We are delighted to announce that the Konjic Woodcarving Museum is the winner of the prestegious Luigi Micheletti Award presented by the European Museum Academy. The Award was presented at the 2022 European Museum Academy Conference and Award Ceremony held in Luxemburg from 8 to 10 September.
The Micheletti Award is organized in cooperation with the Micheletti Foundation to highlight best practices in museums. The award focuses on innovative museums and exhibitions of 20th-century history, science, technology, industry, science centres, eco-museums, and interpretation centres. There is a special interest in new museological ideas and/or practices and in the impact of a museum on the local, regional, national and international scene.
The Konjic Woodcarving Museum was established and inagurated in 2019 by Zanat owners, the Niksic family. Orhan Niksic, Zanat CEO and co-founder was also the instigator of the Konjic Woodcarving Museum idea and is its current Director. With much excitment about the award, which is the second award by the Museum this year, Orhan Niksic, said the following: „Konjic woodcarving was inscribed onto the UNESCO list of Intagible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2017, which bestwoed us, the bearers of this tradition, not only with an honor and priviledge, but ephisized an obligation to contribute to the preservation of both material objects and intengible cultural heritage created through practice of this artistic handicraft, the knowledge of which was passed down from one generation of craftsman to the next. The Museum’s aim is to preserve, raise-awareness of and make publically accessible the memories of woodcarvers and their deeds as well as to tell a story about the resilient and fascinating history of this traditional craft which has become a symbol of Konjic and the most distinct element of its cultural heritage. Another objective is to keep the woodcarving skills alive by inspiring and training new generations of woodcarvers and creating renewed interest in their works. Finally, as important cultural institutions in Bosnia are struggling to stay open due to lack of public funding, our aim is also to highlight an alternative model for the preservation of traditional crafts and cultural heritage.”
Mr. Niksic expressed gratitude to all those who contributed artefacts and knowledge to build the museum. The museum architecture was designed by Normal Arhitektura and is one of the first examples of parametric architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina, presentation and graphic design is by Enes Huseincehajic and all texts were written by Ahmed Buric. Orhan Niksic managed the project.
It is noteworthy that Konjic Woodcarving Museum is also the winner of the Živa Award for best Slavic Museum in a competition of 20 museums from 11 Slavic countries, which was inaugurated at the seventh ceremony of the Forum of Slavic Cultures in Belgrade in Serbia in January 2022 (with one year delay due to the pandemic).
