Professor Czarnecka created the Art Knowledge Tournament to enrich young people’s perception of the world and teach them respect for artistic achievements in Poland and around the world. Today, Tournament alumni are largely art historians, artists, photographers, directors, set designers, humanists and informed art audiences.

During the political transformation, the Tournament’s future hung in the balance. Today it continues thanks to cooperation among major Bolesławiec institutions and the commitment of Professor Czarnecka’s former students.

Na Turnieju gościły obie córki profesor Ajlikow-CzarneckiejNa Turnieju gościły obie córki profesor Ajlikow-Czarneckiej • Krzysztof Gwizdała
W Turnieju biorą udział uczniowie szkół podstawowych i gimnazjalnychW Turnieju biorą udział uczniowie szkół podstawowych i gimnazjalnych • Krzysztof Gwizdała

Marek Haniszewski, Professor Czarnecka’s student, a teacher and graduate of the Higher School of Fine Arts in Poznań, was the first to notice the threat of the Tournament being discontinued. In 2000, following administrative changes, no institution was willing to take on its organization. Marek Haniszewski went to the Museum of Ceramics, to its then director Teresa Wolanin. Thanks to her efforts and cooperation with the District Centre for Education and Staff Training and with Alicja Krzyszczak, then director of Lower Secondary School No. 3 in Bolesławiec, the Tournament was revived under the name District Art Knowledge Tournament.

Today it operates at a high level and is held at Kliczków Castle, thanks to the efforts of the Museum of Ceramics’ new director, Anna Bober-Tubaj. Each year, an average of 50 children from primary and lower secondary schools in Bolesławiec County take part. The Tournament is held under the honorary patronage of Bolesławiec Mayor Piotr Roman and Bolesławiec County Starost Cezary Przybylski.

Marek Haniszewski, who initiated efforts to save the Tournament, emphasizes the role of all the people and institutions that worked together and supported the initiative. “Without this help, without the support of the Museum of Ceramics director, the Starost, the Mayor, the Training Centre, Lower Secondary School No. 3 and its administration, the Tournament could not have continued to exist. This positive cooperation deserves emphasis,” says Marek Haniszewski. Anna Bober-Tubaj, in turn, emphasizes Haniszewski’s role. “He was the one who paved the way for this Tournament, in a way forcing us to take action,” says the museum director.

“These are not good times for art,” says Marek Haniszewski. “As part of the education reform, the subject called art is losing its standing. Its hours are being cut and it is being turned into lessons in drawing or singing. Not every child has that talent. But every student can learn about humanity’s cultural heritage—something passed down to us through generations. Such knowledge can be assessed objectively. Moreover, every heir should know what assets they possess, what they can draw on and what they have at their disposal. That is the value of learning art history. Most importantly, art has no boundaries or prejudices and belongs to us all, allowing us to discover a richer and more beautiful world,” Haniszewski explains.

Marek Haniszewski dreams of Professor Czarnecka’s legacy being disseminated throughout Poland. Thanks to the efforts of Anna Bober-Tubaj, the District Art Knowledge Tournament was named after Jolanta Ajlikow-Czarnecka on 19 May.

The winners of this year’s Jolanta Ajlikow-Czarnecka District Art Knowledge Tournament were:

Primary School

  1. Paulina Jarosz from the Primary School in Kruszyn
  2. Martyna Ostańska from Primary School No. 5 in Bolesławiec
  3. Daniel Wołoszyn from the Primary School in Nowogrodziec
  4. Dariusz Gołębiewski from Primary School No. 1 in Bolesławiec
  5. Nicola Bober from the Primary School in Nowogrodziec

Lower Secondary School

  1. Michał Kowalski from the First Private Lower Secondary School in Bolesławiec
  2. Martyna Stopyra from the Second Private Lower Secondary School in Bolesławiec
  3. Rafał Ryżewski from the Social Lower Secondary School No. 4 in Bolesławiec.
  4. Justyna Kozinoga from the First Private Lower Secondary School in Bolesławiec
  5. Anna Kuśmierczyk from the Lower Secondary School in Nowogrodziec

A Brief History of the Art Knowledge Tournament

  • In 1972, Jolanta Ajlikow-Czarnecka, then an inspector and methodologist at the Bolesławiec Education Department and later at the Education Authority in Jelenia Góra, established the Art Knowledge Tournament for primary school students in order to disseminate knowledge and visual arts culture among children, young people and art teachers.
  • In 1976, thanks to her efforts, the Tournament’s reach was extended to the entire voivodeship. At the same time, the Tournament began to be treated on an equal footing with other subject competitions. Points awarded for participation were added to students’ achievements. This raised the Tournament’s standing.
  • In 1977, the Institute for Teacher Training recommended the Tournament at a nationwide conference as an excellent method of disseminating knowledge about culture and art. From then on, it became the Inter-Voivodeship Art Knowledge Tournament for Primary School Students, involving the Legnica and Jelenia Góra voivodeships.
  • In 2000, following the administrative reform, there was no authority interested in continuing to organize the Tournament. Thanks to the efforts of teacher Marek Haniszewski, the Tournament survived, but its scope was limited to the county.
  • In 2001, the organizers of the Tournament became the Museum of Ceramics and Municipal Lower Secondary School No. 3 in Bolesławiec.
  • In 2003, the Bolesławiec County Starost and the Mayor of Bolesławiec assumed honorary patronage of the District Art Knowledge Tournament.
  • In 2006, thanks to the efforts of Anna Bober-Tubaj, director of the Museum of Ceramics, the Tournament’s qualifying rounds were moved to Kliczków Castle.
  • In 2009, the District Art Knowledge Tournament was named after Jolanta Ajlikow-Czarnecka.

(GH report)