Elena Aleksejeva always wanted to study ceramics, but it took her four times until she was accepted to the Vilnius Art Academy. Her stubborn perseverance eventually got her admitted and she has never looked back. Now, she works in her own studio, making various teapots, mugs, bowls and plates. Her absolute passion is ancient ceramics techniques, such as fermented pottery or raku ceramics. "During the time of our studies, we were taught the main principles of art, about contemporary ceramics but nobody told us about ancient techniques" says Elena. And this is exactly what interests her. For almost 20 years now, she has been doing archaic pottery camps in the yard of the Trakai History Museum with the Vilnius Pottery Guild, during which they delve into old technologies, from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

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Fermented pottery is one of the most archaic methods of clay processing. During the process, hot ceramic dishes are heated to 1,000°C and dipped in sourdough starter, which creates fascinating ornaments. Sourdough starter ceramics get impregnated during the firing process, they become resistant to moisture and are suitable for food use. Under the guidance of the passionate ceramicist Elena Aleksejeva, you will mould your dish. Then, a few days later you will prepare it for burning. In the third and final session, you will fire it in a wood-fired oven and dip it in sourdough starter. The process is truly fascinating and unforgettable – it is like touching the 1,000-year-old past.

Fermented pottery workshop

Fermented pottery workshop in Vilnius

Fermented pottery is one of the most archaic methods of clay processing, here hot ceramic dishes are dipped in sourdough starter, becoming resistant to moisture and suitable for food use.

Sourdough ornamentation

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Throwing a dish is not easy! You have to learn how to operate the throwing wheel and then how to hold your dish in the middle. It sounds simple but it is hard to achieve. Under the guidance of the passionate ceramicist Elena Aleksejeva, you will learn all of this – and more. You will be able to shape your dish in order to make a bowl, plate or mug. After a few days you will have to prepare the surface for firing. This means turning it on a lathe, thinking about the lugs or lids and attaching them, and then finally glazing. Later, the works are fired and shipped to your home (delivery charges not included in the fee).

Dish throwing workshop

Dish throwing workshop in Vilnius

Here you will have an opportunity to learn how to operate the throwing wheel and then how to hold your dish in the middle.

How to operate the potter's wheel

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In this course you will learn how to make a small dish from a lump of clay. The world of ceramics is full of possibilities: you can shape the clay using a rolling pin, or mould by hand using your fingers. The main thing is your imagination. After shaping the dish, its surface has to be decorated. You will be able to decorate the surface by carving, polishing or engobing. Objects can be decorated with openwork or embossed ornaments and then fired by Bisque firing. In the second session you will proceed to work on you dish by decorating your object with lead-free ceramic glazes. Later, the works are fired and shipped to the home of the participant (delivery charges not included in the fee).

Pottery workshop

Pottery workshop in Vilnius

Learning how to make a dish from a lump of clay, using a rolling pin, or mould by hand using your fingers.

Talk to the clay

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The design of this ceremony cup for drinking tea is created following the Japanese raku firing technique. The surface of the teacup is uneven, ranging from smooth to rough. The glaze is crackled and only covers two thirds of the teacup's surface. The uncovered part presents a brown colour, while the glazed parts possess a cream-like colour which heavily varies in warm natural tones. The cup is rather wide and big for current European tradition and the heavy weight is centred on the bottom part.

Teacup

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This exceptionally durable ceramic vessel "Japanese" is chameleon-like. The glazing inside contrasts with the rough surfacing of the stoneware on the outside. It is warm to the touch. The size makes it useful for delicate small items but also finds uses in other settings like the kitchen.

Japanese

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The set of vessels consists of two teacups and one teapot. Due to the characteristics of anagama kiln firing, the vessels are covered in natural melted ash glaze from the outside, forming unique patterns. The inside is covered in clear glaze with melted ash tinting the glaze to a greenish shade. The teapot, while possessing the same characteristics as the teacup, also has carvings on the outside to from a carved middle-age gothic ornament.

Tea service

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This flat long plate is made using the organic leaven technique. The burnt in leaven patterns smoothly transition from dark brown to the overall light shade of the item. The dish is smoothed out, yet some of the burn edges are present. The leaven patterns are unique for every vessel so there are no identical ornaments.

Leaven patterns plate

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Elena Aleksejeva made this bowl using the Lithuanian leaven technique, the dish is submerged into the leaven liquid which burns the sprinkled pattern on the surface and leaves slight dents. It also turns the white stoneware naturally – not perfectly – white and the patterns smoothly transition from dark brown to the overall light shade of the vessel. The dish has then been smoothed out to settle the colours in. Ceramics using this technique are fully organic and must be low fired in the authentic kiln.

Smooth dish

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The Vilnius Academy of Arts (Vilniaus Dailės Akademija VDA) was established in 1793 and is the oldest and largest university for the arts in the Baltic region. The academy is a member of international networks and associations of European higher education institutions of art and design. It offers specialised courses including painting, culture management, glass art, solid craft skills and artistic tendencies. Its students, which number more than 1,800, are spread across four different Lithuanian cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Telšiai and Klaipėda. Since 1990, nearly 100 of the academy's alumni have been awarded National Art Awards. Its mission is to champion the future of design, and architecture in Lithuania, and to educate those that create and research, by fostering creativity, responsibility and entrepreneurship.

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At first, Agnė Šemberaitė wanted to study graphics but decided to devote herself to ceramics because of its versatility. After her studies at Vilnius Art Academy, she started to participate in exhibitions and symposiums, following the professional path of a ceramic artist. She has been walking this path for more than 20 years and is still fascinated by the possibilities of ceramics. Her work is three-dimensional, playing with shapes, but she also makes graphic traces on her dishes using her painting skills. Her works are thoughtful and with a touch of humour. Sometimes they resemble small sculptures, where fantastic creatures tell mysterious stories. Those stories can be found on her dishes, plates, vases or teapots, which are decorative, original, and full of joy. Her world is full of characters - sometimes humans, sometimes animals, and even more often – hybrids of humans and animals.

Šemberaitė, Agnė

All creatures great and small

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The ceramic works of Rūta Indriūnaitė (aka Rutrut) balance art and design. Each of her vases is unique, moulded and carved by hand. In a fast-paced world where many choose low quality mass production, she challenges herself to create objects without an expiry date. She studies nature and analyses the structures within it, stylising them to create designs for her works. Rūta doesn't like working fast; she likes to emphasise the time she invests in her works. Her creation process is a balance between creativity and technical artistry; she is very critical of herself and doesn't tolerate technical mistakes, yet she loves to experiment.

Indriūnaitė, Rūta

Deconstructing nature

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The interest in ceramics was sparked by Agnė Kondrataitė's mother. The artist grew up in a family of architects and while following her studies, she visited a studio of a famous Lithuanian ceramicist with her mother and her fascination with pottery has not faded since. She works with white and red clay, with various glazes, boldly experimenting, coating works with gold, using plaster or wire. Agnė does not only create dishes, but panels, tiles, lamps, pots, furniture handles, and sculptures. Since the ceramicist doesn’t use a ring wheel, all of her creations have clearly visible handprints. It gives them human warmth and uniqueness. Her works are modern and elegantly designed. Her designs play with different themes, shapes and original forms, making them perfect for contemporary interiors.

Kondrataite, Agne

Creative challenges

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In her teenage years, Rasa Justaitė-Gecevičienė turned her back on chemistry and mathematics, choosing ceramics instead. However, her studies did not only provide the basics of composition and art, but also immersed her in the subtleties of ceramic technology. An alchemic process, pottery requires both formulas and calculations – all of which she once ran away from, but now finds great pleasure in. Creating exhibition works and artistic sculptural objects for interior design, Rasa's works always have an unexpected and unique perspective: recognisable household objects or natural forms turn into fantastic ceramic works. By skilfully combining different materials, Rasa invites us to observe, to touch, or sometimes to take a walk within a landscape of emotions.

Justaie-Geceviciene, Rasa

The alchemy of ceramics

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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Does the artisan have a website?

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