The world is beautiful!

In March 2024, the Monfort Exhibition Centre was bustling with creative energy. The already eleventh ArtDownUP took place here, this time under the motto "The world is beautiful!".
 

The main objective of the ArtDownUp project is to promote creativity, inclusivity, artistic creation and associating, as well as to sensitize the widest public in overwhelming prejudices towards people that are different. The participants of the workshops were young people with disabilities of different ages from all over Slovenia as well as abroad, pupils of few coastal primary schools and pupils of the Riverside School London. This time, the focal point was on personal experiences, individuals and positive emotions.

The workshops took place on 13 and 14 March, with the participants being able to take part in a painting workshop with Vasko Vidmar, where they depicted a loved one on canvas, in creating with clay under the guidance of Nataša Požar Barut and Marko Peric, in depicting emotions in clay, and in music workshops led by Maja Bjelica, a member of the Muzofil Association, during which, inter alia, they became familiar with and also sang the folk song "Marko skače" in a different way.

The participants ardently created (some of them attended individual workshops even several times), got to know each other and associated with each other, as well as viewed with interest the Monfort salt warehouse itself and the museum's exhibits.

The created paintings and products made of clay were at the end of March put on display at an exhibition within the shipbuilding collection. At the opening, the pupils and teachers of the Hearing and Speech Communication Centre put on a dance and music show, with the pupils happily  coming and watching their own works of art as well as those of their friends.
 

The project was organized by the Communication, Hearing and Speech Centre Portorož in cooperation with the Maritime Museum "Sergej Mašera" Piran, while the participants came from the CKSG Portorož, Riverside School London, Elvira Vatovec Strunjan Training Centre, Help Therapy Centre Koper, Primary School Šmarje and Lucija Primary School.

Workshop photos: Veruš Villangó
Exhibition photos: Franco Juri