Members of WICI
Anna Raczkowska
President
Artist, culture manager, certified trainer and owner of HAP HAP Studio in which she designs and creates haptic objects and spaces. Anna graduated in sculpture and interactive activities from the Strzemiński Academy of Art Łódź. She received multiple awards for costume design for Teatr Chorea. Anna was also granted scholarships for projects bridging art, education and social integration from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Łódź City Council and Masovian Culture Institute. Her family heritage is connected to Kurpie.
Emilia Pawłusz
Board member, Communications & Research
Anthropologist, researcher, heritage educator, and certified evaluator. Emilia obtained her PhD in politics and governance from Tallinn University, writing about the role of (neo)folk culture in nation-building. She held fellowships from the Swedish Institute, Archimedes Foundation, Marie Curie-Skłodowska Actions, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland. She has worked for art museums in Kraków and Gdańsk. Emilia also established Lost Thread – a textile company in which she creates tablet woven belts. She owns and manages WICIstore – an online shop with hand-crafted items made by Polish female fibre artisans.
Anna Kępa
Board member, Erasmus+ coordinator
Cultural anthropologist, ethnologist, professional photographer and filmmaker. She records and edits audiovisual material for educational, crafts, heritage, art, and other projects. Anna is WICI’s coordinator for Erasmus+ in mobility and strategic partnerships projects. In crafts, she specializes in single needle knitting (nålebinding), see her yarn creations in WICIstore. She is a certified fitotherapist and herbalist, passionate about mycology.
Maciej Zając
Audit committee chair
Passionate about historical European martial arts, tabletop role-playing games, board games and boulder climbing. “In his spare time” he manages corporate finances.
Michał Mastalerz
Audit committee member
Reenactor and enthusiast of historical European martial arts. Instructor of sword fighting in the Polish branch of the Association For Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) in Wrocław.
Marta Skorczyńska
Member
Non-formal education trainer, certified in applied drama methodology, and actor in Forum Theatre performances. Working with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and promoting
empathic communication since 2018. Marta is the driving force behind WICI’s empathy-based communication training courses within Erasmus+.
Katarzyna Deka
Member
Graduate of psychology at the University of Łódź with a specialisation in career counselling and organisation. Educator, trainer, and facilitator with over 10 years of experience in working with youth, adults, and seniors in local and international projects. In her work, she promotes and acts in the spirit of the Lifelong Learning philosophy and conducts workshops and trainings using active learning and non-formal education methods. She is the founder of ARTDEKA, an aesthete and ‘artistic soul,’ exploring the art of … being. Her passion is creating jewellery, collages, natural cosmetics, and artistic gift wrapping.
Jolanta Rachwalska
Member
Graduated in management and marketing. She has worked as a coordinator and office manager of educational institutions in the Ostroleka region. Experienced in regional educational projects, as well as e-learning. She cultivates family traditions connected with the Kurpie region and is a representative of the new generation of artisans in ritual arts from Kadzidło. Fascinated by the so-called ‘white singing’ and the local folk singer Apolonia Nowak. Scholarship holder of the Master and Apprentice programme of the National Institute of Culture and Rural Heritage. She is currently training to be a make-up artist.
Adam Raczkowski
Member
Massage technician, currently studying physiotherapy. His passion is endurance training, which he constantly explores, combining it with his knowledge of anatomy. Physiotherapy is his conscious choice—he wants to help people struggling with various conditions, support their recovery, and improve their daily comfort.
Paulina Górniak
Member
Visual artist, graduate of the Secondary Art School in Suprasl (art technician with a specialisation in woodcarving) and a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Faculty of Sculpture, and Faculty of Graphics; certified restorer of furniture, passionate about relief printing (linocut, collagraphy); creator of art displayed at exhibitions in Łódź, Poland, Europe, and Asia; passionate about creating with people and conducting creative workshops.
Łukasz Sztajerowski
Member
Psychotherapist in Gestalt training and addiction therapist with many years of experience. Passionate about RPG games, motorbikes, hiking, and, once upon a time, historical reenactment. A husband and owner of a devil in dog’s skin—Loki.
Other members: Jonatan Jurkowski, Radosław Rusek, Marcin Zalewski, Maria Kępa.