LAD'S GRANDMOTHER
Trust among people is not just a three-syllable word. It c...
At a time when industrial products are increasingly taking up space in everyday life and traditional crafts risk remaining just part of history, a new space dedicated to handicrafts and cultural heritage has opened in the city of Korça.

“Art in the Hands of Women” is the newest atelier established by artisan Bruna Zguro, who has been dedicated to handcrafts for four decades. The new space aims to be not only a place where artisanal creations are exhibited and sold, but also a meeting point for artisans, a center for the promotion of Albanian tradition and an opportunity to bring younger generations closer to crafts that are disappearing. In this atelier, craftsmanship, tradition and contemporary creativity are intertwined, bringing another value to the heart of Korça.
"I have been doing handicrafts for about 40 years, and I have had a shop for over 20 years. I have a point of sale, and now I am reopening it as an atelier. For the first time, I wanted to do it at the Korça Bazaar, but I couldn't afford to go there all the time, so I thought I would do it near my house. And I thought I would do it here, where I have my house, and create this warm nest that I call my nest," the craftswoman says.
From traditional embroideries to modern clothing with handmade elements, Bruna's journey has followed the development of market demands, without ever losing her artisanal identity. She shows that, while once home crafts were the most sought-after, today people prefer products they can use every day.

For this very reason, she has expanded her range of creations, bringing clothing, bags, accessories, and souvenirs that bear the hallmark of handmade work and combine tradition with contemporary style.
"Initially, I started with embroidery, with various handicrafts, and now I have turned to clothing, to living. After the curtains, centerpieces, tables, curtains, panoramas were finished for the house. Now everything is turning into clothing, since the house takes these once and they are expensive and you can't have them all the time. And I thought of turning them into clothing. Clothing is an everyday thing and a thing of consumption, of daily consumption. But besides those, I have made accessories, bags, discs, panoramas. Here are these warm ones for you to lean on somewhere near the hearth, different clothes, according to the seasons, clothes with handicrafts, I have brought the most different ones", - said Zguro.
Each product exhibited in the studio carries a history and a long work process. Most of them are completely handmade creations, while even basic products selected from the market are transformed into unique models thanks to Bruna's artistic intervention. She emphasizes that each client can find or order a product according to their wishes, making each work personalized and special.

“Të gjitha këto që shikoni janë të gjitha të punuara me dorë. Unë kam dhe nga ato që i blej dhe unë i ndryshoj, ia ndryshoj stilin, ia ndryshoj atë modelin, dhe kjo më lindi që unë të bëj vetëm veshje. Këtu mund të gjejnë çfarë të duan, çfarë dëshirojnë, unë ia bëj. Domethënë kjo varet nga dëshira e klientit. Ndonjë gjë që unë kam përgatitur, mund t’ia sugjeroj”,-thekson ajo.
Për Bruna Zguron, artizanati nuk është vetëm profesion, por edhe një mision për të mbrojtur trashëgiminë kulturore shqiptare. Pas dekadash pune dhe pjesëmarrjeje në aktivitete të shumta kulturore, ajo vendosi të bashkojë artizanët në një organizim të përbashkët, duke krijuar shoqatën “Arti në duart e gruas”. Qëllimi ishte t’u krijonte mundësi zejtarëve të prezantonin punimet e tyre dhe të gjenin një treg ku vlerësohej puna artizanale.
“Jam marrë shumë me trashëgiminë kulturore dhe me ruajtjen e saj me fanatizëm që e vogël, kam rreth 40 vjet që unë punoj punime dore. Dhe këtë e kam trashëguar nga gjyshja dhe nga mamaja ime. Po duke parë interesimin dhe duke parë ato gra që punojnë kaq bukur dhe nuk gjenin dot një treg dhe një mundësi për të shitur prodhimet e tyre, ne formuam një shoqatë dhe e quajtëm ‘Arti në duart e gruas’.”-u shpreh ajo.

Shoqata, e cila funksionon prej më shumë se nëntë vitesh, ka mbledhur rreth vetes artizanë të profesioneve të ndryshme. Përveç grave që merren me punime dore, pjesë e saj janë edhe mjeshtër të hekurit, gurit, këpucarë e zanatçinj të tjerë, të cilët prezantojnë traditën shqiptare në panaire kombëtare dhe ndërkombëtare. Edhe pse emigracioni ka bërë që numri i anëtarëve të ulet, grupi vijon të mbetet aktiv në promovimin e artizanatit.
“Kjo shoqatë ka mbi 9 vjet që funksionon dhe janë rreth 70 artizane, tani ndoshta janë më pak. Kam pasur artizanen më të vjetër 90-vjeçare që punonte këto punime dore. Dhe tani janë trukur, kanë ikur, kanë emigruar. Kanë mbetur një pjesë shumë e vogël, po rreth 40 i kam shumë aktive. Kam edhe burra në shoqatë, kam edhe këpucarë, kam ata që punojnë hekurin, kam ata që punojnë gurrin. Domethënë të gjithë ne, i ndërthurim gjërat. Shkojmë në panaire kombëtare dhe ndërkombëtare ku ne shpalosim traditën tonë”,-tregoi Zguro.

Një tjetër dimension i rëndësishëm i punës së Brunës është edukimi i brezit të ri. Prej rreth 15 vitesh ajo zhvillon kurse dhe aktivitete me fëmijë e të rinj, duke u mësuar teknikat bazë të punimeve me dorë. Sipas saj, interesi është më i madh tek fëmijët e vegjël, ndërsa me rritjen e moshës ai zbehet për shkak të ndikimit të teknologjisë. Megjithatë, ajo beson se pasioni për artizanatin mund të lindë në çdo moshë dhe u bën thirrje të rinjve të mos e humbasin lidhjen me traditën.
"I have been working with young people for about 15 years, with young children from first grade to ninth grade. They are interested until sixth grade, then they are no longer interested. Artificial intelligence, phones make us move away from handicrafts. But interest until the age of 10, 11, 12 years old is interested. I have a message for all young people, from the age of 6 who know how to work and think, and up to 90 years old, I am telling you, that I have a 90-year-old artisan. And I say that if a person has that handicraft as a passion, he never leaves it," said the artisan.
At a time when traditional crafts face the challenge of preserving and transmitting them to new generations, initiatives like "Art in the Hands of Women" aim to give new life to Albanian handicrafts.

Through this studio, Bruna Zguro not only continues to promote her creations, but also opens the doors to other artisans to exhibit and appreciate their work. The goal remains the same; that the tradition does not remain just a memory, but continues to live, adapts to the times and is inherited from generation to generation./CNA
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