TREASURES OF SLOVENIA IN A NEW EXHIBIT, A NEW COUNTRY DISPLAYS A CULTURE THAT'S HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD.

Byline: John Farrell Correspondent

Those who have been out of high school more than 10 years find themselves faced with a map of Europe that looks nothing like what they grew up with.

The fall of the iron curtain and the break-up of the Soviet Union made every map company in the world a fortune. New nations sprung up faster than they could be pronounced. Some, like Serbia and Croatia, gained world attention with war.

The new nation of Slovenia was born of a 10-day war of independence in 1991. The country of 2 million, located where Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Italy meet, then found itself confused with similarly named countries and, peaceful and politically and economically successful, less newsworthy than the former Yugoslavia to its south.

Establishing a national identity isn't something that can be planned, of course, but it can be helped, and the new exhibit at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, ``Treasures of Slovenia: Traditional and Contemporary Craft and Design,'' is designed in part just for that task. Featuring more than 400 objects of beauty and utility created by 100 artists selected for their originality and skill, the exhibition showcases not only crafts and craftsmen but the identity of the new nation.

The history of Slovenia is an ancient one, and the historic crafts practiced by its artisans are every bit as old. Baskets and wooden implements, pots, glassware and stone implements are all items that were, until recently, everyday items in common homes. These kinds of practical crafts have flourished everywhere, of course, but in Slovenia they have a special history. Part of the huge Austro-Hungarian empire, Slovenia was an area, part Alpine highlands, part grasslands, that was not well-suited to population-supporting agriculture, so the crafts it produced were encouraged by the imperial government as a way of supporting the territory. Traveling salesmen carried them on their backs throughout the pre-World War I empire.

During the 20th century, Slovenia found itself cobbled together with its Balkan neighbors (though it isn't Balkan) into Yugoslavia, a country that fell apart after the fall of the iron curtain. Looking for a way to bring attention to its culture, Slovenia has emphasized its folk arts. The ones on display at the craft museum are dazzling examples, everything from blown-glass vases to stone mortar-and-pestle sets, from wooden shoes to delicate thread and wire-thread lace. Here are items of great usefulness, but each informed with beauty of form and fabrication as well.

Glass and stone are among the treasures in the exhibit, but so are beeswax and wood and straws and fiber and even gingerbread, used in exquisitely detailed hand-sculpted celebratory cookies. Eggs of painted wood and empty shells carved with as many as 17,000 needle-pricked holes, are also a tradition. Bowls of turned wood in traditional styles sit next to those of modern design, also made by hand. Riding whips of carved wood and leather represent the sport of the past. Handmade leather golf shoes are the sporting equipment of the present.

The exhibition makes the argument that Slovenia is a haven for craftsmanship hidden in a forgotten corner of Europe. You may agree or disagree (and some of these works are stunning, others less so), but the forgotten country they reveal is worth learning about.

The facts

--What: ``Treasures of Slovenia: Traditional and Contemporary Craft and Design.''

--Where: Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

--When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; through Sept. 3.

--How much: $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for senior citizens and students, free for children under 12.

--Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

10 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) In the mountain hamlets of the area now known as Slovenia, dairy herdsmen fashioned various items from wood, including footwear. These alpine clogs were crafted by Dejan Ogrin, a young master woodcarver who makes traditional wooden clogs in Bohinjska Bistrica.

(2 -- 3 -- color) This zither, left, crafted by Joze Holcman from Selnica on the Drava River, carries on a long tradition of zither production, which began in Slovenia in the 19th century. Above, wicker-covered bottles represent a fashion that has practical and decorative significance because the winemaking regions of Slovenia depend upon sturdy bottles to protect their product. These bottles were created by Stefan Kalsek from Zice in Stakerska.

(4 -- 5 -- color) Traditional Pungercar pottery in the village of Gruca pri Sentjerneju in southeastern Slovenia produced these bowls, left, with white lines and stylized patterns, a continuation of traditional motifs. Intricately designed Vrhnika Easter eggs, right, were created by Franc Grom.

(6 -- color) One of the oldest Lenten carnival figures in Slovenia is the korant. This one, like all masks, underwent many transformations until modern times, becoming the motif for new relationships and meanings.

(7 -- 8 -- color) The semicircular krajcki, or ``chunks of bread,'' left, are among the oldest forms of handmade honey pastries. Such items are examples of ritual breads or shaped pastries that were used to establish bonds between sexes and express love. These were created by Cirila Smid of Zelezniki in Gorenjska. At right, this elaborate vessel was the result of a collaboration between the Zmuc family, top Slovene metalsmiths, and architect Joze Plecnik.

(9 -- color) The Mrvar family, long considered fine craftsmen, utilized their expertise in preparing, assembling, rolling and bending wood shavings to the design of this bowl.

(10) Craftsman Peter Ogrin of Ljubljana used the technology of bubbled glass to create a series of glasses and other table glassware.