Quotes from Birger Forsberg, the founder of Hedesunda Weavers:
"The work and stay in the Creator Village will have a wider impact on the lives of children, young people and adults. Participants are not passive consumers of the predetermined, here a journey into the unknown is undertaken. In Skaparbyn, both children and adults discover and develop their inherent imagination and creative power."
Skaparbyn is home to Hedesundavävarna. Its activities are based on the artist and art professor (art faculty) Birger Forsberg's picture weaving with children, which he started in 1965 after a model from Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center in Harrania, Egypt. This center was founded in the early 1950s by architecture professor Ramses Wissa Wassef to give children and young people an opportunity to develop their own inherent creativity and artistry.
The pedagogical approach is to teach children the technique only sparingly, to get them started. No models or patterns are used, nor is criticism of any kind given, either negative or positive. "There is no right or wrong in creation, only different thresholds to cross in order to reach the goals you set and strive for." With this pedagogy and methodology, the children's own creative power, the inherent artist, is given an opportunity to develop without outside influence and they train themselves to work independently and thus develop their own style, their own artistry. This way of working, also according to neuroscientists, gives the two hemispheres of the brain an opportunity to learn to cooperate better, to synchronize, which brings great benefits later in life. Examples of such benefits are better analytical skills and greater learning ability.
Skaparbyn is an architectural gem designed by Ralph Erskine - a close friend of Skaparbyn founder Birger Forsberg. The facility is built in a semicircle around a cozy courtyard. The opening of the semicircle faces the river.
The facility consists of a main building that contains a large cabin which, with its many exciting areas on different levels, creates an area where many activities can be carried out, but so planned that all areas are in contact with each other. Of course, we also use the courtyard and green areas for activities. The main house has a kitchen and is also a dining room with a fireplace
Three cottages make up the accommodation. The cottages are detached, but linked by a large wooden deck with a patio outside each cottage. The cabins are spacious and have very high ceilings. Each cottage has room for 6 children.
Outside the semicircle of the courtyard, there is a very large grassy area bordering the beach. There is both a jetty and a boat ramp, accessible only to Skaparbyn residents. Children can play, swim, fish, sail, row or canoe here under the guidance of leaders/instructors.
