Edition 4

The project by the Fine Arts School Complex in Częstochowa entitled “Mosaic Galore”, which was awarded in the 4th edition of the “Wena” Grant Programme Competition, is an intergenerational concept. It assumed the artistic integration of art school students of Polish-Ukrainian origin and the involvement of primary school students and led to the creation of a unique mosaic, which can be admired in Częstochowa.

The project kicked off in September 2022 with the selection of a primary school with which the State Secondary School of Fine Arts (SSSFA) was going to partner. The choice fell on the Maria Konopnicka Primary School No. 39 in Częstochowa, located in close proximity to the Częstochowa secondary school of fine arts. Then, the teacher conducting the project, Renata Banaś-Kieca, invited the students to participate. The children, young people and teachers involved chose themes for the texts and images based on the work of the school’s patroness, Maria Konopnicka. In the first quarter of 2023, a workshop was held for students from primary school No. 39 and SSSFA attendees. The work involved the preparation of templates and mosaic pieces. As a part of the workshop, students from primary school No. 39 made the simplest elements of the mosaic under the supervision of the SSSFA students (specialty: ceramics and mural) and SSSFA teachers involved in the project. The SSSFA students (specialty: ceramics and mural, 15 people in total) made more complex pieces in the form of bas-relief and sculpture (grades: 1, 2, 3, 4).

In February 2023, a workshop was organised for a class of Ukrainian children from the Maria Konopnicka Primary School No. 39 in Częstochowa. During the workshop, the children made tiles with their palm imprints and initials, which were later on composed into the mosaic. At the same time, the SSSFA students crafted tiles (smaller and larger formats) inspired by motifs from Maria Konopnicka’s oeuvre and featuring quotations from her works (mainly from the poem “Picking berries”, e.g. “...forest dew will wash them, a fern leaf will cover them...”).

The next stage was to make a portrait of Maria Konopnicka (modelling, sectioning and chiselling). Next, figures of dwarves were made (using a technique similar to that applied for the portrait) and an inscription with the name of the school. The making should be understood not only as modelling in a moulding compound, but also as drying, bisque firing, glazing of the individual pieces and firing them at 1,200 degrees Celsius. The next stage was to put together a composition incorporating all the mosaic elements and fitting it to the wall at primary school No. 39. The tiles were then moved to the primary school building and installed on the wall.

The project carries several positive educational values, such as: getting to know a specific form of artistic expression, learning modular ceramic composition, developing social and teamwork skills, broadening general and specialist knowledge, and extending interest in new forms of artistic expression, particularly in ceramics.

– Renata Banaś-Kieca, the teacher conducting the project

The project was concluded on 7 September 2023 in the form of an exhibition held on the premises of primary school No. 39 in Częstochowa.

Mozaika prezentowana w Szkole Podstawowej nr 39 im. Marii Konopnickiej przy ul. Kopernika 79/87

This is how we recall the final of this remarkable project. The Maria Konopnicka Primary School No. 39 in Częstochowa became the host of “Fame Avenue” - an exceptional, unique mosaic featuring the imprinted palms of Ukrainian children for whom, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Częstochowa has been a new home and place of learning. The mosaic is a tangible and lasting outcome of the project. And the project itself has been impactful in a number of aspects. The first of them is artistic value - a unique mosaic adorning the school’s main hall, where students meet and parents wait to pick up their children.

 

 

This is an example of a splendid and aesthetically pleasing interior design. We believe that there is no other mosaic like this in Poland or in the world. Its uniqueness is complemented by strong emotions encapsulated in each ceramic tile bearing the author’s initial and palm imprint. The educational aspect of the project for the Częstochowa SSSFA students was immense - the experience of the workshop and site-specific art expressed in ceramics. The children experienced art by “playing” with clay.

 

 

The third aspect of the project is the broad social impact and lasting memorialisation of the historical moment we are currently in. The project brought together and helped establish relationships between children, students from Ukraine, their parents and the community of the arts secondary school and the primary school, that are neighbouring institutions.
We dare say that the resulting mosaic is like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and perhaps even something more ... We would like to congratulate Renata Banaś-Kieca, the initiator and teacher conducting the project together with the supporting teachers – Aleksandra Rybak and Karol Nowakowski. We likewise congratulate the project headliners – the children from Primary School No. 39 and their senior colleagues from the school of fine arts in Częstochowa. As a Foundation, we are very proud to have contributed to the cultivation of art education and the creation of the unique “Fame Avenue” in Częstochowa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renata Banaś-Kieca – nauczycielkceramics teacher, project scheduler, youth counsellor