Artifacts of Memory

An intimate presentation marking the 50th, jubilee edition of the International Folk Art Fair recalls over fifty years of the fair’s history - from its first editions to the present, from past exhibitors to today’s makers.

The Museum of Krakow on the exhibition (translated from the museum’s Polish description; no English page for this exhibition was found on the museum’s site):

The exhibition presents artifacts connected with fifty editions of the International Folk Art Fair - posters, photographs, badges, catalogues, lace, sculptures and works by makers associated with the fair. The objects are shown in the palace hall and woven into the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, Without End” on the first floor.

Among the exhibits are examples of living intangible heritage, including Krakow bobbin lace and Polish plaiting art - inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List in 2025.

As the curators put it: “They do not form a complete, chronological story. Yet each of them holds on to a fragment of memory.”

What to expect

The display does not follow a single chronological narrative - it is rather a collection of memory fragments from the fair: posters and photographs from successive editions, commemorative badges and catalogues, lace and painted eggs, sculptures and other works by makers associated with the fair over more than fifty years. The objects complement the permanent exhibition “Krakow from the Beginning, Without End”, with which they are spatially integrated.

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Tickets, opening hours, and current details are on the Museum of Krakow website.

Museum profile: Krzysztofory Palace - Museum of Krakow.