For the 28th time, the Nationwide Ceramics and Sculpture Open-Air Workshop was held in Bolesławiec from August 3 to 30.
The workshop was organized by the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre with the cooperation and assistance of the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre. Its main sponsors were the Bolesławiec City Office, the Jelenia Góra Voivodeship Office and the Wrocław City Office. For three years, the workshop had been held under the patronage of the Wrocław district of the Association of Polish Artists. The participants worked at five ceramics plants—most of them at the Ceramic Plant (Nos. 1, 2 and 7), the “Art Ceramics” Cooperative and the “Przyborsk” Ceramic Tile Plant in Gierałtów.
The workshop was accompanied by events including author meetings, an exhibition of ceramic sculpture, painting and graphic art by the workshop participants Czesław and Jacek Wiąckowie, as well as social gatherings and excursions. The Bolesławiec Ceramic Workshop remains one of the few surviving open-air workshops of this kind. A similar one still operates only in Wałbrzych.
Twenty-three artists from across the country took part in the event. Wrocław was the most strongly represented, with Jadwiga Ukleja, Jolanta Kasińska, Bogusław Story, Czesław and Jacek Wiąckowie, Agata Zworska, Krystyna Szczepanek-Halsig, Małgorzata Dyrda-Kujawska, Halina Kłosowicz and Zbigniew Gula participating.
The participants from other centres were: Marita Benke-Gajda (Kraków), Łucja Włodek (Słupsk), Marta Wojtiuk and Andrzej Trzaska (Gdańsk), Anna Szymanek (Gorzów Wlkp.), Anna Stawiarska (Chorzów), Mariola Kalicka Królczyk and Ewa Twarowska Sloda (Poznań), Eugeniusz Molski (Nowy Wiśnicz), and Barbara Kozłowska-Trojnar, Krystyna Gay-Kutschenreiter and Bronisław Wolanin (Bolesławiec).
There was a large group of sculptors among the participants, creating large-scale spatial forms. The ceramic artists, meanwhile, created smaller, intimate forms. We will see the results of their work at the end of the year at the post-workshop exhibition. However, I can already reveal—after viewing some of the works in progress—that it will be a major artistic event.
All the artists greatly value each opportunity to take part in the Bolesławiec workshop. On the one hand, they can create works here that later receive high recognition at national and international exhibitions. On the other, they are charmed by the warmth and kindness with which the town on the Bóbr welcomes them. During conversations with the workshop participants, many warm and appreciative words were expressed about directors Kazimierz Surmiak, Karol Stasik and Stanisław Kalak, as well as the managers and employees of the plants they directed.
The artists appreciated and spoke with recognition of the great interest in the workshop and understanding of its needs shown by Mayor Józef Król, as well as by BOK director Dr Danuta Maślicka. They also expressed their gratitude for the hospitality to Director Samonek. Although the workshop regulations provide for leaving valuable gifts—sculptural works—with the hosts, sponsors and co-organizers, the artists asked me to add to this material symbol of gratitude, in this article, their heartfelt thanks to all the kind people mentioned above.
There is one more matter: while gathering material for this article, I had the pleasure of hearing many compliments from the workshop participants addressed to the workshop commissioner, Mrs Krystyna Gay-Kautschenrelter. She was the soul and heart of the workshop, taking care of everything, of everyone together and each person individually, and helping her colleagues from Poland achieve their artistic goals in a truly admirable manner.
Thanks to Mrs Krystyna’s efforts, the culmination of the workshop’s creative work will include not only a post-workshop exhibition at the BOK Gallery, but also three other significant exhibitions: in Bremen near Hamburg, Wrocław and Jelenia Góra.