A crisis painted
The Józef Pankiewicz State High School of Fine Arts in Katowice
The design team of the High School of Fine Arts in Katowice will tackle the most serious challenge of the modern generation – the climate crisis. Creating a work in the form of a mural, as an artistic form of manifestation in opposition to the “broken world”, expressing oneself through art, is an innovative project that goes beyond the school curriculum.
The aim of the project is to raise awareness of the multi-level climate crisis and improve urban aesthetics. The street art form can be an excellent opportunity for dialogue between young visual artists and the community. The students were tasked with creating mural designs related to the climate crisis. The project team applied to all institutions for the necessary approvals and administrative permits. They then attended lectures with climate activists to deepen their knowledge of climate risks and ways to protect nature.
Finally, the project led to the creation of a mural in a place that is not accidental, as it will be located in the underground passage connecting the city with the Silesian Park, in line with the pro-ecological idea of the concept. The two walls of the mural, situated vis-à-vis each other, present two contrasting visions of the world: that of a world destroyed by climate change and that of a world which protects the environment. Anti-smog, air-purifying paints were used for the murals. Students created an informative poster about the project. They hung 13 printed posters in the school and in the immediate vicinity of the underground passage – the space presenting the murals.
Plakat projektu edykacyjno-artytyscznego pt. "Kryzys namalowany"
In October, public consultations took place, in which students asked passers-by questions about the climate crisis and enquired what they thought about the mural. On 15 November, the school hosted a lecture by Prof. Piotr Skubała on the climate crisis and the human impact on climate change. Piotr Skubała is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Silesia, an ecologist, a science educator and a climate activist.
a lecture by Prof. Piotr Skubała on the climate crisis and the human impact on climate change
After the lecture, a competition for the design of the mural was announced.
Zespół projektowy "Kryzysu namalowanego"
Supplies for the mural were purchased: paints, anti-smog paints, primer, brushes, rollers, tape, protective film, etc.
On 8 February, a Committee composed of art teachers selected 10 awarded mural designs – 5 examples with a positive vision of the world and 5 examples with a negative and destructive message. The students were awarded with specialty materials purchased at art shops.
On 9 February, an application for a permit to place the murals on the walls of the underground tunnel was submitted to the Katowice City Office. Originally, the project assumed that works related to painting the mural, preparing the base, and priming would begin in April. The organisers planned to ceremonially unveil the mural on 5 June to mark the World Environment Day. However, the concept matched its title and encountered several crises itself. Between 9 February and 12 June, the attending teacher, Aneta Jurczyńska, drafted and sent out a multitude of official letters to obtain a permit to paint the murals. Because of the letters, supplements, as well as arguments related to the educational and social aspects, activation, and public space aesthetics, the school obtained the permit for the project in June of this year.
Between 12 June and 30 August, the project team fought another bureaucratic battle, as letters and arrangements for cleaning the walls on which the art was to be created began to be exchanged. On 30 August, the city’s renovation team started cleaning and de-moulding the walls.
Between 5 and 8 September, the project team began sketching and painting the murals in the underground passage of the “Stadion Śląski” tram stop. On 20 September, promotional stickers with the mural designs were ordered from the printing house.
Opening of the murals in Katowice took place on 10 October.
The murals created as a result of “A crisis painted” have been praised by passers-by even as they were being painted. Everyone was delighted. Above all, students had the opportunity to try a different painting technique. They also learned that when dealing with an official issue, you must put more time into it and be consistent. Students learned that it is worth doing something you believe in and act for the benefit of the community. The project has reached wider audiences. The murals are accessible to all passers-by in this passage.
– commented Aneta Jurczyńska on the effects of the project
Students of the State High School of Fine Arts in Katowice gave the residents of Katowice an amazing gift. These exceptionally talented students, who show sensitivity to the surrounding world, created ten street art murals, which everyone can access at any time, simply by going to the Stadion Śląski and the Silesian Park.
Aneta Jurczyńska – project coordinator, teacher of drawing and painting. Graduate of the State High School of Fine Arts in Katowice. Studies at the Faculty of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Diploma with honours in painting. Teacher at the Fine Arts School Complex in Katowice since 2006. Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and Arts 2003, 2004 exhibition “Diploma 2004” in the BWA Gallery in Katowice, 2005 Individual exhibition of paintings in the gallery of the Stanisław Wyspiański Silesian Theatre in Katowice, post-exhibition “Plein-Air Katowice 2005” – Fine Arts School Complex in Katowice – Museum of the History of Katowice – ZPAP Katowice gallery, 2006 “I am” exhibition at the BWA Gallery in Katowice, 2006 “Assistants 2006” exhibition at the Elektrownia Contemporary Art Gallery in Czeladź, 2006 distinction in the 4th All-Polish Painting Competition “Triennale with Still Life” in Sieradz, 2006 “5th Self-Portrait Trienniale” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Radom, 2006 post-competition exhibition of the Franciszek Eibisch Foundation at the Katarzyna Napiórkowska Art Gallery in Warsaw, 2006 individual painting exhibition in the “Fanaberia” teahouse gallery in Bytom, 2008 “Child” exhibition in the Art Nova2 gallery in Katowice.
