Edition 6

 

 

The development of students' own creative style, for independent functioning in the modern world, is the main goal of the project, which began at the end of September 2024.

Fifth-grade students, as part of one of the last activities in artistic education at the high school level, are creating from scratch their own low-circulation publication, an "art-zine," inspired by the work of Witold Gombrowicz. The leading teacher, Bartosz Świątecki, and the polish language teacher, Marta Sarnowska, work with the students throughout the entire project cycle, from the basics of working with text and content analysis workshops to working with form and composition.

 

Since September 2024, 10 regular meetings have been held to introduce the project team to the subject matter and project workshop:

"Scanning A3 projects. Editing in Photoshop. Preliminary Riso prints."

"Working with graphic collages. Scanning works. Editing."

"Students' own work on Riso/collage projects."

"Operating devices: replacing ink tubes, inking drums, creating test prints for device calibration, loading paper, creating matrices."

"Spice up your mug! – that is, about your own form. Language and literature workshops as inspiration for one's own creativity."

"Two-color graphic project in A4 format and independent execution of print runs on the Riso duplicator. Searching for one's own artistic expression – working with text."

"Language in Form or Form of Language? – about key words and their impact on shaping a literary work. Workshops on analyzing the linguistic layer of fragments of Gombrowicz's works."

"To see oneself in someone else's mouth, even if it is the most 'idiotic'! – how to find the spirit of the philosophy of Form in literature. Workshops on analysis and synthesis of selected fragments. Interpretation and deepening of literary content in relation to one's own experiences."

"Analysis of composition – from complex forms to basic ones. Searching for one's own artistic expression – working with the text."

"Presentation of the history of digital duplicators. Discussion of the construction and operation of the Risograph, similarities and differences compared to a photocopier, screen printing, and offset printing. Errors indicated by the Risograph device."

 

 

 

workshops

 

 

 

 

workshops

 

 

 

Marta Sarnowska conducted a series of language and literature workshops with the students to find inspiration for their own creative work. The students prepared three 'mind maps' analyzing the processes and paths helpful in writing their own texts. The first literary texts were created in October. At the same time, Bartosz Świątecki conducted a series of classes in which the youth tested various graphic solutions and risograph printing methods.

 

 

We dyed the cylinders in new colors, created test prints, discussed the construction of our publication, its layout and volume. A series of graphic workshops took place, during which collage projects prepared for the students' texts were made - describes Bartosz Świątecki, the lead teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

In November, the youth began working on creating illustrations for the texts that had been produced and linking them with Gombrowicz's literary texts. In December, they are working on graphic projects.

 

The students participated in workshops, they are the authors of the texts, graphics, they will prepare risographs on their own and print them. They will be the authors of the publication. We plan to complete the project with an exhibition of the created pages and a presentation of our publication no later than March 21, 2025. I am very curious about the printing results with the students. So far, I see a lot of joy on their faces - says Bartosz Świątecki.

 

In February 2025, the youth took part in workshops at the Workshop of Old Printing Techniques in the Regional Public Library in Olsztyn, conducted by Iwona Bolińska-Walendzik. During the two-day workshops, the students created 70 covers for the art zine "KuFormie."

 

Handmade work on old machines and the smell of printing ink ... complete happiness - the students are delighted.

 

 

 

Workshops at the Old Printing Techniques Studio in the Voivodeship Public Library in Olsztyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project team, students of class V b PLSP in Olsztyn: Ewa Amborst, Julia Cichorek, Oliwia Demczuk, Gabriela Górajewska, Róża Jabłonowska, Amelia Kuminkiewicz, Kacper Lenard, Marta Mazur, Wiktoria Mierzejewska, Patrycja Murawska, Oliwia Paudyna, Aleksandra Radłowska, Gabriela Rogalska, Amelia Stańczuk, Aleksandra Szymczyk, Oliwia Żelichowska.

 

The students have had an intensive period of workshops, carried out beyond the basic school curriculum. We are pleased that, through the implementation of the project, the youth are developing their own creative style and creating an original publication from scratch.

 

 

 

School risograph workshop

 

 

On February 21, 2025, young people were sewing their first own art zine 'KuFormie' during the workshops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final of the project took place in the school exhibition hall at PLSP in Olsztyn on February 27, 2025.

 

 

 

Truly, in the world of the spirit, a permanent rape takes place. We are not autonomous. We are only a function of other people. We must be the way they see us. Ah, to create one's own form! To throw oneself outward. To express oneself. Let my shape be born from me, let it not be made for me!

/Witold Gombrowicz/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marta Sarnowska, a polish language teacher at the State High School of Fine Arts named after Eric Mendelsohn in Olsztyn, inspires young people to understand and translate the concept of Form into the language of their own artistic explorations, using the work of Witold Gombrowicz as an example. And so, it was through literary workshops that the implementation of the project began.

 

Literature develops abstract thinking. Literature is an abstraction that inspires artists. Words have great power and meaning - emphasizes Marta Sarnowska.

 

The tangible result of the project is the students discovering their own form of artistic expression, in the form of an original publication entitled 'Towards Form.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wiesława Giedrojć from the Starak Family Foundation and Bartek Świątecki, leading teacher

 

 

 

Authors of the publication: Ewa Amborst, Julia Cichorek, Oliwia Demczuk, Gabriela Górajewska, Róża Jabłonowska, Amelia Kuminkiewicz, Kacper Lenard, Marta Mazur, Wiktoria Mierzejewska, Patrycja Murawska, Oliwia Paudyna, Aleksandra Radłowska, Gabriela Rogalska, Amelia Stańczuk, Aleksandra Szymczyk, Oliwia Żelichowska are students of the 5th grade of the Olsztyn art school.

This group of young people, despite a huge number of responsibilities in the final year of their studies, approached the project with great passion, enthusiasm, and interest. The implementation of the concept is an example of professional work using the project method with all its elements as an extremely useful tool for future educational or professional paths.

 

Each copy of the zine is saturated with an artistic, almost craft-like element: original texts, graphics made using the risograph method, hand-stitched pages with specially designed covers at the Workshop of Old Printing Techniques in the Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn, come together to create a unique visual outcome of the project.

We witnessed youthful enthusiasm, wonderful energy, and cooperation not only among the students but also among the teachers: Bartosz Świątecki and Marta Sarnowska.

The teachers exemplarily guided the youth through the project, giving autonomy and showing great support, commitment, and heart. Hearing from the students these words addressed to the teacher: 'Professor, all of this was possible thanks to you!'

 

Yes, we agree with these words. It was Bartek Świątecki, a drawing and painting teacher and an active artist, who initiated the activity of the school's risograph studio, which he runs at a very high level. He inspires students to take independent action and experiment at the intersection of printing, graphics, and painting.

It was a wonderful day in Olsztyn and the first implementation within the VI edition of the Grant Program Contest "Wena" of the Starak Family Foundation entitled "Map on a One-to-One Scale." The students responded to the Contest task by sharing with us their search for their own creative style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The map charts the way, and the publishing house 'Ku Formie' is one of many such paths that one can take.

 

 

COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONTEST THEME: "Map at a one-to-one scale"

Map as a path to discovering one's own creative style

 

 

FINAL RESULT

School publishing "art zin" created by students, printed with a risograph, individually finished, signed, numbered.

 

 

TEACHERS

 

Bartosz Świątecki, certified painting and drawing teacher, engaged in broadly understood painting, mainly abstract painting. In addition to traditional easel painting techniques, he practices street art and abstract mural www.swiatecki.pl

 

Marta Sarnowska, Polish language teacher with over twenty years of experience working with youth.