Karl Annus is an Estonian designer who creates spectacle frames out of plywood. His early childhood environment amongst artisans influenced his decision to learn wood carpentry and design. During his studies, he solved the one-size fits all concept of glass frames, and ended up designing six pairs of distinctively unique models of wooden eyewear. All of his works are custom made, based on the clients’ individual optometric anthropometric parameters. Karl is skilled in detailed work and a master at bending wood techniques. Fashion brands, beautiful objects and timeless designs inspire his works. His glasses were showcased during London Fashion Week in 2013.

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These are the Martin glasses in walnut. Elegantly providing the look and feel of the historic aviator glasses, these glasses are greatly appreciated for their wide field of vision and excellent protection.

Martin glasses

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The Lily glasses in ebony feature a cat-eye style. They combine style, playfulness and impart a sophisticated, elegant and slightly exotic look.

Lily glasses

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The Nils sunglasses in alder are for those who love a classic feel. They're characterized by angular frames.

Nils brown sunglasses

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The Evelin glasses in alder feature elegant frames characterized by a rounded shape that softens the angular edges, allowing the facial features to take centre stage.

Evelin glasses

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The Jakob black sunglasses are classic rectangular glasses characterized by wide frames conveying a sporty or architectural look.

Jakob black sunglasses

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From structural glass forms to forms in flux, Eeva Käsper's works derive from memories, personal experiences, conscience and perceptions. Eeva found her true passion for glass during her first-year studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts that also led her to go on and later teach at the very same academy. In 2009 Eeva set up Klaasiklubi and later her very own studio in 2018. Just like her business name Serene, her professional life is clear yet calm. Her studio was built to reflect the idea of serenity with careful planning, large windows to overlook the beautiful southern Estonian fields. Eeva's work and spirit live in this unique studio alongside the ever-changing colourful seasons. She has exhibited her work in over 80 exhibitions across Europe, Russia, Turkey, and Korea. Besides this, she has won several awards locally and abroad.

Käsper, Eeva

Glass origami

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From miniature reed himmelis to massive geometrical ones hanging from high ceilings, Urmas Veersalu keeps alive this peculiar forgotten tradition and spreads the joy to others through his DIY handicraft boxes. Urmas has always been fascinated with handicraft and wooden objects; since the age of 11 he has been playing around with reeds that look similar to wood. The way himmels spin around in an airy space is mesmerising to him, but it wasn’t until 2013 that he gradually started his work and built up his studio. The largest reed crown in the world that now has a place even among the World Guinness Records was built under Urmas' guidance! His large works hang in spaces across the world, inside private homes, museums and even the Estonian President's palace.

Veersalu, Urmas

The himmeli maker

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Kadri Mälk is one of the true masters who is breathing new life into the field of Estonian jewellery craft through a mix of innovation, tradition, and non-traditional techniques. Over the years, she has acquired international expertise in gemmology, fine art techniques, and jewellery design. With multiple exhibitions, awards, and publications, she is currently recognised as an international master, an artisan who shares her skills of the mystical and magical world of jewellery design globally. Her vast knowledge of the field mixed with a deep passion for the craft make her a fascinating artisan with unique works that have inspired many young Estonian and foreign artisans in their works and she continues to be a point of reference.

Mälk, Kadri

A mystical spark

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Liisu Arro comes from a family of painters and has always loved to work with her hands. She enjoys creating practical everyday objects. Liisu believes that every day should have a moment of joy, beauty and celebration; one's decoration choices should  serve to whisk away the dullness of life. Why hide the beautiful tableware for specific occasions when you have the opportunity for  daily joy through using your favourite cup? Her beautiful handmade works have been exhibited extensively in her home country and further afield in Germany, Denmark and England. Now through crowdfunding and public support, she has managed to build her tableware brand, Arro Porcelain and continue her fulfilling profession as an artisan.

Arro, Liisu

Everyday joy

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Your authorizations

Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

Our Partners

Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

Enrich your experience beyond Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

Join the Homo Faber Guide!

Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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