Common Crafts – Common Libraries

Common Crafts – Common Libraries invites libraries to rediscover traditional craft practices. Through local workshops, hands-on activities, and public formats, Goethe-Institut libraries develop ways of making craft knowledge visible and tangible.

Background

Common Crafts – Common Libraries brings together nine European Goethe-Institutes in a shared process of learning, exchange, and development. At the heart of the project lies the question: What new impulses can traditional craft practices bring to libraries — as knowledge spaces that go beyond simply providing books and connect people through hands-on engagement?

To explore this question, librarians, designers, and cultural practitioners from Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Türkiye and Ukraine met in Athens in 2025 to discuss approaches and perspectives for connecting crafts and libraries. Practices such as pottery, textile work, bookbinding, and gardening make traditional knowledge tangible and accessible. Libraries are thereby established as public spaces where knowledge can be explored through practice, reflected upon, and further developed.

The project connects craft practice with sustainable ways of working and new forms of knowledge sharing. The regional diversity of the participating experts is a particular strength of the project. Different experiences, resources, and contexts create opportunities for mutual inspiration and for developing approaches that are rooted in local realities while remaining relevant across the region.

The Library We Make

Final Conference

On 10 and 11 November 2026, the final conference of the Common Crafts – Common Libraries programme will take place in Athens.

The public programme on 10 November 2026 at 7:00 p.m. will bring together experts from libraries, museums, and the arts to discuss the relationship between craft, practical knowledge, and libraries.

Featuring curator and art historian Eva Vaslamatzi, artist Maria Varela, Thomas Geisler, Director of the Museum of Decorative Arts Dresden, Shannon Mattern, Head of Creative Research at the Metropolitan New York Library Council, and cultural manager Ioannis Trohopoulos. The discussion will be moderated by Ivana Borovnjak, curator of the Common Crafts – Common Libraries project.

Prior to the discussion, Collectif MASI will present a performance exploring the traditional craft of bookbinding.

Publication

Common Crafts – Common Libraries: Methods and Stories from Nine Cities

How can libraries support craft knowledge, cultural heritage, and collaborative learning? The publication Common Crafts – Common Libraries: Methods and Stories from Nine Cities brings together experiences, methodologies, and practical examples from nine European cities, illustrating how libraries can become vibrant spaces for exchange, creativity, and community participation.

Featuring contributions from project partners, cultural practitioners, and experts, the publication offers inspiring insights into the intersection of crafts, culture, and library work.

Publication (only in English available)(PDF, 5 MB)

Events

Athens | Bookbinding | October 2026

Binding The Common

How can the craft of traditional bookbinding become a living practice within a library? Participants explore this question in a workshop that culminates in the creation of a collectively produced, handbound book. The programme concludes with a performance on knowledge transmission.

© DISKO Kolektiv © DISKO Kolektiv
Belgrade | Embroidery | March 2026

Soft Systems – Generative Art and Embroidery

The Goethe-Institut Belgrade Library hosted a series of five workshops on generative art, embroidery, and emerging technologies. A final exhibition presented the works created collectively and highlighted the library as a space for creative exchange and living craft practice.
Bucharest | Crochet Art | May 2026

Mileu 2.0

How can traditional crochet techniques be combined with artificial intelligence? In this workshop series in Bucharest, historical crochet patterns are digitized with the support of AI tools and preserved in an openly accessible archive. A companion exhibition presents the results.
Istanbul | Repair Practices | July 2026

Café Reparo: Textile Repair Workshop

In this textile repair workshop, participants repair garments with minor defects together with the team from Onaranlar Kulübü. The programme introduces hand-sewing, patching, visible mending, and practical repair skills for everyday life.
Yerevan | Pottery | May/June 2026

Nature and Clay

This workshop series for children and youth in Armenia brings together traditional clay work, literature, and environmental awareness. Inspired by plant motifs, participants create clay objects that connect cultural heritage, craft techniques, and a deeper engagement with nature.
Kyjiw | Cricut/Plotter | July 2026

Pattern Culture Lab: Ornjek

Creative workshop on the Crimean Tatar UNESCO cultural heritage Ornek: Through the creation of postcards and T-shirts, participants creatively engage with its symbolism and learn about the cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars.
Sofia/Vratsa | Linocut Printing | June 2026

Linocut and Ancient Legends

In cooperation with partners in Vratsa, youth from the region create their own prints using linocut techniques. The workshops draw on myths and legends collected by the Vratsa Library, turning traditional printmaking into a bridge between generations.
Thessaloniki | Weaving Art | April–May 2026

Interwoven Worlds – Weaving

Children, youth, and adults explore traditional weaving techniques and create their own artworks in a series of workshops. The programme combines creative practice with craft learning and offers insights into the textile traditions of Northern Greece. A guided city walk on the weaving heritage of Thessaloniki complements the workshops.
Zagreb | Garden Art | April–September 2026

Urban Modular Gardens

As part of the project, Goethe-Institut Croatia is creating a modular urban garden. Particular emphasis is placed on reusing materials and ensuring simple assembly, allowing the garden to serve as a model that can easily be adapted and developed further

Highlights from the workshops

The crochet works created during the workshop were presented in an exhibition. | © Goethe-Institut Rumänien

Linocut printing was the focus of the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria's workshop series. | © Goethe-Institut Bulgarien

In Belgrade, participants had the opportunity to explore and practice knitting and crochet techniques. | © Goethe-Institut Serbien

The workshop series in Armenia engaged children and young people in exploring clay as a creative medium. | © Goethe-Institut Armenien

In the workshop, participants learn techniques such as hand sewing, patching and visible mending, giving their garments a new lease on life. | © Goethe-Institut Istanbul

A sustainable garden made from reused materials – modular, easy to assemble, and designed as a model for future projects. | © Goethe-Institut Kroatien

Discover traditional weaving techniques, create your own artwork and explore the diverse textile traditions of Northern Greece. | © Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki

Visit to the bookbindery as part of the bookbinding programme Things that Hold Together. | Goethe-Institut Athen / Anja Riedeberger

Curation

Ivana Borovnjak (Croatia)

Ivana Borovnjak is a Zagreb-based designer and cultural producer working at the crossroads of visual culture and material practices. She co-founded the Oaza Collective and leads initiatives in craft, publishing, and design advocacy.

Participating experts

Chair of the NGO “Alem” and expert on the intangible cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars. She authored the UNESCO nomination dossier for “Ornek,” now recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Ufuk Emin Akengin is a social innovator, creative director, and founder of OK Labs. He develops participatory urban projects connecting design, sustainability, and community building between Istanbul and Berlin.
Serdar Aydın is an architect and Associate Professor at Mardin Artuklu University, where he leads Mimfab, a research center exploring the intersection of heritage and technology through digital fabrication and VR. His work reimagines traditional stone craftsmanship in Mardin as a platform for innovation and cultural continuity.
Lucia Dubačová is a cultural strategist and curator specializing in digital arts, known for founding the Sensorium Festival and leading Trenčín’s successful bid for European Capital of Culture 2026. She works across institutions to foster innovation in placemaking and cultural entrepreneurship.
Anja Flicker is the Director of the Cologne City Library with a background in knowledge management and international library innovation. Her career spans leadership roles in public libraries and private sector consultancy, emphasizing strategic development and global networking.
Fabian Hesse & Mitra Wakil are a Germany-based art duo whose practice explores digital fabrication and speculative world-building through sculpture, installation, and performance. Their work challenges technological norms and fosters emancipatory approaches to digital media.
Ani Kananyan is an Armenian ceramic artist and painter, member of the IAC, and founder of “Qananyan’s Clay and Porcelain.” Her work explores the relationship between people, nature, and cyclical processes.
Ivan Manojlović is an art historian, curator and project manager. He focuses on cultural heritage, contemporary art and audience engagement. Formerly at the Museum of Yugoslavia and Belgrade Cultural Center, he now manages international cooperation at Nova Iskra.
Collectif MASI (2018) was founded by Madlen Anipsitaki, architect, and Simon Riedler, sociologist. They choose as material a given space and the possibilities it offers, especially the relationships that can be tied within it. Then, an archive work is exhibited internationally.
Mateja Medić studied sociology, philosophy, and fashion design. After working in the NGO sector, she became a freelance educator for sustainable living and founded Inner Garden. Her focus areas are sustainable consumption, waste reduction, and creative reuse.
Thaleia Michelaki is a bookbinder and book conservator. In her Athens-based bookbindery, “Thaleia’s Bookbindery,” she combines traditional bookbinding, restoration, and the creation of artistic book objects. Through workshops, she shares the art of handmade books and promotes appreciation for traditional craftsmanship.
Petra Pavleka is a landscape architect, permaculture practitioner, and founder of Zemljanka. She promotes agroecology, seed saving, wild food foraging, and sustainable food systems through education and workshops.
Jelena Popović is Senior Curator at the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade, with over 17 years of experience in contemporary applied arts and design. She curates international exhibitions and contributes to museological discourse through research, writing, and education.
Yanina Taneva is co-founder of Ideas Factory Sofia and BABA Residence. As a consultant, researcher, and facilitator, she has more than 15 years of experience supporting social innovation processes.
Eva Vaslamatzi is an Athens-based curator and writer whose work engages with archival material, site-specificity, and collaborative commissions. She develops exhibitions, residencies, and publications that respond to contemporary cultural and artistic challenges.
Cristina Zanfirescu has been working in public relations for over a decade, developing intergenerational cultural and social projects that strengthen communities. From 2017 to 2022, she worked at the Goethe-Institut Bucharest.