The knowhow of craftsmen is in danger! Let’s help new generations to learn Art crafts with professional craftsmen. The survival of Art Crafts in Europe also depends on the faculty of professional craftsmen to pass on their knowledge to new generations. Their knowhow is being gradually lost and with it a part of our cultural heritage is also vanishing.

The objective of this call is to support the transmission and learning of traditional Art Crafts with professionals by developing a dynamic, multilingual interface "LEARN AN ART CRAFT" within the portal www.madineurope.eu.

This interface will allow creating and energizing a direct relationship between European craftsmen and their apprentices, will stimulate crafts learning and open new doors to employment.

Many professional craftsmen provide training in their workshop but it is very difficult to find them on the internet because they are drowned in an ocean of proposals. So we decided to structure them in a single, autonomous space managed by each "training" artisan, integrated in the portal www.madineurope.eu and accessible to worldwide users.

This module will gather and organize trainings within a single multilingual database, around different areas, wood, metal, glass, earth, stone, textile, jewelry, fashion etc. , so that each browser may seek training depending on its location, date and of course class content. This international opening will help to stimulate the mobility of "apprentices".

Professional artisans will be able to create and manage their pages "training” directly and propose to future craftsmen different types and levels of learning. They will choose among keywords, add any personal information, logo, image, form and relevant documents. The training will be integrated into the overall schedule and home page of www.madineurope.eu as "next trainings". A reminder will be systematically included in the newsletter of Madineurope.

Learn a trade or specialize with a professional craftsman is an extraordinary experience that can open new horizons for many people.

Saddlery classes with Bernard .Lacuche - France

Enhancement and transmission of crafts know-how are two essential steps to the sustainability of our cultural heritage.

If the European heritage has reached us, we must thank the commitment of all these actors of the shadow that have shaped, transformed and protected the finest materials with exceptional talent and knowhow.

But it is also because these craftsmen have generously shared their knowledge with the generations that followed them. How many apprentices have taken their first steps or have specialized in the workshop of a cabinetmaker, a luthier, an art blacksmith, a weaver...? Relayed in some cases by Arts & Crafts schools the craftsmen have ensured the survival of many crafts which are also part of the European cultural heritage, the human heritage.

We have already tested a static “trainings” page on Madineurope ( http://madineurope.eu/trainings/). This version managed by the back office cannot be efficient if the number of classes grows, which we hope! Therefore we decided to implement a dynamic one.

While the inclusion of artisans in www.madineurope.eu portal is free, the one concerning trainings is chargeable and is a small source of income for Mad'In Europe which has, to date, no private or public support (80 € / year for the artisans, more for schools depending on size).

A craftsman ... we may all need one!

We may all look for a unique and customized object for us or to offer, or need to restore a piece of furniture or a ceramic, to commission a wall painting, to find a silversmith, a weaver, a tailor, an embroiderer, a clock restorer ... Only professional craftsmen can really answer to all these needs. Unfortunately it is increasingly rare that we take the time to seek the craftsman who will realize our dream. The craftsmen are almost all small businesses, hardly visible in the global market.

In their workshop craftsmen are more willingly dedicated to their craft than to marketing. But to survive, they need to address globalization with modern means which would enable them to better know the market and to be as accessible as larger companies which have more resources.

Since its creation two years ago, the portall www.madineurope.eu is exclusively dedicated to the promotion of European craftsmen to the international public.

Bookbinding classes with Roland Vanderheyden - Belgium

Madineurope, the story of a passion

The portal madineurope.eu is firstly the story of a passion! One for those art crafts that made the richness, variety, uniqueness of Europe. For centuries, thousands of craftsmen worked to create and maintain a unique and worldwide admired heritage. Cabinetmakers, sculptors, engravers, gilders, painters, stained glass makers, stonemasons, potters, turners ... left us palaces, churches and other buildings and have enriched them with furniture, sculptures, paintings, pieces of art and decorations. Weavers, leather workers, costumers, embroiderers, goldsmiths, watchmakers, instrument makers and other craftsmen have, meanwhile, added to that legacy objects, utensils and other great accessories. Europe is a cradle of diversity, creativity and refinement.

Not to forget all the conservation-restoration professionals who have saved a huge part of that heritage from the adverse effects of time.

The company Mad'In Europe and the portal www.madineurope.

The company Mad'In Europe is a small startup based in Brussels, created in 2013 by Madina Benvenuti and 4 other partners. After 20 years in the press, publishing and photography, Madina has chosen to commit herself to the enhancement of European heritage. Since its creation Mad'In Europe launched the portal www.madineurope.eu, a platform dedicated to the promotion of European craftsmen.

The starting point: how to find the craftsman who can restore a frame, spin a canvas, make a furniture, create a customized object, manufacture handmade shoes, create a mosaic, reproduce a silver coin, engrave on metal , restore a parchment ... The list is endless? It’s often hard to find this craftsman and we must appeal to our network to find him or her. www.madineurope.eu is the modern version of "word of mouth" because it helps finding the craftsman even beyond its own borders and to share opinions with other users or post reviews on artisans.

Nearly 1300 artisans have joined the portal from France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom. They are accessible to the international public in French, English, Italian and Spanish. The search engine allows users to find an artisan according to several criteria: the field, the business, products and materials.

We hope to incorporate new languages and countries, and of course many, many other craftsmen very soon. Our contact list includes nearly 10,000 craftsmen and is enriched every day with new talents.

Registration of artisans in www.madineurope.eu is free and opened to businesses with less than 10 people. This is to facilitate the access of all small businesses and stimulate them to go one step further in the future. However, to ensure consistency of content and supply, certain criteria have been defined,. Whenever a craftsman registers on the portal www.madineurope.eu, the application is subject to verification before being published.

It was during these checks, we found that a large number of European craftsmen continue to transmit their profession by providing training in their workshop.

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Restored, plated and engraved silver box & plate.

Testimony: The craftsman is sometimes the solution for custom and original gift. For the 50th anniversary of a friend, we bought a silver set in an antique shop in Belgium. A pretty plate with a box for biscuits. Both were a little scratched and showed small bumps. After some investigation it turned out that the most affordable solution to restore the box was to send it to Milan, to a silversmith listed on Madineurope. The whole was sent to Milan and returned 10 days later by express mail. The restoration work, re silvering and engraving signatures with the date of the birthday were impeccable. And I believe that this gift will long remain a great memory ...

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Les Métiers d'art en Europe - un savoir faire en danger!