At Friday’s vernissage summarizing the classes held in the art studios operating at the International Ceramics Center, students of Stanisława Wojda-Pytlińska (art studio), Edyta Orlińska (ceramics and sculpture studio), Magdalena Konieczna (glass and stained-glass studio), and Mateusz Grobelny (author’s sculpture studio) presented their work.
Ewa Lijewska-Małachowska, director of BOK-MCC, emphasized how many talented people there are in our city.
“Talented people are Bolesławiec’s phenomenon,” Lijewska said. “The quality of the works and the number of people active in our studios testify to this. It is something exceptional and worth emphasizing. At today’s vernissage, one can meet people who work in various professions and, at the same time, successfully pursue artistic activities. I am glad that the Bolesławiec Cultural Center – International Ceramics Center serves talented residents of Bolesławiec so well.
The artist-teachers spoke proudly about their students. They showed their work and described how it had been created. Mateusz Grobelny praised his adult workshop participants.
“I raise the bar for my students,” Grobelny said. “At first, I let them play with form, material and ideas. Then I set the bar higher and higher. I asked whether anything else could be added to a work, whether it could be considered differently or something else could be done. Of course, I suggest technical solutions, oversee the firing together with the students, and continue learning alongside them.
The exceptional artist and seasoned teacher Stanisława Wojda-Pytlińska also spoke with delight about her younger and older students. Her adult student, the renowned Polish designer and sculptor Katarzyna Hałas, has a large exhibition at the BOK-MCC gallery.
Stanisława Wojda-Pytlińska guided visitors through an exhibition of works by her less well-known students and discussed every detail of their creations. “What can be seen at the exhibition is only a drop in the ocean of drawings created in the studio,” Wojda-Pytlińska said. “The best ones are world-class. They won prizes in competitions where several dozen or several dozen works were selected from several thousand entries.
The teacher praised every work: the snails and colorful compositions by five-year-olds, the princess by a seven-year-old, and the city painted by an eight-year-old.
“There are two girls walking dogs in it,” Wojda-Pytlińska said, pointing to the work. “The dogs are attracted to each other and pull their owners, who are holding them on leashes, along behind them. A little heart is painted between the dogs, symbolizing canine love here. There is a clothing store full of dresses and jackets. There is a city square where people walk, and there are pigeons. The artist tells us a story. Perhaps about herself, or perhaps one she saw. It is a vibrant Bolesławiec full of people.
The exhibition also presented highly acclaimed stained-glass works from Magdalena Konieczna’s studio. These are very interesting compositions made using various techniques. Sculptures by Edyta Orlińska’s students were also displayed; they, too, have won awards in national competitions.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)