Non-formal education in focus: from heritage to innovation
In September 2025, the BRICKS project held its third and final study visit in Florence and Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy. Over three days, partners, educators, and artisans explored how non-formal education can support the transmission of craft knowledge, while also connecting with innovation, certification, and policy frameworks.
This visit marked a turning point for the project: moving from shared exploration towards shaping final recommendations and future scenarios for non-formal craft education across Europe. It also opened the conversation to the wider public during one of Italy’s most prestigious craft events, Artigianato e Palazzo.
Day 1: Immersion in Montelupo, ceramics past and future
The visit opened in Montelupo Fiorentino, a town with centuries of ceramic heritage. Participants visited three emblematic sites:
✔️ Museo della Ceramica : tracing the town’s global influence from the Renaissance to today, with archaeological finds showing how techniques and motifs evolved across centuries.
✔️ Scuola di Ceramica di Montelupo : a model of non-formal and formal training combined. Its modular certifications integrate craftsmanship with entrepreneurship, while also experimenting with digital modelling and 3D printing.
✔️ Bitossi Archive & Experimental Centre : documenting a century of Italian ceramic design, bridging tradition with contemporary artistic collaborations.
Montelupo demonstrated how place-based education can combine heritage and modernity. Its schools and archives show how retired masters, designers, and new technologies can work together to build resilient and inclusive craft learning ecosystems.
Day 2: Working session, shared practices and challenges
The second day of the visit, hosted in ARTEX, shifted the focus from field immersion to collective reflection and exchange. Partners and guests from Italy, Belgium, Georgia, and Poland presented their national contexts, shared personal experiences, and debated how non-formal craft education can be structured, recognised, and sustained across Europe.
✔️ Noé Morin (TRA – La Table Ronde de l’Architecture) introduced summer schools in Bruges and Alsace, where architects and students reconnect with vernacular construction techniques such as timber framing and lime work. These hands-on programmes position crafts at the heart of architectural education.
✔️ Théo Michel, ceramist and educator, shared the story of establishing Brussels’ first professional ceramic training programme. Despite being privately funded, it has already enabled learners to set up their own studios, proving that non-formal education can create viable professional pathways.
✔️ Stefano Parrini, a master leatherworker from Tuscany, reflected on four decades of experience as a maker and trainer. He emphasised the risk of losing intangible knowledge when artisans are not supported as educators, calling for greater recognition of the Maestro Artigiano framework, which certifies skilled craftspeople as official trainers.
✔️ Simone Palazzo (MadameFLO Academy) presented its unique approach to historical costume-making education. Combining one-to-one mentorship with small-group courses, her academy blends heritage textile knowledge with professional training opportunities.
✔️ Alexander Samsonov, a tailor and designer, showcased how contemporary craft practice can bridge the gap between artisanal excellence and modern markets, offering models of innovation that remain rooted in tradition.
✔️ Kettari Academy, represented by Teo Jakeli, presented flexible, practice-based courses in ceramics and batik that combine craft skills with entrepreneurial knowledge, empowering women and vulnerable groups.
✔️ ICOMOS Georgia, with Nato Tsintsabadze, highlighted how non-formal training in heritage restoration (earth mortars, wood conservation, historic structures) can sustain local knowledge while aligning with international conservation standards.
✔️ The National Museum in Gdańsk and the Folk Artists Association (STL) illustrated a strong ecosystem where museums, associations, and artisans work together to sustain traditions such as Kashubian embroidery and pottery.
✔️ Monika Wieczorkowska and Elżbieta Żuławska shared personal pathways into ceramics and embroidery, showing how non-formal learning, when combined with community networks, leads to both professional and cultural recognition.
The day closed with a collective Miro board exercise, inviting all participants to design the blueprint of a future European programme on non-formal craft education. Discussions revealed common needs: better visibility and recognition of crafts, training support for master artisans, certification frameworks that cross borders, and sustainable spaces where learning can flourish.
Day 3: Public engagement and European visibility
The third and final day marked a decisive shift: from internal exchange among partners to public dialogue with institutions, policymakers, and the wider craft community.
The morning began with an internal coordination meeting in before delving into Artigianato e Palazzo, where BRICKS partners reviewed the lessons gathered across the three study visits (Poland, Georgia, and Italy).
Together, they outlined next steps toward the project’s final policy recommendations, including the need to strengthen recognition systems, support master artisans as educators, and promote cross-border certification.
The project’s visibility was further enhanced during the fair’s opening ceremony, where Elisa Guidi (ARTEX) officially presented BRICKS alongside institutional representatives such as the Mayor of Florence, members of the Corsini family, and the President of the Florence Chamber of Commerce. Their recognition of the project highlighted the growing importance of non-formal education in cultural policy and local development.
The BRICKS partners hosted a dedicated conference titled “The BRICKS Project and Non-Formal Education for Artistic Crafts”, moderated by Elisa Guidi (ARTEX), with contributions from Madina Benvenuti (Mad’in Europe), Alessandro Colombo, and Elena Baistrocchi.
You can watch the full conference here.
The panel explored how non-formal craft education supports knowledge transmission, encourages innovation, and creates sustainable career paths for new generations of artisans. Reflections from the three study visits were shared, giving the audience concrete examples from Italy, Georgia, and Poland.
Beyond the official programme, BRICKS partners also engaged directly with artisans exhibiting at the fair. Many of these craftspeople already acted as informal educators, teaching apprentices or mentoring young makers. Conversations revealed both opportunities and barriers: while many artisans are eager to pass on their skills, they often lack institutional recognition, financial support, or pedagogical training. These exchanges enriched the project’s understanding of the lived realities of craft transmission.
By stepping into the high-profile space of Artigianato e Palazzo, BRICKS moved beyond its consortium and positioned itself at the heart of a wider European dialogue. The Italian visit closed not only a cycle of fieldwork but also set the stage for translating insights into actionable policy proposals, ensuring that non-formal craft education is recognised as a vital driver of cultural continuity, innovation, and sustainable futures.
