Sara Sorribes was 23 years old when she realised she wanted to be a glass artisan like her father and grandfather were before her. Glass artisans since 1920, her ancestors combined age-old glasswork techniques with innovative processes. So when Sara inherited her father's company, she decided to continue his legacy by adapting glass craftsmanship to the needs of modern times. Today, Vidrio Sorribes is a well known glassworks in Valencia that develops pieces for jewellery, lighting, decoration, art and beverage firms, among other things. The sea and sand of the region, as well as the spirit of its biggest festival, Las Fallas, are Sara’s primary sources of inspiration. She also teaches the craft, sharing her experiences in order to “write a better future with an artisan’s hands”.

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This avant-garde glass tableware is inspired by the emotion caused by the unexpected. Each plate has its own identity, allowing it to be recognised as a different element from the rest of the set. The plates are made from glass rods using the fusing technique.

Identity

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These glass earrings were inspired by chains: chains that weigh next to nothing, that do not tie, that make you feel free. They are made from blown glass, without moulds. The metal studs can be made from handcrafted sterling silver or gold-plated metal. The earrings are designed and made for the Vidriada jewellery brand.

Chain

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These bracelets are inspired by imagery of rain, for example the way a rainbow is reflected in the raindrops that remain on the windows when it stops raining. These bracelets, made using glassblowing techniques, are unique; no two are alike.

Rain bracelets

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This avant-garde tableware is inspired by movement. Each plate in the collection has its own identity, allowing it to be recognised as a different element from the rest of the set. The glass plate was made using the technique of glass fusing and is hand painted with vitrifiable paint.

Motion II

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Motion I

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When we talk about design and craftsmanship, Vicente Pons and the company POINT are important names to mention. Pons, the sales manager of POINT, is committed to speaking up for artisans’ talent and excellence. He has promoted the Valencia World Design Capital 2022 and he is a member of the third generation of the family that turned a small wicker weaving workshop into one of the leading international brands of outdoor furniture. One of the characteristics of the company POINT is that it has a hand-crafted component that is still applied in the same way as it was in 1920. The company has been in business for more than a hundred years. Recently it has been awarded the 2019 National Design Award, one of the most important design awards in Spain, for its contribution to improving society and people’s quality of life. The story of POINT is a story of families, not just the Pons family, but all those who have worked with them for 100 years: craftsmen, designers, or salespeople.

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Bianca Rebagliati and Daniel Orquín both attended the Vetroricerca Glas&modern school for artistic glass work in Italy. Previously, Bianca had a summer job in a small stained glass workshop on the border between Italy and Switzerland, and Daniel had taken on the mission to start a department of glass fusing in a traditional manufacturer in Bergamo. They chose this discipline because they feel the need to create projects, and glasswork allows them to materialise their creativity and designs. Their workshop, one of the most modern and versatile in Spain, is a lab where new techniques find a way to make any idea become a reality. Yet, 40 plumas is simultaneously a traditional workshop and both Bianca and Daniel remain conscious of the importance of the true craftsmanship of handmade.

Rebagliati, Bianca & Orquín, Daniel

Versatility in glass

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With glass, Agustina Ros seeks to combine both the elegance of art and the commitment of design. She was born in Argentina and is now based in Barcelona, where she opened her own studio. As an artisan she feeds on the ancient craft of blown glass, but her vision is to create timeless and contemporary pieces. Using the mastery of techniques such as flame work, glassblowing, cold metal work and fuming of noble metals, she creates unique designs. Agustina has developed several techniques to achieve contemporary forms. Her challenge has always been to make the past, present and future coexist.

Ros, Agustina

A matter of fluidity

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Working together since 1991, Ester Luesma and Xavier Vega are the duo behind Luesma & Vega. Although their background comprises both ceramics and glass, since 2010 they have been focusing on the latter, fascinated by its versatility and endless possibilities for bringing shapes to life, using different techniques from fusing to slumping. Their workshop close to Barcelona is where they design and make dinnerware for haute cuisine, now in high demand among renowned chefs. Ester and Xavier seek perfection in their glass dinnerware, which resembles porcelain due to its finish. Their passion for design leads them to always look for ways to balance beauty with function. It's also important to them to establish a collaboration and emotional connection with the client.

Luesma, Ester & Vega, Xavier

Flair and function

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Belonging to the fourth generation in a family of glass makers, your path could very much be defined from birth. This is the case of Ferrán Collado, proud heir to a family tradition that dates back to 1920. He grew up living around glass creations, to the point that he does not remember which was the first piece he made himself. After an apprenticeship with his family members, Ferrán set to train in different workshops, in Spain and abroad, in Italy, the United States and Finland. He mastered and perfected his glass blowing, carving and silvering skills there. Ferrán considers himself a versatile and self-taught craftsman-artist, enthralled by the different textures of glass. Besides his own creations, he closely collaborates with designers and artists in search of capable hands to materialise their ideas.

Collado, Ferran

Inherited glass craftsmanship

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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

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.

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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.

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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?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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