To kick off the European Days of Arts and Crafts, the Kunstgewerbemuseum will be playing host to a special exhibition based around the Berlin State Prize for Design Crafts. 110 German and French craftspeople and designers took part in the competition, which in 2018 was on the theme of “transformation”.

The competition entries place a focus on experimentation with colour, form and materials, with the traditional being placed in new contexts and objects transformed. The jury, comprised of experts from the fields of artisanal craftwork, design and academia, has selected the prize-winning objects from some 300 works, and gathered together the exhibits for the exhibition.

Over the past 50 years, this regional competition has evolved into a recognized platform for contemporary arts and crafts. The exhibition opening and awards ceremony mark the beginning of the European Days of Arts and Crafts, which the Handwerkskammer Berlin has been organizing in Germany since 2011. Since then, 18 countries have come on board, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Luxemburg, Latvia, Ireland and Switzerland. For this year’s European Days of Arts and Crafts, Elke Büdenbender, wife of the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will act as patron.