Career In Art Erasmus Project

Project Title

Career In Art

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project saw involved 6 partner schools, most of them art schools, whose 16-20 year-old students are often discouraged from pursuing a career in art. Sometimes parents discourage them, because they see no employability in the field of art, and sometimes students themselves decide to take a completely different career path because they are scared of not being able to make a living out of art due to the general lack of employment possibilities. All partner schools, however, believe that it is possible to make a living out of art – it is just a matter of “know how”.
The main objectives of the project, therefore, were to support students in assuring them a suitable environment for gaining high quality knowledge in the field of art, skills which will assist them in being competitive with their peers in the European labour market, learning key competences (communicative ability in foreign language, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation), developing the knowledge of and understanding the diversity of European cultures and languages, helping students to gain basic life skills needed for their personal development and future employment, learning with the help of ICT support and introducing a European dimension into the pedagogical process.
We believe that our original objectives were met.
By engaging in various art workshops at school and abroad, students gained new quality knowledge in the field of art, which equipped them with self-confidence and boosted their motivation. Moreover, art based activities enhanced creativity and innovation with our students, since they were engaged in hands-on projects, learning from mentors or skills craftsmen.
By meeting artists who make a living out of art, talking to them, exchanging views on art, interviewing them, as well as entering international tenders, making a guide on how to organize an exhibition, attending a seminar on business in art, made students aware of labour market demands and made them understand the competences needed to succeed as artists. As a result they bettered their entrepreneurial skills and are better prepared for future employment.
English being the key language behind every joint activity, students and teachers improved their speaking and writing skills. Some activities saw them engaged in writing CVs, cover letters and job applications in English, as well as putting together a multilingual dictionary of basic art terms. Students were also communicating with their peers in English during exchanges or staying with host families, which contributed greatly to improving their communicative abilities. We got familiar with vocab of partners’ native tongues.
Working together on short-term exchanges and other school-based activities helped students understand that different cultural backgrounds lead to different interpretations of art. With that and with the help of the study trips to galleries, museums and sites of national importance students became aware of the diversity of European cultures and languages. All in all, we introduced a European dimension into their learning experience.
Students learned with the help of ICT support, which was at the core of many workshops. They designed logos, filmed videos, edited photos, animated objects, designed bags, made calendars and posters, and, most importantly, digitalized their portfolios, which will help them with entering art universities and future employment.
Students developed on a personal level. They gained confidence, motivation, improved problem-solving techniques, adaptability to new circumstances, learned to accept and be tolerant. Engaging in workshops such as Philosophical Approach to Art and Hear Me, they discussed how cultural and political backgrounds affect art, they learned to understand those differences, accept them and become more tolerant citizens.
Owing to evaluation that we have made and talks with participants we know that the project has had a great impact on them. Students who were involved in activities of learning in the form of short-term exchanges commented that those were life-changing events that they “will never forget” and that they for sure want to pursue a career in art.
One of our aims at the beginning of the project was to change statistics when it comes to the number of students who want to pursue a career in art. Since students at various schools had the tendency to continue their studies outside the field of art, we wanted to change that trend – reverse it. We are happy we were able to make some improvements, especially visible with students taking active part in the project. It is a small step but we are glad to have made it and the project will have the ongoing, long lasting result with hopefully the world receiving a few new artists or craftsmen.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 229825 Eur

Project Coordinator

Liceum Plastyczne w Gronowie Górnym & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Wico Campus Mater Dei – 127845
• Sakarya Erenler Figen Sakallioglu Anadolu Lisesi
• Colegiul Auto Traian Vuia
• Srednja sola za oblikovanje in fotografijo Ljubljana
• Stredna umelecka skola Ladislava Bielika, Vajanskeho 23, Levice