Few days ago the Italian Transnational Meeting of the Erasmus Plus KA2 project “WISE – Woman, Innovative, Successful, Empowered” was held in Potenza, aimed at women artisans and artists who, through their skills, want to strengthen and/or undertake a path of professional development, also and above in a European framework.
The project, which involves ETN School together with several European countries such as Lithuania, Denmark, Greece and Iceland, through the Strategic Partnership with the organizations Versli Mama, Anka, Step By Step, Lithuanian Gallery of the Artists’Union and We Are Entrepreneurs, is, in fact, co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission.
WISE has two objectives. The 1st objective is to support crafts&arts women in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences in digital literacy, innovation and technological manufacturing solutions for better realization of their creative ideas and production, and the 2nd objective is to extend the supply of high-quality learning and networking opportunities for women in crafts&arts and contemporary creative industries market trends.
The results of the project are: training – in order to provide the tools that allow women to start a business, activate relationships and acquire skills in the digital environment; networking between European women who create works in the fields of contemporary arts, innovation and artistic craftsmanship, in order to break territorial ties and expand their cultural boundaries and to promote the manufactured products; the creation of an e-commerce platform, available to the artists participating in the project, to convey the products and put markets in contact.
This second transnational meeting, in fact, was an opportunity not only to carry out the project activities, but to create a first opportunity for networking and meeting with local artists: the representatives of the project partners were hosted by the Municipality of Avigliano – a town with a strong tradition in the field of artistic craftsmanship – where they met a delegation of Aviglianese women artisans and artists: Anna Giordano, Anna Bia, Giada Mancino and Maria Borrino, who exhibited their creations. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Avigliano Giuseppe Mecca, the Councilor for Culture, Youth Policies and Associations Angela Maria Salvatore, the Vice President of ETN Francesco Di Bello, the President of the Association Gruppo Coordinamento Donne ODV Carmelina Rosa, the President of the CNA Territoriale Potenza Renato Zaccagnino and the Representative of the Cna-Basilicata Tourism and Commerce Vincenza Molinari.
The partners then paid a visit “Il Telaio di Tonina Salvatore“, in the town square, to learn more about this traditional art and the artifacts that are still made today with handle loom. In the afteroon they went to the MOON in Potenza, a WORKSHOP MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE OBJECTS, a space open to the community, born to welcome temporary exhibitions, artistic productions, workshops, residences and seminars and learning projects for schools ad social operators, creating new opportunities for encounter and amazement through creative processes that see everyday objects and the stories behind them, between familiarity and creativity.
An opportunity to create network, to remember the importance of traditions and artistic skills and the commitment to make these activities an opportunity for business. Hence the invitation of the Vice President Di Bello to the Aviglianese artists, and not only to them, to join the WISE project and to propose their own artistic works.
On the website wise-women.eu you can find further information and contact the project staff, or contact ETN directly.
In the meantime, you can see a photo gallery from the two-day meeting.
