Art Kvart - Start! | Tools

“Art Kvart - Start!” (Start Art in your Quart) is an annual art project held in Novi Sad, Serbia. The main idea is to work in six separate groups scattered across the city on a joint piece of art. The workshops are for youngsters (between 15 and 20 years old) whose goal is to pursue art, learn from one another and develop teamwork skills. Due to our realisation that a 2-7 year difference is best for communication between teachers and students in this kind of informal education, classes are held by young art professionals.

In formal education youngsters are not motivated to think of art as an actual career, but rather a hobby, or something less important.
Because of that, many young people suppress their talent in order to fit in a previously planned frame. We decided to offer free art workshops for youngsters (15-20 years old), where they can gain knowledge and experience in their field of interest. Our goal was to enable them to come across what art production is before they choose their future path.
More than 300 youngsters participated in this project over the last seven years and many of them decided to pursue a career in art after it.

Production Think about the format for the final product

Should it be a movie? The format of the final product can be anything; a short film, a play, a song or an exhibition. When the format is selected, think about the workshops that are necessary for the final product to be complete. For example, this year (2020) the final product is a short film, and we decided to have six different workshops: acting, directing, music, sound design, production and sculpting + animation (stop-motion technique).

Funding Find funding

Art Kvart - Start was supported by the City of Novi Sad and the Provincial Government of AP Vojvodina. It is important to ask for funding early in the pre-production process, but also to find partners, organisations and spaces that are willing to participate and offer their resources.

People Power Find young artists

When workshops are selected, search for young artists who are willing to work with youngsters, share their knowledge and experience, answer their questions and, most importantly, support their ideas.

Communication Invite youngsters to participate

It is very important to reach your audience through the media that they use. This has to be done in a manner suitable for their interests. In this case social media was the chosen channel of communication because of its simplicity and prevalence in their everyday life.

Location Find suitable spaces for workshops

Every workshop needs to have a space that can fulfill its needs but also to have an atmosphere that motivates youngsters to work, have fun and let their imagination fly.

Production Motivate youngsters to open up and express themselves

The setup for this motivation is gained by selecting the right mentors and giving them the right spaces to work in. However, this is not enough, because motivation has to be actively kept alive. A good way to achieve this is by seeing your field in practice, whether it’s going to the theater for the acting section, or perhaps to the cinema for the production section. A later open discussion on these experiences could be just the thing to birth innovative ideas.

Production Support them and give them a platform to express

In times when talented young people get almost no media coverage or any other platform for expressing their opinions, ideas, perspectives and artistic sensibility, it is crucial to teach them to speak in a way that they can be heard. At the end of the project, organize an event to present their work to the public. This will be a great way for them to become confident and even more motivated to continue their art practice.

Novo Kulturno Naselje

sara(at)novokulturnonaselje.rs

http://www.novokulturnonaselje.rs