The basket weaver Pados family

Zoltán Pados, basket weaver, applied folk artist, was born in 1958 in Bejcgyertyános, Vas County. His family started basket weaving in the 1930s as a small-scale business, and six of the nine children of his maternal grandfather became basket weavers. It was on the basis of their expertise and reputation that the Bejcgyertyános Basket Weaving Home Industry Cooperative was later founded in 1952, where his father and mother, and later Zoltán himself, began working.

He has been working as an independent craftsman in his own workshop since 1988. He also has his objects regularly assessed. he has been a regular participant of the Living Folk Art exhibitions since 2000, and in 2010 he received the Pomegranate Award. He was named Applied Folk Artist and was awarded a Gold Certificate at the 16th National Folk Art Exhibition in 2011. He has been a member of the Velem Studio Folk Art Association since 2009. He has been a regular participant of the National Basket Weaving Meetings in Tiszaalpár, where he has won several first prizes. For over ten years he has been teaching and proliferating the art of basket weaving in an organised way within the framework of professional courses, in the courses “Basic basket weaving skills” organised by the Kőszeg-Írottkő Nature Park, in 50-hour courses organised by the Local Heritage Centre and within the framework of the Regional Master and Apprentice Exhibitions.

The family tree of basket weaver Zoltán Pados:
Parents: Katalin Szabó (1932–2014), József Pados (1929–1994)
Ancestors on the Szabó side of the family who were involved in basket weaving:
grandfather: Ferenc Szabó Sr. (1898–1993)
Uncles: Ferenc Szabó Jr. (1921–1977), László Szabó (1926–2002), Imre Szabó (1934–2022)
aunt: Margit Szabó (1930)
Ancestors on the Pados side of the family who were engaged in basket weaving:
uncles: Imre Pados (1921–2005), Lajos Pados (1923–2007)
cousin: Katalin Pados (1951)