Workshops for adults

Would you like to learn the traditional technique of decorating eggs with wax and a stylus? Join us for creative workshops open to both children and adults!

Dates and Registration:

• For adults: April 5, 6, 12 and 13, at 4 and 5 p.m.
• Participation fee: 300 RSD.

What to bring?

• Two hard-boiled eggs
• A bit of onion peel

Learn more

The school’s practical work is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Participants acquire knowledge and skills in creating mosaics using two methods (direct and indirect technique), as well as getting familiar with the possibilities of different materials and casting with various types of mortar.
During the first month (basic training level), participants work using the inverse technique and go through the entire process of creating a mosaic image, from idea to realization: idea – sketch – mosaic draft, tool usage, stone breaking and processing, choosing a color palette from stone tesserae, creation process, basics of mosaic “language” (line, flow, joint, surface, the specific nature of color in mosaic), introduction to casting materials, and final finishing of the mosaic.
The practical work is accompanied by lectures related to mosaics:
Basic elements of mosaic visual language, The meaning of tesserae, Principles of construction, History and significance of mosaic art…
In this way, along with learning the craft of mosaic making, participants also gain a broader understanding of its significance as a painting technique in the development of contemporary visual arts.
The school is led by Petar Vujošević, Master of Fine Arts (Painting).

Welcome!

The Filigree School is intended for all those who wish to discover and learn something about the filigree technique and uncover the secrets of this once highly developed and respected craft from top masters. It is held as part of the summer program of traditional artistic crafts at the Manak House. The school takes place over ten consecutive days and has become a regular part of the traditional craft workshop program under the title “Ten Days of Filigree.”
The filigree craft is listed in the National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia, and in this way, the Ethnographic Museum, in cooperation with the bearers of this cultural heritage, works on the presentation, promotion, and raising awareness of the importance of preserving this traditional craft, as well as on increasing the number of its practitioners.

The school lasts a total of 10 days, held from 5 PM to 8 PM. The program is designed for both beginner and advanced levels.

Open to anyone who wants to explore and learn this ancient and artistic craft, regardless of age or profession. The skill of ceramic making has become an appealing vocation for many, offering a path into the world of art filled with satisfaction and creative challenges.

The course is led by Jana Ranković, Master of Fine Arts – sculptor and ceramicist. The school of traditional and artistic ceramics has spring and autumn cycles, each lasting two months for the beginner level. The training takes place once a week for two hours, totaling 8 class sessions.

The tradition of artistic and craft-based education in the form of courses, workshops, and the ceramic school at Manak’s House dates back to the early 1990s. The first instructors were young but already prominent academic artists and ceramicists: Aleksandar Kucina, Miroslav Dramićanin, Ljubiца Uzelac, and Antonia Dragutinović.

From the beginning, the course attracted great interest. A large number of participants signed up and were divided into several groups, each led by two instructors. A key role was played by Professor Branislav Stajević, the creator of the course’s conceptual framework and its chief supervisor. He held two lectures at the start: Ceramics in Educational Work and Sculptural Ceramics. The first was intended for ceramics course participants, and the second for both ceramics and sculpture attendees.

Within the course concept, several other engaging lectures were organized, including:
– On Traditional Chinese Ceramics, held on January 10, 1993, by Branislava Jevtović, a writer
– The Development of Ceramics through Prehistory and Ancient Greece, held on June 26, 1994, by Biljana Đorđević

Over time, these ceramic courses evolved into a proper “Ceramic School.”
The first exhibition showcasing participants’ works took place in 1992, in collaboration with students of the sculpture course.
Before the opening, Professor Branko Stajević delivered a lecture titled Sculptural Ceramics. The exhibition was accompanied by a ceremony of diploma awarding, a model later adopted for all courses held at Manak’s House.

The exhibition received notable media coverage: TV Politika, and on the Second Program of Radio Belgrade, Dr. Branko Stajević spoke about the event.

In 1997, the Summer School of Ceramics in Zlakusa was held, resulting in a joint exhibition titled “Zlakusa ’97.” The exhibition opened on November 20 and featured works by Milan Savić, Antonia Dragutinović, Miroslav Dramićanin, and school participants.

Without a doubt, the ceramic course has attracted the most interest and achieved the most notable results among all courses at Manak’s House. Now established as a school, it continues to welcome participants of all backgrounds. Some have remained involved since the very beginning, drawn not only by the quality training but also by the welcoming, artistic atmosphere and the break it offers from daily routines.

The unique ambiance of the old house, filled with ethnographic and artistic treasures, inspires creativity and artistic expression.
From the Manak House archives, here is a poem written by a talented and ceramic-inspired participant:

Ceramics is a meeting
I m p o r t a n t
G r a n d
E t e r n a l
A meeting with the very
essence of the earth,
with one’s own soil,
touched again beneath layers
of asphalt and concrete,
a meeting with the origin
of creation and humanness,
with p e r m a n e n c e.
A meeting with people and the
best within them.
A meeting with oneself, with the moment
of the hands’ power, of the
power to express.

Višnja Ilić
Course participant

Many former participants still pursue this craft today—professionally or out of love for the art form.

The School of Traditional Embroidery at Manak’s House is held in the inspiring setting of the museum’s permanent exhibition of folk costumes and jewelry from the central Balkan region, dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The instructor is Vera Marković. The training lasts for three months (a total of 36 hours) and is held twice a year, during the spring and autumn cycles. Classes take place once a week, for three hours per session.

The program includes embroidery techniques used on traditional “zubun” vests, specifically “stitching by writing”, where a selected ornament is transferred by copying it onto fabric. Participants study various types of stitches based on the chosen ornament. In addition to the “zubun,” the course covers embroidery on women’s shirts from the Hristifor Crnilović Collection, created using techniques such as “cross-stitch counting” and the “slanted stick stitch.” This technique involves learning how to create and read embroidery patterns.

Another focus of the program is the folk and urban “Kosovo embroidery,” which is currently nominated for inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A key part of the school is working with authentic materials—such as broadcloth, wool, linen, and hemp fabric—similar to those used in the original items. During the classes, participants also learn about the origins and historical context of the artifacts, the tools required, and how to source, store, and preserve materials properly.

Participants of the school, in addition to their own embroidery works, receive an Official Certificate from the Ethnographic Museum confirming their completion of the School of Traditional Embroidery. They are also granted the opportunity to take part in the Annual Joint Exhibition, which is held during September–October, every Wednesday from 5 PM to 8 PM, with a duration of one month.

The maximum number of participants per group is 10.

Hand Weaving School on a Frame Loom
The Hand Weaving School at Manak’s House has been active for over 30 years. What initially began as a demonstration and accompanying program to a single exhibition has evolved into a fully developed weaving course, and now a school, with the longest tradition and highest reputation in the country.

During the course, participants are introduced to the parts of the loom, warp preparation, threading the loom, and through continuous repetition over three months, they become capable of independently performing this complex task.
The second essential part of the training involves the weaving process using various types of interlacing patterns, ranging from basic tabby weave to combined twill structures. Students also learn how to create pattern drafts for weaving.

The Hand Weaving School lasts three months, with a total of 12 sessions (4 per month), each lasting 3.5 hours. Before each new cycle, an introductory one-day workshop is organized (lasting 3 hours). Due to high interest, the last free workshop was held in two sessions, gathering more than 20 women.

Participants receive a certificate from the Ethnographic Museum confirming their completion of the Hand Weaving School and take part in the annual joint exhibition of participants from the traditional craft schools.

In addition to the basic training, the school offers an advanced level lasting one month, focusing on lace weaving techniques. For this module, participants work with an exhibit from the permanent collection of Manak’s House.

The traditional kilim weaving technique, known locally as “klečanje”, is a decorative weaving method used to create woolen items such as kilims, blankets, and bags. This is a weft-faced technique, in which the weft threads completely cover the warp threads, forming bold and colorful patterns.

The process is carried out on a plain weave loom, where the decorative weft—introduced in the form of “butterflies”—is woven into both the primary and secondary sheds of the fabric. The contours of the motifs are often sharply defined, resulting in vertical slits known as “rešma”, which are typical of the klečanje technique in Serbia.
(“Rešma” is an ancient folk term referring to the slit in this specific type of kilim weaving and is the root of the professional term klečanje.)