UCLA Recognizes Sharon Gerstel for Lasting Public Impact

In 2022, Sharon Gerstel took a group of UCLA students to the village of Geraki in southern Greece, seeking ways to use their scholarly interests to benefit the community. After learning about a local weaving workshop, they went to meet some of the craftspeople, most of whom are women. 

The next day, the scholars met with the president of the village’s cultural society, who invited Gerstel and her team to collaborate on what would eventually become an impressive 288-page book — published in 2024, in English and Greek — cataloging textiles produced by Geraki’s weavers. About 800 copies of the volume have been sold to date, with proceeds benefiting the Cultural Society of Geraki and the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture in Athens.

Using the book as a launching pad, Gerstel now oversees a multifaceted initiative that is not only documenting the village’s cultural heritage, but is also empowering Geraki’s skilled craftspeople and supporting economic development there. The weavers are developing plans for a brick-and-mortar shop and a combined exhibition space and learning center, which they hope will attract tourism to the region.

“Seeing how our presence in the village has expanded opportunities for the women and seeing their confidence grow has been really gratifying,” Gerstel said, adding that the benefits for her UCLA students has perhaps been even more meaningful to her. 

“The most rewarding part of this project has been seeing how our students have matured, given this chance to get out of the library, interact with people in the village and see the outcome and effects of their work,” she said.

Read about other faculty honored for their work here.