Implemented by the Faculty of Art, Music and Design at Birzeit University as part of UNESCO’s project “Preserving Endangered Traditional Crafts and Enhancing Employability in the Creative Sector in Palestine,” with financial support from the European Union, CREATE explores how traditional craft knowledge can be preserved, shared, and reimagined through design education.

The project brings together students, designers, and master artisans to explore six endangered Palestinian crafts: glassblowing, olive wood carving, mother-of-pearl inlay, pottery, loom weaving, and bamboo crafting. Through hands-on learning and direct engagement with craftspeople, students encounter traditional techniques, materials, and knowledge while exploring their relevance within contemporary design and evolving creative economies.

Launched at the beginning of the Spring Semester 2025, CREATE unfolds across three phases spanning the 2025/2026 academic year. The journey moves from introduction and exploration, through hands-on summer training, to the development of student-led projects supported through UNESCO’s Collective Track.

Across talks, workshops, field visits, workplace training, and collaborative making, CREATE creates opportunities for knowledge exchange between generations, connecting living craft traditions with new ideas, skills, and possibilities for the future.