Janja Prokić's jewellery pieces seem to emerge from a natural dreamland; even the simplest ones look like they come from a mystical creature. The award-winning jewellery maker Janja admits that dreams and nature inspire her a lot, along with her personal life. "Everything I make is based on what I am going through at the time. My collections are sort of diaries," she says. She took a meandering path to jewellery making, starting out as a painter, then turning to sculpture, before finally graduating as a jewellery maker. Essentially, she is characterised by a determination to do whatever she wants. She loves to travel and move to different places – always with her tools packed, of course. "That's one of the aspects I love about my craft: you can pack it into a suitcase."

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Part of the Sadalsuud collection, which focuses on stars and constellations, this ring was handcrafted from gold using the lost wax process. It was set with rose quartz and 14 small diamonds. Janja's interest lies in Shamanism, folklore and fine art, and she believes in symbols and the protective powers of stones. Sadalsuud is the brightest star of the Aquarius constellation.

Sadalsuud comet ring

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The Homa collection was inspired by the culture, myths and rituals of New Guinea, the bird of paradise island. This ring was handcrafted in white gold using the lost wax method, and was set with an amethyst, emeralds, diamonds and a sapphire. Janja's interest lies in Shamanism, folklore and fine art, and she believes in the strength of symbols – eyes and feathers in this case – and the protective powers of stones.

Homa rose quartz feather ring

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Homa citrine & rubies feather ring

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Homa amethyst feather ring II

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Homa amethyst feather ring

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Fernando Echeverria's work is reliably recognisable. Surprising shapes and playful colours are in balance with elegance and dignity. The Ecuadorian shoemaker studied product design in his homeland's capital, but for the master’s programme he moved to the Czech capital, Prague, to study fashion design at Liběna Rochová's atelier. "She liked the fresh wind of boldness that Czech students often lacked. During my studies, though, the South American pomp was sometimes too much for my professors," the designer laughs. "Thanks to that, I found the equilibrium between multifarious, baroque Ecuadorian style and European minimalistic, genteel fashion. This blend is celebrated by clients from all over the world."

Echeverria, Fernando

A twist on traditions

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Michal Pavlas grew up in the Czech mecca of shoemaking – Zlín, where the Baťa siblings founded their globally known brand. The manufacturer's spirit influenced the young boy; many family members worked there, so it was natural for him to attend a shoemaking school. Intrigued by J. A. Baťa's book "Let's build a state for 40 million people", Michal set his mind on making shoes himself one day. Besides studying, he worked in the manufacturer and he also sewed some pieces at home. "As a teenager, I used to make training shoes for traditional dances of Moravian Wallachia. I was a member of a folklore club, I needed them myself. And so did my fellow dancers, my first customers."

Pavlas, Michal

From folk dancing to shoe making

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The works of Nikola Logosová are evidence of thorough observation. She speaks in concrete visual language, with tangible motifs – regardless of whether the subject matter is factual or fictional. It is as though she wants to make sure that everyone can enter the world of her drawings. Nikola has a wide creative range: as an illustrator, she works on books and magazines; as a graphic designer, she creates visual identities for podcasts and events; and as an artist, she makes her own installations and exhibitions. "I enjoy the diversity of projects and people I get to work with. Thanks to that, I keep evolving, always adopting a new approach or finding new techniques," she says. Her book 'I, Man' was selected for the White Ravens award (2022) as one of the 200 best books in the world.

Logosová, Nikola

A complex world captured on paper

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Zuzana Kubelková trained in glassmaking in North Bohemia. She creates glass objects, installations, paintings and drawings. Her main interest lies in combining glass with other materials and techniques, using their different characteristics to search for new experimental processes. Zuzana is open to all techniques especially casting and blowing, she experiments with colours, structures and chemicals. Since 2007, she has been involved in various exhibition projects and has successfully participated in international competitions, most recently receiving first prize at Young Glass 2017 in the Danish town of Ebeltoft, Achilles Stiftung prize at Cobrug Glass Prize 2022 and in the same year the third prize in Milano Vetro under 35 in Italy. Her objects are on show at Veste Coburg in Germany, in Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark and in many private collections all over the world.

Kubelkova, Zuzana

Thinking outside the glass box

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Your authorizations

Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

Our Partners

Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

Enrich your experience beyond Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

Join the Homo Faber Guide!

Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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