When and how did you first encounter the work of the Fejér County Folk Art Association?
I first came into contact with the association through a former classmate of mine, Kriszta Kluge-Kövesi – who has been a member almost since its foundation and is currently its vice president. We were in the same class and that’s how I found out about the association. There was a felting session when we were high school students, and although I participated in it, I moved away from this direction after that. Later, with an adult head, he somehow absorbed the world of folk art and folk tradition. I finished some school, ran a playhouse, learned basket weaving, and I’ve always been interested in costumes. That’s how I came back to the attraction of the association, and even though I’m not a folk craftsman, it’s still a twenty-year-old, never-ending love for me. When a person creates, time goes differently. It’s an irreplaceable feeling when I see myself creating something with my two hands.
How do you get from being dedicated as an adult to being the president of the Fejér County Folk Art Association for a year and a half now?
The association has a long history, but unfortunately it has also caught up with us, which almost every association struggles with, that the supply is running out. The world is not about folk art, and the change in lifestyle itself, this incredible acceleration, the advance of IT and the so-called virtual reality all make it difficult to stay in the people’s field of vision. Most people left the traditional lifestyle and outlook on life, which we now, looking back, call tradition. Everything changed: the role of women, social roles, and the rhythm that worked in harmony with nature was overturned. In the past, the natural environment determined our operations much better. These changes mean that our focus has shifted. Fewer and fewer people are interested in folk art and are starting to treat it as a design product. With this lifestyle change, we won and lost, among other things, the interest of young people, because the world opened up, expanded, became more colorful for them, and with this, the association also reached a response line. The question arose: should we form a stronger collaboration with others, or should we remain independent? The membership decided to remain independent, but there were no other candidates for the position of president. I also told those present during the presidential election that it would be very important for me to maintain the old, defining values, and to present what these things convey, because folk art was never an end in itself.
How can the association follow the mentioned changes, how can they address the rising generation, the possible folk craftsmen of the future?
One way for us to do this is the social network. Anyone interested in our activities can find us very easily on the social media page. Our website is currently under development, but soon we would like to present a fresher, more interactive interface and present the communities that work and operate in the county. In addition to these, we are trying to appear with more and more crafts: on August 27, in Székesfehérvár, we will set up the famous yurt, which was first set up in the late 1980s, for the second time in the Kings Park. To implement the program, we also received support from local government representatives, which is very important to us because we cannot produce certain things on our own. Just because someone makes a ceramic, a carving, or weaves something at home, our operating conditions do not end here. We try to participate in the tenders that are announced, because this is the only way we can modernize. What is also extremely important to us is cooperation: we have agreements with several county and non-county organizations, and we want to expand these as well, so that we can reach even more people and address even more people.
In light of all this, what are the objectives of the association? What are the main tasks now?
Soon, on August 3rd, our exhibition will open in the VOKE Vörösmarty Mihály Cultural Center and Library in Székesfehérvár, and this is one of our goals to show ourselves. We have founding members who are slowly entering their eighties and are still actively creating. Fortunately, there are also young people among us, folk craftsmen and Pomegranate award winners. The task of the association is to be able to show these merits. We will also represent Fejér County at the Festival of Crafts in the capital in August. As an association, we have a good relationship with Attila Király High School in Aba. One of our founding members teaches there, and the spirit there and the goals of the association complement each other very well. We would also like to call on the students there to show the youth of today that the very colorful palette of the world, which I have already mentioned, certainly includes the line of folk art. Our undisclosed goal is to visit the masters who are still creating today in their own workshops with the young people. I think that this is an exciting thing, since it is still there that you can best see that particular backdrop that everyone is very curious about. Also, if our site problems are resolved, we would like to give smaller associations and civil organizations operating in the county the opportunity to introduce themselves in Székesfehérvár.
How many members does the association currently have?
On paper, there are currently fifty-five of us. Whether this is a lot or a little is a matter of perspective. Now we are working on getting back into circulation a little bit. This is what our exhibitions and appearances serve. We want people to hear about us, to get to know us, because we have many creators recognized in the industry.
