Homo Faber Ambassador
Rosina Pencheva with representatives of the Michelangelo Foundation during the Homo Faber Biennale in 2022, Venice, photo credit: Tsvetina Daskalova
Since 2020, Rosina Pencheva has been an ambassador in the Homo Faber contemporary craft network, an initiative of the Swiss Michelangelo Foundation. The participating institutions and individuals exchange recommendations in the field of crafts and art, help map the continents, partner and share a common vision and goals. Rosina's activities include regular participation in meetings of members of the network from all over the world, as well as the distribution in Bulgaria of news, invitations and opportunities for participation related to the initiatives of Homo Faber.
Rosina Pencheva has a strong attitude towards cultural heritage and its visual presentation. In addition to being a photographer, she is also a producer of creative projects and the creator of the Capturing Creativity platform. Through it, she realizes large-scale activities between like-minded people from different fields - artists and cultural institutions.
Homo Faber 2022 © Michelangelo Foundation
About the Michelangelo Foundation
The Michelangelo Foundation, founded in 2018 in Geneva, promotes crafts, their development, promotion and preservation in the conditions of the XXI century. The organization's goal is to rediscover the human hand's ability to create and to support those who do it best: contemporary master artisans, who use long-standing traditions, skills and knowledge to craft beautiful objects of lasting value.
The artisans that Michelangelo supports have one quality in common – they perform with excellence in their field. The foundation defines "excellence" according to 11 key criteria established by researchers in the seminal book on craftsmanship, The Master's Touch.
With a deep respect for the knowledge of the past and an eye towards the future, the foundation supports and develops artisanal creativity through the organization of events, digital platforms, educational activities and book publishing.
Photo reportage from the Homo Faber Biennial in 2018 and 2022
© Rosina Pencheva
About Homo Faber
Michelangelo's flagship initiative is called Homo Faber – a cultural movement centered on creative artisans. It is realized in three directions – an online guide, a biennial of contemporary craftsmanship and educational programs for the next generation.
Homo Faber Online Guide
The Guide is a digital project of the Michelangelo Foundation that launched in September 2020. It aims to give access to the best master craftsmen, emerging talents, galleries, museums, manufacturers and studios from around the world, curated by the Foundation. Highly interactive, the guide allows you to create a personal account, "like" favorite artisans and contact them directly. A mobile application designed to facilitate browsing on the go has also been developed.
Homo Faber Biennial
Хомо Фабер 2022, фоторепортаж © Росина Пенчева
The Michelangelo Foundation's flagship event is the Homo Faber Biennial of contemporary craftsmanship from around the world, presented through multiple immersive exhibitions on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. Showcasing the work of hundreds of master artisans and emerging talents, the event is a unique opportunity to discover the skill and creativity that goes into crafting exquisite objects by hand.
In the form of an immersive experience, the Homo Faber Biennale offers a presentation of craftsmanship unprecedented in scale and quality. Visitors can see thematic exhibitions, watch live demonstrations by outstanding craftsmen, enter craftsmen’s studios, participate in hands-on workshops and attend lively talks and debates in a conference room. The concept and layout of the spaces are the work of some of the world's most notable designers, curators, architects and filmmakers. A one-of-a-kind biennial, Homo Faber is a celebration of the human hand's ability and talent to create.
Photo reportage from the Homo Faber Biennial in 2018 and 2022,
© Rosina Pencheva
NextGen Educational Programmes
Mentoring in front of the audience at the Biennale Homo Faber 2022, Venice, photography: © Rosina Pencheva
Homo Faber NextGen offers two programs that seek to make crafts relevant to the next generations in a cultural, economic and social aspect. Aimed at students and graduate artisans, the programs bridge the gap between today's craftsmen and tomorrow's artisans to ensure a future for craftsmanship.
The Homo Faber ambassadors
Although the Michelangelo Foundation scouts talent for its projects autonomously, collaboration with its ambassadors is essential. These are more than 120 associations, schools and institutions that help map the continents, sharing the vision and goals of the foundation. In addition to the organizations in question, the ambassadors also include inspiring individuals in the world of crafts, design and art. Their recommendations offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in major cities across Europe and beyond.
Source: Michelangelo Foundation, Geneva