For the programme Borgo Vivo of the Municipality of San Mauro Castelverde (Palermo), Abadir, as part of the research platform Heritage Innovation, proposes a new educational format that centres on the knowledge of the village: a series of workshops with the aim of merging memory and vision, hands and mind, tradition and design.

The School of Crafts reinvents workshop-based learning by encouraging encounters between established or emerging designers, local artisans, and young apprentices. In this way, the strengths of the workshop are enhanced: practical teaching, direct relationships, hands-on experience, and collaborative work.

The activities will take place in person in the village of San Mauro Castelverde from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 October 2025.
A second (brief) remote finishing phase is planned, during which the “apprentices” will complete the graphic designs to be handed over to the artisan for the production of the works.

For each of the two workshops, Abadir is offering a participation grant of €250.00 gross to 2 candidates, also covering accommodation and travel expenses. A further 3 places are available for each workshop, making a total of 10 participants. For those wishing to participate without a bursary, the workshops remain free of charge and all other expenses will be borne by the participants themselves.

The School of Crafts It is aimed at students, young professionals and design and craft enthusiasts. Knowledge of the Italian language is required for reasons related to communication with artisans and village residents.

To register, fill in the form by 12:00 on Monday 13 October 2025.

WORKSHOP #1: Table toys
curated by Martinelli Venezia, craftsman Giovanni Rocca

An invitation to to imagine the table as a space for play and connection. Through the creation of a collection of original objects, participants will be guided to go beyond the usual functions of tableware. The aim is to give shape to tools that activate new connections between people and food, generating unexpected interactions among the diners and transforming dining into a creative and shared experience.

Martinelli Venezia it is a design studio founded in 2015 by Carolina Martinelli and Vittorio Venezia, with offices in Milan and Palermo. The studio works in product design, exhibitions, architecture and interiors, with a particular focus on relationship between tradition, local culture and innovation in materials and techniques.

WORKSHOP #2: Anonymous (uni)forms
curated by Mara Russo, artisan Mimma Vono

From the 19th century onwards, with the establishment of designer authorship, the role of the tailor and the embroiderer transformed from traditionally male trades into anonymous, female jobs. Starting from the basics of traditional pattern-making and engaging in a dialogue with a duo of local craftswomen, the workshop aims to lead participants to critically reclaim the fundamentals of this craft, overturning the established author-performer hierarchy and promoting a hybrid and collective design approach, by means of a symbolic object to be reinvented together: the work apron.

Mara Russo she is a designer and cultural planner. Through her work she investigates links between mass culture and traditions in Southern Italy, with particular reference to the fields of gender and decolonial studies. From 2021 to 2023 she was responsible for the provocative rebranding of Monella Vagabonda.