for their quality and beauty.

The craft holds deep importance within Syria’s cultural heritage, symbolizing both artistic achievement and the ingenuity of its people, and traditional glassware remains a presence in Syrian households and at celebrations.

However, war, displacement, and economic hardship have put the survival of this ancient craft at risk in recent years.

The once-thriving workshops of Damascus have dwindled dramatically; only a handful of master craftsmen remain, and the transmission of skills from one generation to the next has been deeply disrupted.

Industrial production, imported goods, and difficulties in obtaining raw materials have also contributed to the steep decline in traditional glassblowing.

As of recent assessments, only a few families still practice the full, traditional process, and younger Syrians have limited involvement due to instability and lack of economic incentives.

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Content: Community Co-Organizing Workshop Grassroots Can Handmade Sugar Dolls
May 05, 2024 11: 11
Eastern Network Television
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The participants made the candy doll by hand.
Blowing sugar has a history of more than 600 years and is now included in Hong Kong ’ s intangible cultural heritage.
After blowing, pinching, pulling and cutting the hands of the artist, the sugar of the hand is transformed into a variety of animals, and the shape is beautiful.
Bumping artist Du Wun went to one of the Hong Kong Association of Community Organisations (HKCGA) ’ s venues in Sham Shui Po from Cheung Chau to demonstrate and teach this traditional folk craft to more than a dozen participants of the Bumping Workshop.
Participants are all from the underprivileged community at the grassroots level. For the first time, they came into close contact with intangible cultural heritage. In addition to watching Master Fu Dai-hsien ’ s skills, they also had the opportunity to make a candy doll by themselves.
Master Tu first kneaded the sugar into a tube. One side of the tube let the participants blow, and the other side began to expand. Master Tu took the opportunity to demonstrate the kneading into different shapes, and the participants learned various skills of blowing sugar.
Yuen Shu-yin, Director of Community Organisations of the HKCSS, said that the grassroots are not happy or experiencing a downturn in their daily life, and their current living conditions are not very good. She hoped that the activities would bring them happiness and enhance their understanding of the heritage.
She described the workshop as a special experience for the underprivileged. Although the first product may not be beautiful, they felt very happy when they showed it.
Du Shifu recalled that he was also a disadvantaged community. When he was young, his family moved to Hong Kong, and lived in subdivided housing when he first came to Hong Kong.
Some people have never seen blowing sugar, and even their mother-in-law, who is 70 or 80 years old, has never seen blowing sugar, and when they see making it, they become a child.
Seeing them happy in the process, they are now able to help others and feel happy.
The Blowing Sugar Workshop is one of the projects funded under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office Non-genetic Subsidy Scheme of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The main objective of the Subsidy Scheme is to enhance public awareness and understanding of non-genetic items and to support inheritance.
As of the end of last year, 124 projects have been funded under the Scheme, covering research and publication, public programmes and educational promotion activities, inheritance training courses, festive festivals and so on.
Assistant Curator II of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the LCSD, Mr Wong Kang-yu, pointed out that there are 480 items on the Non-Legacy List in Hong Kong. Through the Non-Legacy Subsidy Scheme, the Department hopes to use a variety of activities and models to promote non-Legacy to people from all walks of life, such as people with disabilities, students and ethnic minorities.

In recognition of these threats, UNESCO inscribed Syrian glassblowing on its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

UNESCO highlighted the urgent need to protect this living tradition, pointing to its unique cultural value and the real danger of its extinction without immediate support for the remaining artisans and the transmission of their knowledge.

The international listing seeks to mobilize attention, resources, and policies that can keep Syria’s glassblowing heritage alive for future generations.