The annual exhibition of adults and children’s departments of the Municipal Art Workshop of Patreon starts tomorrow Wednesday, September 28 at 7.30 in the evening at the “Agora Argyris” where more than a thousand creations of 400 students of the workshop – children and adults – from the departments of painting, ceramics, construction, hagiography and History of Art will be hosted.

The visitor will have the opportunity to browse through the works of both the children’s and adult sections. The common denominator for all educational levels of the Art Workshop is the active involvement of students in artistic processes and their connection with the artistic tradition.

On the occasion of the inauguration, the president of the Cultural Organization Katerina Geropanagioti held a press conference on Tuesday morning, September 27th, in which she stressed the following:

“The Municipal Authority and the Cultural Organization make every effort to continue producing important cultural work both in the art workshop and in other areas.

The work and the offer of each of the visual arts teachers of the workshop in a pro bono form and with the support of the Cultural Organization of the Municipality of Patreon, has been extended to structures of the Municipality of Patreon (Park of Educational Activities of the Municipality of Patreon) and to third parties (second chance school, penitentiary institutions, prison of Ag.Stefanos).

The art workshop in times when it did not work at an educational level due to the difficult time of the pandemic that did not leave any aspect of our lives unaffected, put and still puts all of us to the test, but also everything we took for granted, had rich actions and remained active and gave its stamp in various ways, wanting to emphasize that art is what helps the mind to overcome bad situations and acts as a catalyst in our problems.

The art workshop was close to our fellow citizens and offered rich actions showing its social character such as :

• He decorated with paintings and ceramics homeless centers,
• for the preparation of the Christmas events, was responsible for the construction of Christmas souvenirs which were given to the Social Organization’s structures (Help at Home, Social Grocery, Soup kitchens), as well as Christmas decorations placed in the hospitals and squares of the city,
• She curated and offered handcrafted gifts to the students and teachers of the social tutorial,
• made the hidden treasure prizes (masks, souvenirs),
• edited online video of carnival mask making,
• offered online seminars to teachers and kindergarten teachers on mask making.

Our aim is that both the visual arts and everything else in the category of artistic education should be funded by the state budget on a permanent basis, as every family has the right of access to the arts, since culture is not a luxury, it is not a product and it is not only for the few.

The Cultural Organization all these years, with unique funding from the budget of the Municipality of Patreon and the objective difficulties that arise, managed to upgrade and expand, through a series of initiatives undertaken, this action, to communicate it effectively with the citizens, something that became a reality with the unremitting perseverance – despite the adversities and working conditions – of the visual artists employed.”

The interview was attended by the head of the art department Maria Manesioti and the artists Maria Kanellopoulou, Petros Lambrinakos and Panagiotis Ferentinos.