Day 68 From the Ibsen Craft College to the Transformation of a `Harvest Jug` into a Wine Cooler

This day was set aside to write the thesis. I got up around 9am and did an hour work when my roommate woke up giving instructions to a friend of hours on the phone over the course of an hour. At least it seemed an hour for me. After nearly pulling my hair out and relocating to the living room I found myself in a deep conversation with a dear friend about how Mission Year will change my life and it was time to hit the town and see the wonderful lady who oversees the ins and outs of Vondores. By the time I got back we had people coming around. Not having a room of my own is just really stressful at the moment. I have been suggested to go to several libraries in the city and study there. I am just so used to be able to close the door on my room and be able to sit by the desk for hours until late at night and get on with the work.

Living in a community house I can imagine would be a lot more ideal without the pressure of having to concentrate on finishing an MA. We are supposed to spend time together with bonding and have lots of cup of teas and long chats about our aspirations how to serve the local community. (My future flatmate on Mission Year just made me a cup of tea and cooked dinner with his girlfriend. That was so nice! He has just finished a thesis himself and carries great understanding of the pressure.) To be totally honest my only aspiration at the moment is trying to write 25000 words in 7 weeks and being able to put food on the table. Let alone my ideas with Vondores, which once again frustratingly been pushed down on the list of do`s.

I`ve found an interview I did with the Head of Ibsen Craft School of Bekescsaba (http://www.ibsen.hu/kezmuves/) in 2009 as part of my research. Reading through it I found some very interesting facts, about craft preservation.

In 1993 Mrs Pal started the Ibsen Craft College, when the House of Culture in Jamina was closed. There were similar craft schools in Budapest and Zala already and Mrs. Pal started the first semester based on the experience of those. It started with basket weaving and wood carving and from 1994 it was extended with leatherwork and ceramics. The current Head of College, Miss Barcsay started 17 years ago as a ceramist student before progressing on to leading the institution. The aspiration of the college is to keep traditional craft alive in the form of an educational institute for both young and mature students. The subjects have been widened with machine embroidery, lace making, reed making, folk play house management and craft teacher training. Students come from all over Hungary, Transylvania and Vajdasag.

In 1997 when the County Culture Centre was closed the college was under threat of closure as well. The staff and students petitioned to keep the college opened and at the end, because nobody wanted the building and the equipment it stayed open and was operated by a public company owned by the local government. Because of the recession the College is in more difficulties than ever and has to be more innovative every year trying to find funding for its running. Miss Barcsay writes 8-10 founding applications every year and initiated to start teaching new skills: till stove and filigree making.There are 70-90 full – time students per academic year, 130 mature students and a further 150 primary school students are in close connection with the college.

Generally customers like the student`s products especially the woven baskets and the ceramics bowls, but they often find the latter more challenging to use than a plastic bowl. Hand made products are very expensive. The raw material and the kiln usage for a ceramic bowl is around £2, whilst IKEA sells them for 0.33p. The hand-made dining table and chairs we set on while contacting the interview costs £1500, in the shops a mass produced version is only £250. There is not enough customers with disposable income to give artisans a secure monthly income. The college is constantly marketing its profile around the country in order to publicise the importance of our roots. There is no data on how many of the students make a living out of the skills they learn at the college. Most of them become a member of the Folk Art Association of Bekes County and practise the craft skills as a hobby. Some of the student progress to further education, though. Within the Folk Art Association after 3 years membership members can progress onto becoming full-time artisans or carry on practising their skills as a hobby. As a full-time artisan high necessity entrepreneurial taxes need to be paid. Otherwise if an artisan has a main job, he or she can become a part-time opportunity entrepreneur without the financial burden and practise his or her skills as a second job. The Folk Craft Council jury (consisting of 4-5 experts) decides if an artisan`s work has been made up to the right standards, if yes it gets a number in category A or B. A is traditional work with a small contemporary change enhancing the traditional elements, B is purely traditional and whichever product is made up to a high standard but neither in category A or B is classed as souvenir (http://www.hagyomanyokhaza.hu/nmm/zsurizes/)

A conference was held in 2009 about `Where is craftsmanship going?` Which discussed the future task of the association and the college: to preserve what has been done in the past 150 years in traditional folk craft or think it through and possibly make products that would be appealing to the younger generations. This is already showing in students work at the Fashion and Textile College of Bekescsaba, where in one of their projects they use traditional embroidery motifs, but instead of hand-embroidered printed on the dresses. In ceramics there is also a new way of approaching product design and development. The `harvest jug`, which keeps the water cool and has been used for more than 200 years has gone through a marketing transformation. For over two centuries people used to take water with them to the fields they worked on in them. Nowadays there is no need for a `harvest jug`, because the work is done by machines on the fields, but the technology of the traditional technique still exist and is used to make wine coolers instead. According to the Head of College in folk craft, technology needs to be recognised and people need to become more open to be able to embrace on the advantages of innovation.