Art Leaders
The High School of Visual Arts in Grudziądz has received a grant from the second edition of the "Wena" competition for the second time. This time, an educational and artistic idea called "Leaders of Art" was awarded, in which students in small groups of two or three planned the creation of five mini art projects with people from groups at risk of social exclusion, selected for cooperation.
The project was modified due to pandemic constraints and included five artistic activities such as: creating a book with collaboratively written and illustrated fairy tales, making handmade gadgets for volunteers working with stray animals from a local shelter, sewing protective masks, and organizing breakfasts for senior citizens. Some of these activities were carried out in person with safety precautions during the lockdown, while others were held remotely.
An exhibition summarizing the project was opened on June 24, 2021, in the Ks. Dr. W. Łęga Museum in Grudziądz. During the vernissage, a jointly created and illustrated book "Fairy tales of our grandparents in children's illustrations" was presented, as well as painting works were created with the disabled. Posters and gadgets (masks, bags, badges), as well as materials documenting the implementation of all undertakings of the project, were also presented at the ceremony. The event was attended by most of the authors and recipients of the "Art Leaders" project.
For all participants of the event, both for children and educators from the Child and Family Guidance Centre, as well as for seniors from the Day Care Centre in Grudziądz and for the coordinators of the groups, Anna and Mariusz Wałęsa, it was a very intergenerational experience. The participants of the program from the High School of Visual Arts were: Sandra Elwertowska, Aurelia Gemza, Martyna Jóźwiak, Kornelia Kachel, Katarzyna Kobalska, Mikołaj Nowak, Weronika Paczkowska, Marta Przeperska, Julita Walczak, Karolina Walczak, Anita Wiśniewska, and Nadia Zając.
This school year, on September 14, another mini-project titled „Together. Workshops with children„was created. Second-grade pupils from the Non-Public Primary School No. 1 in Grudziadz were invited to join the project. The pupils had great fun making colorful cardboard figurines representing people close to them under the watchful eye of their teachers. The theme of the work was "With whom do I feel most close?" The activities taught the children cooperation, creativity, tolerance, and acceptance of diversity as well as working in small groups. Everybody had a great time, huge thanks and congratulations to Julia Bartnicka and Natalia Skrzeszewska as well as Dominika Zalewska, Marysia Marszałek and Magda Tabor. Thank you SP1 for your cordial cooperation!
We are extremely happy that just before Christmas, on 21st December 2021, we managed to complete the penultimate project - Drag Queens - listen to us - interviews with LGBTQ+ people, the finale of which took place in an extraordinary place - the Teofil Kosiński Rainbow Centre of Support and Integration in Równik Toruński.
Maja Zielaskowska (4th grade), Aniela Walczak (4th grade) and Antonina Kubicka (2nd grade) - students of the High School of Visual Arts in Grudziądz, by creating a joint educational and artistic project, speak about tolerance, respect, and thus about closeness and mutual relations. Students of the Grudziądz High School of Visual Arts use images and words. Their actions, in the form of a mini-campaign for tolerance, convey important information about diversity and the ability to express oneself. The portraits and interview were crowned with a mini publication and poster about exclusion, discrimination, and systemic inequality in civic awareness.
In addition, six posters created by students of the High School of Visual Arts within the "Weny" project will be displayed on the streets of Grudziądz. Five of them are to draw the attention of Grudziądz’s residents to positive social attitudes such as: caring for the lonely and elderly, integration of people with disabilities, and calling for inter-generational activities. The works are to promote good communication and social empathy. The sixth poster will promote the entire "Leaders of Art" project in general, carried out under a grant from the Starak Family Foundation.
Apart from its artistic value, the "Leaders of Art" project is also of great educational value. First of all, it teaches the students of the high school to take responsibility for their own charity actions. During implementation, students independently manage tasks, relationships with project participants, and the budget of their own projects. What is most impressive about the winning project is the students' selfless commitment to helping those in need and their willingness to share their time and interests with other generations. We applaud the students of the High School of Visual Arts in Grudziądz for their kindness and heartfelt appreciation, as well as their hard work and dedication of their time outside of regular classes! It was worth participating in this project, and the results of the work exceeded the wildest expectations of both the Organizers and Participants!
The "Art Leaders" project in Grudziądz gives a lot of freedom to young people to create artifacts together with their teams - often people excluded and ignored by society - but most importantly, to relate and tell about them by documenting common events.
Grudziądzki projekt "Liderzy Sztuki" daje dużą swobodę młodzieży, aby wspólnie ze swoimi zespołami - często ludźmi wykluczonymi i ignorowanymi przez społeczeństwo - stworzyli artefakty, ale co najważniejsze - relacje i opowiedzieli o nich dokumentując wspólne wydarzenia.
Iwona Liegmann, Ph.D - teacher coordinating the "Art Leaders" project. Artist, painter, animal activist.
The project has been widely covered in local media. Read more at:
https://grudziadz.twoje-miasto.pl/art-miasto/urodziny-muzeum-i194141
