Slavica Ćirić

Born in 1960 in Pirot, Serbia, she comes from a long line of skilled craftsmen and craftswomen from Stara Planina. Raised in a family of potters, builders, carpenters, and master weavers, she was surrounded by traditional knowledge from an early age, learning through everyday life and practice.

Nearly forty years later, she rediscovered this inherited knowledge by founding the association GRLICA, dedicated to preserving old and artistic crafts. Through her work, she recognized that Pirot rug weaving was the most endangered craft and began actively working on its preservation through training, production, and community projects.

Her skills—rooted in heritage and refined through decades of lived experience—span weaving,embroidery, pottery, and traditional construction. Since 2005, her work has been widely recognized with numerous awards for her contribution to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.