Art is 4 ALL | Art, inclusion and interculturality as main values.
What did we do there?
Art is a vital role in creating more inclusive and culturally diverse societies. By using artistic expression, young people with disadvantaged backgrounds can engage, express themselves, learn and find their way back to the community. With this in mind “Values, Virtues, Integrity” Foundation implemented the training course “Art is for All!” that took place in Samokov, Bulgaria, from 29 of August to 3 of September, 2021.
The aim of this project was to build capacity within 7 partner organizations to provide access to different forms of artistic activities targeting groups of young people with disabilities or fewer opportunities as main performers. Sharing successful inclusive tools developed by the project partners on the basis of inclusive art practices was also part of the goal of the project. Project partners included people from Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Hungary.
At the beginning of the project, activities that were done involved getting to know each other, setting expectations, and sharing fears and contributions. Throughout the week, participants were part of several artistic activities featuring glass painting, shirt painting, and musical sessions. After all of these activities, there was a marvelous collection of artwork in different forms, one of them canvases showcasing the social issues that our world suffers from.
The end project featured all the participants being divided into groups and organizing a public event in a park in Samokov. The idea was to get citizens to participate in the event, and to get them to share the wishes they have for their town. The painted canvases were on display, there was a group of project participants playing instruments, and there were few other participants approaching the citizen passersby. There were many locals who joined in the fun, and we ended up having an amazing and successful event.
After the participants returned to their countries, they had their own activities using the tools they learned during the project. One of them, Katerina Tsirtsi from Greece describes the activity she held. As a teacher in highschool, she always wanted to create an event for the students focused on the topics in regards to their current lessons. Her event took place on the 30th of October 2021 in her home in Greece. She had 8 participants, of which 6 children and 2 art teachers. They worked on a thematic unit on the subject of teamwork.
The participants were divided into groups and received colorful cards and tasks. Eventually, the participants would work collectively on one board with tools such as markers, brushes, and acrylic paint. The end result came after 4 hours of fun, and the participants look forward to more events like this one.