The National Endangered Skills and Trades festival is on the weekend of the 13th-14th of July, 2019, at the Fitters’ Workshop in Kingston, Canberra - next to the Old Bus Depot Markets.
The National Endangered Skills and Trades festival is to raise awareness to the need for apprenticeship funding in the traditional trades where training was once possible but no longer fits within the Australian trades apprenticeship structure. Trades like bookbinders, blacksmiths, clockmakers and even locksmiths who cut and create antique locks and keys by hand, as well as calligraphers and illuminators who make their own paints and ink from pigments.
Sixteen years ago, in June of 2003, the National Museum of Australia, launched its travelling exhibition “Rare Trades”, that followed the stories of twenty-four people from across Australia who maintain the tools and hand skills of endangered classic and unconventional trades in a predominately digital age. Each of these stories emphasised the beauty of working with the hands to transforms raw materials into beautiful and functional objects. Endangered Heritage Pty Ltd also recognises that need for traditional hand skills as without them they would not be able to provide their quality services.
Endangered Heritage Pty Ltd operates a laboratory providing Conservation services for both private collectors and the National Institutions, working across a range of disciplines including textiles, objects, paper, books and paintings. During the subsequent 16 years since the National Museum’s exhibition, they have become increasingly aware of the range of artisan hand skills required for the manufacture and maintenance of heritage items that are increasingly being lost as the last practitioner in a field passes away, or retires, never having an apprentice or transferring their knowledge to another. Taking on an apprentice is a time-intensive labor of love, and finding someone with the determination and patience for being taught in person rather than via the Internet is increasingly challenging, as is finding the funds in order to employ them.
The National Endangered Skills and Trades Festival seeks to bring together traders and skill masters from all over Australia, showcasing the vast range of traditional skills and trades, and to demonstrate how much we have to lose, should the need for passing along this knowledge and these skills go unanswered. The festival will be taking place on the 13th-14th of July, at the Fitters Workshop near the Old bus Depot Markets. Over that weekend, a petition will be at the door for the public to sign and then presented to the ACT Minister for Education and Training.
Worldwide there a innumerable self-taught enthusiasts, Masters, National Treasures, Artists Guilds, Clubs, and Associations working to preserve skills at risk of being lost. Endangered Heritage hopes to bring the public’s attention to these groups.
More information about the event and artisans will be releases as things develop.
Any enquirires should be sent to enquirires@endangeredheritage.com
