AEuCC presented the wmn&ART (Women and Art) project
with a multiplier event
21 September 2021 – The first multiplier event organised by AEuCC as part of the wmn&ART (Women and Art) project funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme took place online via Zoom.
The video of the meeting is available on Youtube at the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xYgmvMUjms
The European project wmn&ART (Women and Art) aims to help women with a talent for artistic ceramics to transform their hobby into a future and possible source of income, in particular by addressing and proposing the development of actions and collaborations with two “target groups”:
– mentees: women with talent who have started or want to start their own business;
– mentors: women already working in various forms in the sector, available to provide help to mentees.
Launched in 2019, the project is now almost complete and the meeting aimed to present, share and discuss the results (online books, video pottery courses, etc.), but also to propose and evaluate future prospects for collaboration in the spirit of the project.
Further on this document are described in more detail the specific objectives, target groups and partners of the project and further information is available at https://www.wmn-art.eu/ .
The event involved 30 people, including ceramists, art critics, representatives of third sector organisations, heads of ceramics schools, museum operators and stakeholders in the ceramics sector, who shared their mentoring experiences and attended the presentation of the project results.
After a greeting by AEuCC President Xavier Morant and Secretary General Giuseppe Olmeti, Elisa Emiliani presented the various stages of the project, which started in 2019 and is almost at its conclusion. Then, a video prepared by Viola Emaldi illustrated the main outputs of the project (the manuals produced and the ceramic video courses).
This was followed by a round table during which Elena Agosti, Miriam Gipponi, Irene Biolchini and Sandra Giusti shared projects and mentoring experiences.
The second part of the event, more technical, detailed the functioning of the online platform hosting all the project results (in English, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Slovakian): manuals, video courses, help system and a forum to put mentors and mentees in contact across Europe.
The event ended by reflecting on the future prospects and developments of the project, with enthusiasm on the part of the participants for using the platform and setting up a group of women mentors in the field of artistic ceramics.
— More information about the project
“Wmn&ART – Integrated training and online guidance for inactive women in order to transfer their artistic hobbies into a future source of income” is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, under the key action 2 “Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practice – Strategic partnerships in vocational education and training”.
The project focuses on three specific objectives:
- Supporting inactive and artistically talented women in transforming their hobbies into a remunerative home-based activity, encouraging self-employment with the aim of producing a regular income;
- Improving the mental health and family communication of unemployed women by involving their children and relatives in the activity;
- Providing further and specific vocational and entrepreneurial training opportunities to women selected as “Art Mentors” with the task of empowering their peers by supporting their artistic and craft activities at home.
The target groups envisaged by the project are two:
- The first target group consists of inactive women with artistic talent, who are involved in ceramic handicrafts as a hobby and want to pursue professional development in this art; bring their children into this scenario to encourage them to enjoy ceramic art as well; improve family communication through the practice of art; strengthen their own and their children’s mental health; sell their artistic products to receive a regular income in the form of part-time and self-employment. The essential key words are “enthusiastic” and “dedicated” as well as “talent” and “basic skills”. These women are called CHME in wmn&ART, i.e. “Micro entrepreneurs of ceramic handicrafts”.
- The second target group, “Art Mentors”, will benefit from the project in many ways, including receiving further professional development in mentoring skills. They will have the opportunity to take advantage of wmn&ART training, collaborate with other mentors in art-focused activities and mentoring, establish mentoring relationships with their mentees (CHME).
The online event on 21 September was aimed at the second target group, the art mentors, in order to present the project and especially the online platform that includes video courses in ceramics, manuals and quizzes, a webpage to cross-fertilize the needs of mentors and mentees and start fruitful coaching and mentoring relationships.
This project has 9 partner organisations from 5 different countries:
– ARU – Turkey – www.ardahan.edu.tr
The University of Ardahan was established by Law No. 5765 adopted by the Grand National Assembly on 22 May 2008. In the footsteps of art, science and knowledge, with the aim of illuminating the problems of the region and the country, as well as the problems of the international community through information seeking, learning, producing and sharing, it continues to evolve with each passing year.
– GaleriM – Turkey – www.mgaleri.com
GaleriM Armada was founded in 2013 by ceramic artist Meral Öztürk and focuses on the Art – Life unit: in order to foster a sharing process with the public, GalleryM is located within the Armada shopping centre. The most important objective is to create a satisfying and aesthetic experience, acting as a meeting point between art lovers and artists and art objects.
– MMH – Slovakia – www.kastielmojmirovce.sk
Mojmírovce Manor House (MMH) was founded in 1994. MMH has experience in hospitality services as well as organisation of art seminars and conferences, training courses, seminars for women, young people and also disadvantaged groups for better adaptation in society and better employment. Most of MMH’s activities are dedicated to culture, especially visual art.
– POINT – Turkey – www.pnt-grp.com
POINT is an engineering company that has been working in the field since 1977 both in Turkey and abroad, following the philosophy that “engineering is a mathematical expression of life and improvement of the future”. POINT’s range of activities varies from small to medium sized contracts with both government and private sector organisations. POINT is the technical partner in this project.
– CTCP – Portugal – www.ctcp.pt
The Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal (CTCP) is a non-profit organisation, founded in 1986. Its main objectives are to provide technical and technological support to companies in the footwear sector and related or complementary sectors; to promote the technical and technological training of companies’ human resources; to promote the improvement of the quality of products and industrial processes; to prepare and disseminate technical information for the industry; to carry out and facilitate research, development and demonstration activities.
– TAKIDD – Turkey – www.takidd.org
Tüm Avrupa Kadınları Kültürel İşbirliği ve Dayanışma Derneği (TAKIDD) is a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen cultural interaction and exchange between Turkish and European women in social, economic and cultural areas.
– SPI – Lithuania – https://www.facebook.com/socialiniuprojektuinstitutas
The Institute for Social Projects is based in Kaunas (Lithuania) and is a non-governmental organisation whose mission is the creation and implementation of social projects for the benefit of the public: “Together we are creating the world”.
– ZARIF – Slovakia – www.zarif.eu
ZARIF is a non-profit organisation whose objectives are mainly aimed at promoting the personal development of women, including disadvantaged women, for better employment and their professional development by providing informal and non-formal training opportunities.
– AEuCC – Spain – www.aeucc.eu
Agrupación Europea de Cooperación Territorial Ciudades de la Cerámica is a European group of territorial cooperation created in 2014 which brings together the associations of Ceramics Cities in 7 European countries: Italy (AiCC), France (AfCC), Spain (AeCC), Romania ( ArCC), Czech Republic (AczCC), Portugal (AptCVC) and Germany (AgCC).