About the Programme:
The "Safeguarding of Georgian Cultural Heritage" program was initiated by GACC in 1996. The program primarily focuses on three fields:
- Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage;
- Support to Georgian Museums;
- Preservation of Tangible Heritage.
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), primarily emphasizes heritage crafts while also encompasses other ICH traditions such as poliphony, culinary etc. GACC being the accredeted NGO to the UNESCO ICH Convention 2003 adheres to the guidelines set forth by the document, acknowledges the pivotal role of communities and works closely with ICH bearers all over the country. The program engages in sector studies, policy development, capacity building, and various activities aimed at ensuring the intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge. For the Institutional development of crafts sector GACC founded diverse entities such as: Georgian Heritage Crafts Association, Social Enterprice Istoriali and Tbilisi International Summit of Crafts and Design EthnoFest.
GACC is a member of World Crafts Council-Europe and actively cooperats with its European peers through joint projects. For its achaivement in the development of craft sector in Georgia GACC in 2021 has been awarded 5th International Crafts Awards for “Organization for Sustainable Development of Crafts Sector”; in 2017 won EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in the category Education, Training and Awareness-Raising.
Support to Georgian Museums
GACC's efforts to support Georgian museums prioritize several key objectives. These include promoting lesser-known Georgian national treasures from museums, local institutions, and private collections; raising public awareness about the challenges encountered by museums; developing and marketing commercially viable product lines inspired by Georgian cultural heritage; and providing support for the economic sustainability of museums.
GACC initiated and implemented the number of exhibitions dedicated to the collections of various museums, supported creation of museum shops etc.
Preservation of Tangible Heritage
This direction encompasses studying the current conditions of monuments and frescoes, as well as defining and implementing appropriate conservation treatments. GACC actively seeks to raise funds for these studies and conservation works, engaging both local and international restorers for on-site implementation. Simultaneously, the center supports the capacity building of young specialists by involving them in project implementation.
In 2006, the Georgian Arts & Culture Center and Conservazione Beni Culturali, Rome (Italy) had been awarded European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra medal in the category of Architectural Heritage for the project of the Timotesubani Church of the Virgin.
