good morning. This is Rika, who can't contain her excitement at the NONA Temari Exhibition (#nonatemarifes2023). Thank you to everyone who came despite the hot weather.
Now, let's continue the story about Danish handicraft schools. I want to introduce you with lots of photos, so this is a long post!
After a 20-minute bus ride from the small town of Viborg, you will arrive at a small town called Skals. bus driver When I told her (she was a woman) that I wanted to go to Skals hojskolen , she signaled to me with her eyes. I don't understand the language, but I can relate to your feelings at times like this.
Riding a bus overseas is often more difficult than taking a train, but now that I have Google Maps, I can see where I am, which has become really convenient. There weren't many buses, so I went early and checked out the Skals bakery for breakfast. The bus stop is in front of the school, and there's no doubt that there's nothing else nearby. Europe really has many idyllic places like this.
This time, I happened to be able to go on a weekend that coincided with the students' end-of-year exhibition and market day, so I was really lucky to be able to take a tour. I had inquired by email in advance about any questions or concerns I had, and the principal responded (in English), which alone gave me a good impression of the school.
When we arrived at the school, we lined up with local people who seemed to be looking forward to the exhibition and market from the morning. (You can pay with cash or with an app called Mobile Pay, but travelers cannot register for Mobile Pay.)
The school is not huge, but has a homely feel, and the interior and gardens are neat, clean, and well-maintained.
Every piece of furniture and furniture in the school building, even the flowers that decorate it, is hand-crafted, giving it a very warm and pleasant feeling, and the excitement is at its peak. The view from the window was also beautiful.
Usually, classes are held, the cafeteria where meals are eaten, or after meals. The space used for Hygge time was filled with students' works. This display is created by the teachers and allows the students to concentrate on making it. I just visited in June, and NONA was holding an exhibition of temari classes at the end of July, and the temari exhibition would be held by NONA instructors and staff, so it made sense to me.
It seemed like the content was designed to teach a wide variety of handicrafts such as sewing, weaving, knitting, embroidery, leatherwork, vegetable dyeing, and printing, and everyone's works were diverse and really wonderful.
As I was looking around the exhibit, I saw a Japanese woman! I was able to hear that there were five Japanese women studying abroad, and they toured the exhibition with me for a short time, giving me a tour and explaining the works they had created during the course of the class. There were people studying pottery at a nearby school, and I would like to thank them for their guidance. Very cute women. I hope you have the courage to study abroad and look forward to the future development of your studies. It seems like the food at this school is delicious. This is very important information for schools with dormitories!
I could only dream of a room with rows of looms lined up.
The garden was also beautifully maintained, where they kept bees and sold honey! I love honey, so I just bought one and sent it to my father.
At this event, in addition to the student exhibitions, there will also be a market for exhibits and sales by related artists. There was a tent outside and various booths. There's a Japanese woman among them! When I spoke to her, it was Kasumi who is a graduate of this school and currently lives in Nagasaki! Kasumi's embroidery works are very popular and there are very few left. Kasumi took time out of her busy schedule to talk a little bit about Skals school and how she went to a weaving school in Sweden after that. Kasumi was teaching workshops at Skals during the summer and was very active. The school has a very deep relationship with Japanese artists.
I was very impressed when I visited this wonderful school in Denmark. If you can have time in your life to just focus on your handiwork, you will be truly enriched. I'm most envious of the environment where you can start learning at any age.
Boys, be ambitious! However, everyone, Be ambicious!
It's never too late to start doing what you want to do!
I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of this school when I casually saw it. I will keep this in mind as a reference for NONA's future projects.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Next, I will finally write about my participation in the vegetable dyeing workshop! Well then!