Totalność Cepelii

The article presents the structure, strategy and operational policy of the famous Cepelia (Folk and Art Industry Headquarters), launched in 1949 and active until 1990. In the People’s Republic period (PRL), it was the largest and most important enterprise of artistic production, which combined the areas of manufacturing and promotion with a certain scope of research. The fundamental areas of its activity included folk art and craft, as well as artistic products. The former referred to maintaining and reviving traditional rural production, along with its potential use as inspiration for contemporary industrial design. The latter employed professional artists to create utility and decorative items. Cepelia operated on the basis of regional co-operatives production, but also purchased ready products from cottage industry, and its offer was available from shops all over the country, a few foreign ones as well. It also conducted a vital exhibition and promotional activity. The scale and range of this enterprise resulted in its very real taste-forming influence on the Polish society for several decades, and solidified the image of Poland as the country of folklore and artistic craft. In parallel, Cepelia’s dwelling on the rural tradition and culture was not free of propaganda, and served to implement the communistic slogan about the folk foundations of national culture. Keywords: design, artistic craftsmanship, Cepelia (Folk and Art Industry Headquarters), Polish People's Republic (PRL)