Looking for a great souvenir from Warsaw to take back with you? Why not a candle in the shape of the Palace of Culture and Science?
The Awangarda Foundation searches for new talent in therapeutic art classes in Warsaw for handicapped adults. They choose pieces or drawings which they feel could be marketed to large firms – anything that can be transformed into a Christmas ornament, candle, knickknack, or even eventually, a mouse pad. When a firm accepts a product, the students of the class help in reproducing the item.
The foundation began working on a larger scale last December, when it fulfilled an order for 700 blue ceramic giraffes with the help of participants in therapeutic classes in Milanowka. After seeing the demand for these products, Awangarda decided to expand its activity. Presently, alongside Awangarda work the Warsaw Destination Alliance, as well as, an increasing number of hotels in and around Warsaw.
Finished products offered by the foundation are original and made from natural components. Artists working with the handicapped make sure to help their students maintain an aesthetic quality in their work. Awandarda products are recognizable from a small logo placed on the underside of each piece – a blue giraffe and the name of the foundation. There is no information that the item was made by a handicapped person. “We don’t want people to buy these pieces out of pity. However, we did want the logo to be distinctive,” states the President of the foundation, Malgorzata Samborska. She has a handicapped sister, and became interested in the handicapped population in Poland after realizing the only real way they may earn money is by stuffing envelopes.
The participants do indeed earn for their creations. For big orders, they earn not just hundreds but up to a few thousand PLN. Malgorzata explains, “We promote their art, and they feel they are making something worthy.”
More information about the foundation may be found at Awangarda.org.pl.
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