In a beautiful place
The Wickerwork Centre is located in a historic building of the former school dormitory from 1890 in eclectic style, in the immediate vicinity of the parish church. The building is located in the strict conservation protection zone of urban planning-architectural and landscape of Rudnik nad Sanem, entered in the register of monuments.
In the renovated building exhibition halls, library rooms, reading room, art room and information point were created. In the exhibition halls, the following expositions have been arranged: artistic wicker, utilitarian products, history of basketry, historical and ethnographic exhibition and a painting gallery.
From the moment of its establishment in 2006 until the present day, the Centre, as an institution set up inter alia to preserve tradition, has played a key role in
- discovering and documenting history by maintaining an archive and publishing documents, organising a permanent exhibition on the history of wickerwork, organising lectures and laying a bunch of flowers each year to Count Ferdinand Hompesch
- maintenance and popularization by organizing demonstrations of basketry, workshops for children and youths
- promoting trends in basketry by organising open-air events and exhibitions.
Activities for children and young people
The Wickerwork Centre has taken special care of children and young people to teach wickerwork and develop a passion for cultivating the tradition. Here are selected events:
- Wicker fashion shows in Lublin (2008) and Warsaw (2011)
- “Creative meetings with embroidery, ceramics and braiding” – wickerwork workshops for young people with Marcin Jakubowski in 2018
- Weaving demonstration at Piotr Wysocki Public Elementary School No. 215 in Warsaw in 2020
- Wickerwork workshops for young people with Henryka Działak in 2021.
Valuable exhibits
Tradition and modernity can complement each other. Both bring something valuable and important into our lives. Most of us are always on the lookout for the latest trends, wanting to be constantly up-to-date with them. Unique solutions presented at trade fairs or the work of famous designers always have a stimulating effect on us. This is also the case with our wicker. A perfect example of the fact that wicker from Rudnik is known all over the world is the elevation of the Polish pavilion at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan.
The project involved using a natural material – wicker – to create the world’s first building façade. A nationwide tender was announced and won by DELTA Basketball Works. Twelve talented wicker workers from Rudnik, Łowiska and Grobele wove 700 metal structures with a total area of 810 m² for two years. White wicker was used – soaked and then chemically etched to obtain the required colour. Each part of the façade was treated with fire retardants. The project was executed perfectly, and the Polish pavilion was very popular.
XXL baskets
Noteworthy is a set of exhibits under the name: “XXL baskets”, created during the National Workshop of Innovative Wickerwork – WICKER – the power of tradition and modernity. The baskets were designed by Anna Carpenter from Warsaw, and made by the company “PATKAR” from Rudnik nad Sanem.
Projects related to the promotion of the wickerwork tradition
- Lecture by Mr. Janusz Chmiel on the activities of Count Ferdinand Hompesch – precursor of basketry in Rudnik nad Sanem, 2007
- III International Artistic Plein-Air Workshop – Wicker 2008 Rudnik nad Sanem
- Exhibition of applied and artistic wickerwork from the collections of the Wickerwork Centre in Rudnik nad Sanem in Jarosław, 2009
- Exhibition of artistic and applied wickerwork from the collections of the Wickerwork Centre in Rudnik nad Sanem in Busko Zdrój, 2009
- 1st International Symposium of Spatial Forms in Wicker Rudnik nad Sanem, 2009
- Exhibition of artistic and applied wickerwork from the collection of the Wickerwork Centre in the Warsaw “Aktyn” Gallery, 2009
- Student plein-air workshop “Between Earth and Sky, 2009
- International Symposium of Spatial Forms in Wicker, 2010
- Wickerwork workshops for students of the State Higher Vocational School in Nowy Sącz, 2010
- Wickerwork workshops for students of the State College of Eastern Europe in Przemyśl, 2011
- Exhibition “Wicker Four Seasons” of HEJS company from Rudnik nad Sanem, 2015
- Exhibition of artistic wickerwork of Ms. Elżbieta Bis from Rudnik nad Sanem, 2019.
Exhibitions
You can see here permanent exhibitions: historical, archaeological and ethnographic and changing exhibitions of wicker and artistic. The local painting gallery presents ever-changing exhibitions of sculpture, drawing, graphics, artistic textiles, photography, artistic blacksmithing, painting, by artists from Poland and abroad.
Under the guidance of our staff members you can touch the exhibits and even weave a wicker trinket yourself. You will see that almost anything can be made of wicker!
Our Centre is a friendly place for all tourists visiting the Polish Wicker Capital. The facility is adapted to serve people with disabilities. Residents of the municipality Rudnik nad Sanem can visit the exhibitions free of charge during working hours of the Centre for Wickerwork and Library.
Our offer
The Wickerwork Centre is a friendly facility for all tourists visiting the Polish Wicker Capital. The facility is adapted to serve people with disabilities. Residents of Rudnik nad Sanem Municipality can visit the exhibitions free of charge during the working hours of the Centre and Library.
- Visiting the Wickerwork Centre ( about 45 min.), reduced ticket: PLN 3, normal: PLN 6
- Multimedia presentation or film: PLN 2/person
- Wickerwork demonstration ( 30 min.): PLN 3/person
- Learning wickerwork (group up to 20 people, 1.5 hours): PLN 7/person
- Wickerwork workshop (6 hours, group up to 20 people): children and youth: PLN 15/person, adults: PLN 25/person
- Excursion on the wicker sculpture trail ( group of up to 20 people): PLN 50.
Group sightseeing is possible during working hours after prior notification and reservation (group min. 15 people) – organised groups should be notified a few days in advance. It is possible to purchase promotional gadgets (wicker products from PLN 4, brochures PLN 10, postcards PLN 1/piece or a set of different postcards from Rudnik nad Sanem PLN 14)
Visiting hours
Monday: 8.00 – 16.00
Tuesday – Friday: 8.00 am – 6.00 pm
Saturday: closed
Sunday: 14.00 – 18.00 (from 1 May to 30 September: Sunday, 13.00 – 17.00)
In the winter season from 1 October to 30 April Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 14.00 – 18.00 Saturday: only for organised groups, upon prior notification, min. 3 days in advance, Sunday: 13.00 – 17.
Contact
Information:
Phone: +48 15 649 26 13
Director: Anna Straub
Phone: +48 15 649 26 12
Library:
Phone: 15 649 26 14
e-mail: mokrudnik@interia.pl
