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ENHANCING CRAFTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SHIDA AND KVEMO KARTLI REGION

The project aims to enhance crafts makers’ business skills in Kvemo and Shida Kartli regions. The project includes the preliminary survey of the existing recourses, the selection of potential beneficiaries, and the provision of product development training, workshops, and individual consultations to develop new lines of market-oriented crafts products.

Based on the preliminary studies in Kvemo and Shida Kartli region the beneficiaries were selected for the capacity-building activities. The first part of the activities included general training in business skills (financial issues) and crafts product development.

  • TRAINING

Two pieces of training in crafts product development and business skills were held in Marneuli Public Library and House of Culture in Rustavi

Description of the training:

Training Title: Crafts Product Development and Marketing

Training covered the following issues:

  • International and Local Craft Market Demands (Introducing internationally accepted standards in handmade products);
  • Craft market trends worldwide
  • Production diversification: new functional groups, innovative designs, Collections (local traditions, museum objects, and techniques as a source for inspiration)
  • Creating a successful display- Production Branding and presentation: Logos, Packaging Informational tags and their importance
  • Quality and standards - international size, color, material standards
  • Crafts Display making contemporary exhibiting methods. Sharing successful international and local cases of craft display

 Training Title:  Business Skills Development Training 

Training covered the following issues:

  • The legal status of Craft business (pros and cons);
  • Fundraising possibilities for startups;
  • Marketing channels and communication with clients;
  • Product Pricing;
  • Social Media Management;
  • Crafts products and Intellectual Property Rights;

WORKSHOP

The focus was made on the actual product development ideas, which have been specially elaborated based on the technological skills of participants (i.e. woodwork, embroidery, knitting, horn etc.) The workshop was divided into the brainstorming part based on the wide range of visual material prepared by the trainer and the actual design-making process for each participant. 

The traditional motives (local museum collections, monuments (Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Gori, Uplistsikhe, etc. and sites) typical for Kvemo and Shida Kartli region were especially emphasized when working on the new lines of handmade products.

Preparation For Christmas Fair

  • Training: Crafts Product Development for Christmas fair

The training in Tbilisi held on 10 November at the hotel “Ambasadori” conference hall was attended by craft makers from Tbilisi, Gori, and Rustavi. Simultaneously, it was broadcasted to Akhmeta and Akhaltsikhe beneficiaries, whereas the online consolations have been delivered to the Samegrelo crafts makers.  The training aimed to summarize the experiences of last year's fairs and highlight new trends and products on demand. The focus was made on the actual product development ideas of Christmas decoration, which have been elaborated based on the technological skills of participants (i.e. woodwork, embroidery, knitting, glass, etc.). The workshop was divided into the brainstorming part based on the wide range of visual material prepared by the trainer.

  • Individual Consultations

The workshops have been followed by individual consultations which refined the design ideas and helped the makers during the production process. The individual consultations involved both face-to-face and online communication. 

  • Christmas Fair

The 2019  Christmas fair brought together products of up to 100 craft makers from all over Georgia, including beneficiaries (total number 48)  from all Zrda target regions, in particular Akhmeta Municipality (8 participants) and Samtskhe-Javakheti (4 participants), Samegrelo (6 participants) and Kvemo Kartli (20 participants) and Shida Kartli Region (10 participants). This year the special focus was made on the Shida and Kvemo Kartli regions as the crafts makers from these two regions were newly introduced to the market. Four young salespersons were employed throughout the duration of the fair.

The fair has been promoted through the GHCA social media and other media outreach.  

The individual consultations and recommendation development for each participant and the arrangement of the Women’s Day fair.

  • Individual Consultations

The workshops, which have been the platform for the generation of ideas, have been followed by individual consultations to help the crafts makers refine the prototypes during the production process. The individual consultations involved both face-to-face and online communication. The participants have been provided with detailed designs and the necessary materials to produce new collections. 

Actual product design recommendations for the participants from Kvemo Kartli Regions have been developed based on the ideas and local patterns typical to this particular region. In this respect, the collections from the local museums and the rich medieval façade ornaments have been especially highlighted.

  • The Women’s Day fair

The Women’s Day fair was held from March 3, 2020 – March 8, 2020, at Merani Shopping Mall in Tbilisi. The participants were from all Zrda beneficiary regions (15 participants). The sales during these days were equal to 1300 Gel, which is lower than average, but this was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Visits to the Shida Kartli Crafts workshops

There additional crafts workshops in Shida Kartli have been visited by the GHCA teams to gather the information for the crafts workshop guidebook to be published at the next stage of the project. These included the workshops of the Armorer in the Village Chumateleti, the blacksmith in Surami, and the school of gold embroidery at St. Marine Monastery in Gori.

 

Presentation of Guidebook of Crafts Workshops in Kvemo and Shida Kartli Region and Info Tour

  • Online Festival of Crafts Workshop

In 2020 and 2021 Georgian Heritage Crafts Association organized the event “Online Festival of Crafts Workshops”- a social media campaign, which aimed to promote traditional handicrafts, documentation of traditional techniques, and raise the awareness of masters in the public. During this period the association broadcasted on social media (Facebook, Instagram) video masterclasses (from five different regions of Georgia) and 1 foreign partner, as well as stories about craftsmen. Festival promo - https://bit.ly/34cdLEj

Within the framework of the festival, the campaign joined the Global Initiative Create Day 2020/21.  Create Day is a global digital initiative that invites talented creators to open their workshops to a global audience. Artisans shared their artworks, techniques, inspirations, and artistic environments with their audience through the Create Day web page. The digital platform went online and broadcasted 24 hours of making processes starting in Asia, throughout Europe, and finally North America. Videos about Georgian artisans were broadcasted as a part of the program as well. 

The information about the festival also was spread with the support of the association's international partner Michelangelo Foundation web page. - https://rb.gy/tasdag.

During the festival, the association organized two different webinars:  Effective Management of E-Commerce Platforms for Craft Makers and Selling The Handmade: An Artisan's Journey with Notes from the COVID Era by Andrea Dee Harris (USA).

 

 

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