Experience of bringing a professional activity like the stained glass to a wider public by opening the crafts workshops to arranged groups of visitors.
Crafts bears tradition, local history and culture in its processes and products; therefore, it is an activity that allows to transmit these values naturally, by making the craftsman a living witness, who can offer all this wealth and experiences to the society.
Throughout its history, crafts have been mainly based on the product itself, and that has worked well until now, but contemporary society tends to consume experiences more and more: people are changing the ‘material’ to embrace the ‘experimental’. And this is the innovation that many craft companies can make, transforming part of their business into an experience more than on the subject.
Due to the demand and interest in the activity of the L’Art del Vitrall workshop that arose from schools and cultural tourism groups, they decided to create an exhibition activity of their professional practice.
The activity called “Visita L’Art del Vitrall” (Visit of Stained-Glass) lasts an hour and a half: 45 minutes are spent in the workshop where the trade is explained and a demonstrated with materials and tools while discovering the mysteries of these materials and their transformation. This allows to fully understand its medieval origin. After the workshop, the group visits three heritage buildings where visitors can enjoy a collection of stained-glass windows from different art periods: neo-Gothic, Modernist and Noucentist (Art Movement from the beginning of the XX Century).
Resources needed
The workshop itself, which must be adapted when the activity is developed. That means to leave enough space so that visitors can move without risks and offering optimal security conditions.
The activity may require one or two guides/craftspeople depending on the size of the group.
Evidence of success
Without spending too much effort, time and money, up to 800 people visited the workshop by the end of 2019. And this is not the main activity of the workshop, which is the craft-making.
They consider that by approaching tourist operators they will have enough visitors to be able to maintain the business by itself.
Difficulties encountered
The ability in the dissemination, pedagogics and showcasing has been essential and the experience of 15 years in the development of the activity has allowed them to improve in these three fields.
Potential for learning or transfer
The experience can be transferable if some very specific conditions are accomplished:
- to be in an historical building
- to be an active workshop
- to be surrounded by an environment with a particular crafts heritage
Tags: Construction, Creative, Cultural, Entrepreneurship, Tourism
