May 14, 2020 - Five weeks, ten kilometers of ropes, about 60 artists, 99 works which, through auction sales within the viber group "Jelena #BudiOptimist" generated a humanitarian income of 10,113 euros, are just some of the results of the great initiative Meštar O' Konopa 2020 (Master of Ropes 2020), realized by Tivat UNA Montenegro in partnership with Radio Tivat and several local businessmen.
At the moment when life stopped, and the need to be socially responsible made us find ourselves locked in our houses, Miško Lučić, founder and owner of the rope factory UNA Montenegro, which last year marked 25 years of work, came up with the idea to invite Bokelians to a game of ropes. Radio Tivat wholeheartedly supported this initiative, and in just two days a team was formed, which will coordinate the next five weeks with a prize competition. Time will tell - and the praiseworthy humanitarian action "Jelena #BudiOptimist," when the masterpieces of our artists found buyers in a joint action under the motto "Tivat watch over its people."
The game began with the promotion of ambassadors, carefully selected Bokelian creatives who are already recognized as masters of the style in various professions. The ambassadorial team, as we called them, delighted us with their creativity, even though there were those among them who reached for the rope for the first time. As Ivan Lučić from the company UNA has repeatedly emphasized - the ambassadors are the soul of this project, and with their energy and creativity they gave the organizers the credibility to confidently approach the search for this year's Meštar.
Three competition weeks full of excitement followed, and about 40 competitors joined the game through its phases. Challenges changed from week to week, and the ambassadorial team had no easy task to select the three best works at the end of each cycle, which sent their authors to the finals of the Meštar O' Konopa 2020 challenge, which included nine contestants.
The first place and the title of Meštar O' Konopa 2020 was won by Boris Radović from Kotor for the work "Sailboat." The second prize went to Sanja and Vasilije Vuković for the wall clock, while the third place went to Dijana Pavićević with a rope mandala.
Most of the participants at the beginning of the game had no experience working with the rope. After five weeks, we can say that Tivat has a serious pool of masters, so from this beautiful story, maybe some entrepreneurial initiative will emerge.
Seeing the great interest of the citizens to participate and the fantastic works that were presented from week to week, the initiators of the action came up with the idea that this whole endeavor could be used for humanitarian purposes, because a large number of Bokelians expressed their interest in buying works. When it turned out that our fellow citizen Jelena Prekajski needed help, Meštar started the viber group "Jelena #BudiOptimist." Through this group, in nine calls, 99 works of the master and about 20 works of art were auctioned - gifts from friends for the auction. The total income generated by their sale - 10,113 euros, was sent directly to support the treatment of Jelena Prekajski.
"Thank you wonderful, creative people, for this whole action and the love you send me," said Jelena through her sister, who followed the last gathering and auction of works organized by the Meštar O' Konopa 2020. In addition to the works of masters created in the final cycle, an amphora- a gift from the florist Nina from Donja Lastva, woven into a rope by Milan Lučić and Mima Mehović Šabović, was also sold at the last auction.
The creative challenge Meštar o ’konopa 2020 brought us back to tradition, but also showed us a possible new way of developing the local community in circumstances that have changed drastically in the last few months. The economy must adapt to the new situation and try to create sustainable flows of functioning at the local level. The Meštar O' Konopa can serve as a kind of model of how to network the local community into initiatives through which all participants in the process benefit.
The sponsors of the weekly awards for the winners of the Meštar O’ Konopa 2020 challenge cycle were provided by the Tivat companies Konoba Bacchus, Mala Barka and Montenegro Fishing.
When it comes to the auction "Jelena #BudiOptimist", in addition hardworking masters, we owe a special thanks to the PR manager of Porto Montenegro, Danilo Kalezic, who donated four paintings, as well as auction participants who provided the largest individual donations - Ivan Pekovic, who bought the winning work of the Meštar O' Konopa 2020, Asja Usanović who fought for the amphora, and especially Petar Žurić, who decided to donate the last sum with which he tried to gain the amphora.
The organizers are delighted with the effects of the action and promise that the Meštar O' Konopa will become another Tivat tradition.
