HOMO FABER FELLOWSHIP

The Homo Faber Fellowship is an educational programme created by the Michelangelo Foundation, in partnership with Jaeger-LeCoultre. The seven-month fellowship supports the further development of newly trained artisans, helping them to build successful futures in the craft professions. Designed for duos of master artisans and young talents, the fellowship incorporates a six-month sponsored placement in the workshop of a Master, and a month-long entrepreneurial and creative Masterclass certified by the renowned ESSEC Business School and Passa Ao Futuro. This year, the new edition of the fellowship is taking place in ten European countries, in conjunction with local members of the Michelangelo Foundation network.

The Michelangelo Foundation for creativity and craftsmanship is a non-profit institution based in Geneva, established with the aim of promoting a more human, inclusive and sustainable future. The Foundation seeks to highlight the connections between craft, the wider arts and the design world. Its mission is to celebrate and preserve craftsmanship and its diversity of makers, materials and techniques, by increasing its recognition and promoting its viability as a professional path for the next generations. From the educational programmes, the Homo Faber Fellowship and the Young Ambassadors Programme, to its signature digital project, the Homo Faber Guide, and international exhibition, the Homo Faber Biennal, the Foundation is fostering a cultural movement centred on master artisans and rising stars.

The Homo Faber Fellowship aligns perfectly with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s values, which are rooted in a long history of facilitating the sharing of knowledge between master and trainee.

For more than 30 years, the Maison has run dedicated programmes for apprentices and, in 2021, inaugurated a new training centre dedicated to training young talents in watchmaking and related occupations. The partnership with Homo Faber Fellowship builds on this tradition and marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration with the Michelangelo Foundation, which shares our vision for the future of craftsmanship. 

For each edition of Homo Faber Fellowship, a jury is appointed by the Michelangelo Foundation to select more than 20 duos of master artisans in ten European countries and international fellows.

The chosen Master artisans have close ties to their local territory and a strong need and desire to pass on their craft know-how. The fellows chosen by the jury are drawn from diverse creative backgrounds and demonstrate high motivation and eagerness to acquire new skills.

More than a dozen of crafts are represented in the programme, including textile creation, marquetry and millinery. Each of the masters will then welcome their fellow to their own workshops for a six-month sponsored placement.

As part of the Homo Faber Fellowship, each master-fellow duo collaborate to create an original object using a variety of materials, techniques and skills.