TUMO S T U D I O S

PUTTING YOUR MARK ON CONTEMPORARY ARMENIAN DESIGN

If you have a burning passion for creating and designing, join us and our network of acclaimed designers and artisans to shape your own Armenian-inspired contemporary products.

At TUMO Studios, you will acquire new technical and design skills and gain hands-on practice in product creation. You will work towards developing your own product line, which you will be able to promote in partnership with TUMO Studios or get assistance in creating your own brand and personal studio.

BECOME A STUDENT

TUMO Studios offers free of charge technical courses and design ateliers for imaginative individuals looking to tap into their artistic potential. If you have a burning passion for creating and designing and are between the ages of 16 and 28, join us and our network of internationally acclaimed designers to shape your own artisanal, Armenian-inspired products while putting your own mark on contemporary Armenian design.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

PROGRAM

The TUMO Studios educational program consists of technical courses and design ateliers. You will determine your own pace, designing a personal schedule around the standard program timeline.

Build up your skills in a beginner level technical course. Technical courses are currently available in jewelry making, ceramics, pattern making, embroidery, and silk screen printing.
In parallel to the technical course, you will be able to participate in design ateliers with local and international experts.

Duration of a technical course: 3 – 12 months
Minimum requirement: 1 technical course

Hone your craft by participating in design ateliers and diving deeper into a focus area. With each atelier you complete you will add more products to your portfolio, and will round out your set of skills and knowhow.
Students are required to participate in a minimum of 1 technical course and 12 design ateliers to complete the TUMO Studios educational program.

Duration of a design atelier: 2 – 4 weeks
Minimum requirement: 12 design ateliers

If you complete at least 1 technical course and 12 design ateliers, you will have the opportunity to design and produce an original collection of products for TUMO Studios and showcase your work in exhibitions.

Duration of residency: 1 year

In parallel to your studies, you will have many opportunities to advance and improve your craftsmanship and design skills. TUMO Studios provides students who have shown commitment and excellence with opportunities to study abroad, do internships with renowned designers, work on product development and production, and take part in exhibitions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Anyone residing in Armenia and between the ages of 16 and 28 can become a TUMO Studios student. No prior knowledge or background is required to participate in our technical courses.

Design ateliers require some basic experience. For participation, you will be asked to provide a selection of your work.

Apply to become a TUMO Studios student by completing an application form online or in person at TUMO Studios.

TUMO Studios technical courses and design ateliers are free of charge.

TUMO Studios currently offers technical courses in jewelry making, ceramics, pattern making, embroidery, and printmaking. Two admissions rounds are held per year for technical courses in April and October. The technical courses are taught by permanent staff at TUMO Studios.

Each technical course has different schedules. Students will have the flexibility to determine their own schedules when fulfilling them. For example, students can work in three hour sessions, two times a week. Schedules are provided upon acceptance.

Students may take more than one technical course at a time, provided that they complete the designated hours for each.

*Technical courses do not limit the kind of design ateliers that can be taken later. For example, a student who has taken a technical course in jewelry making may participate in a printmaking design atelier.

A design atelier is an educational workshop in any of our focus areas led by a visiting expert from Armenia or abroad.

Design ateliers last between two weeks and one month long, and they are held throughout the year. When in session, they take place five days a week, Monday through Friday, 11:00 – 15:00 or 16:00 – 20:00.

Design ateliers are announced two to three weeks ahead of their start date. Space is limited and enrollment depends on the requirements of the atelier and the portfolio submitted by the applicant.

Students are required to participate in a minimum of 1 technical course and 12 design ateliers to complete the TUMO Studios educational program.

Completing the full educational program can take anywhere from two to three years depending on the study pace of the student and the duration of the courses.

By participating in the TUMO Studios program, you gain technical and design skills around a certain craft and create your own portfolio of products.

You will learn from expert artisans and designers, have opportunities to study abroad, participate in internships, gain employment and exhibit your work publicly.

UPCOMING DESIGN ATELIERS

Bag Construction

Duration: June 27 – July 14
Scheduling: Monday to Friday, 11:00 – 15:00

Deadline to apply: June 19
Language: Armenian

Interested in creating bags, but don’t know where to start? Continue reading, this atelier is for you!

On June 27, a bag creation atelier will take place at TUMO Studios under the leadership of Armin Sahakyan, designer and representative of the fashion department.

During the atelier, students will create bags, the designs of which will address different needs; suitable for various professions, with pockets for necessary accessories, suitable for transporting food, or even for accommodating various types of sports equipment.

Students will explore concept creation, design thinking, idea execution, pattern making, marketing, and even product photography.

Visualizing Armenian Idioms

Duration: May 5 – 19
Scheduling: Monday to Friday, 16Ö‰00 – 20Ö‰00

Deadline to apply: April 30
Language: Russian

Could you draw idioms? Then join our atelier!

TUMO Studios will hold an atelier starting May 5th on the visualization of Armenian idioms — which are actually an integral part of language thinking — using the silkscreen printing technique. The atelier will be led by Andrey Kasay and Yevgenia Bonevert.

During the atelier, students will learn the basics of creating artistic characters and turn idioms into images by creating illustrations.

Later, they will compile and print a zine of illustrative idioms.

UPCOMING technical courses

Jewelry Making

Duration: April – October (6 months)
Schedule: 4 hours weekly
Deadline to apply: March 26
Language: Armenian
Led by: Shushan Ayvazyan

Duration: April – October (6 months)
Schedule: 4 hours weekly
Deadline to apply: March 26
Language: Armenian
Led by: Shushan Ayvazyan

Start creating the jewelry you’ve always looked for! You’ll learn the fundamentals of jewelry making by working with different materials and translating your vision into a reality.

The courses will take place at TUMO Studios (Pushkin 38).

Ceramics

Duration: 12 months (April – March)
Schedule: 4 hours weekly
Deadline to apply: March 26
Language: Armenian
Led by: Vardan Aghabekyan

Duration: 12 months
Schedule: 4 hours weekly
Deadline to apply: March 26
Language: Armenian
Led by: Vardan Aghabekyan

The ceramics technical course at TUMO Studios starts with feeling the clay in your hands, crafting the details of the final product, and ends with becoming a pro at the pottery wheel.

The course will take place at TUMO Studios (Pushkin 38).

Lecture

Jewelry Making

Duration: 19Ö‰00-20Ö‰00
Schedule: April 13

Deadline to apply: April 13, 15:00
Language: English

Kim Buk and Hongxia Wang, jewelry masters from Copenhagen, will have an open lecture at TUMO Studios on April 13.

Hongxia Wang was educated as a goldsmith in 2001 and founded a studio in Copenhagen and gallery in 2003. She finished her design education in 2016. From 2007 to 2012, Hongxia taught jewelry making at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

Kim Buck was educated as a goldsmith in 1982 and finished his design education in 1985. Kim was a jewelry professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and a guest professor at the Nanjing University of the Arts in China.

They founded the Wang & Buck Studio together in 2021.