The main issue of our communities is that most of the students that graduate from an Art School will encounter difficulties. These may refer to trying to find a job, being able to withstand criticism of their art , coping with praise, or choosing the right career path.

A piece of art may be garbage in one’s eyes and a masterpiece in others’.  The students’ art and work needs to sell, otherwise they will not be able do make a decent living. Our students need to develop their passion, however, they must understand the needs, demands and rules of the present job market. Our project will  treat their artistic development as a way to give them future careers.

Therefore we wish to give our learners the basis to how to become great artists. A real professional artist knows history of art, he knows different artistic techniques  of modern and ancient times. An artist must be skilled – he must have ideas about artistic world – be ready to experiment, try sth new to really know what he wants to do in life. Apart from it, artists need to know languages to be able to sell their work worldwide, as well as be literate in modern technologies, as they are the symbols of our times and the future.

Apart form it,  there are only a few very old people that still master some traditional techniques of (painting on glass, ceramics, sculpting on wood etc.) that have no appendices, no one to share their skills and knowledge to. We want to create links between them and our students. This way we will keep our traditions alive, and we will give our students the chance to learn new stuff.

We live in a world where it  is easier to carry on other people’s ideas, blend with the crowd and work in a factory or corporation doing and wishing for the same things as others. This project is an idea of how to wish to stand out, how to give wings to your attitude, a way to express yourself, a way to think out of the box and to know it’s the right way. This project is a chance for our new generation to give life to their ideas not fearing the risks, not limiting their options.

Although, some of the schools involved in this project have had others related to Art, this one is exceptional as it refers to Art as a source of living, Art which gives employment. Through this project we plan to give our students better odds in their future, give them more skills and true qualifications that will help them become complete artists. Students will be able to learn and understand the job market of artistic professions, so when it comes to choosing the career they will be able to make  conscious decisions. The project will have an ongoing impact on their knowledge of  artistic jobs.

*Moreover, the need for the project has been based on a result of a study carried out by the oordinating school, however, the situation in other countries is similar. The career path of the  all 44 school graduates has been researched and it has turned out that only   20 % chose artistic career, 16% history of art or culture studies, and the majority of 64% chose careers absolutely not connected to what they had been studying at art secondary school for 4 years, including economics, sports, pedagogy, IT or work in offices or shops. This is not what we aim for our students, we want them to pursue art and continue their development in the field. We need to show the future graduates more options, and help them in their choices. The full study findings are placed at www.liceumplastyczne.elblag.com.pl.

The implementation plan of activities conducted locally is following:

1. Project introduction at schools
2. Creating logos of the project designed by students
3. Creating a project website.
4. Finishing works with the digital Picture Art Dictionary for Schools and publishing it as a free material
5. Dissemination of the project and results obtained so far in an Open Day
6. An online questionnaire- The importance of a philosophical approach to art.
7. Making a guide: how to organize an exhibition and publishing it on the project’s web page or E-twinning.
8. Language Passport – students will create their language passports with the use of Europass website to clearly assess their language abilities. The printed  LP will enrich their Portfolios
9. Curriculum Vitae – students will learn how to write a good CV with the use of Europass website. The printed CV will enrich their Portfolios
10. Letter Of Application- students will learn how to write a good letter of application to improve their chances of employment.
11. European Skills Passport – students using the online Europass platform will learn how to upload documents and create this virtual Portfolio.
12. Creating works of art in any technique – title –  “Art Without Borders”
13. Leaflet –students gather guidelines for future artists and make the graphic design, later the leaflet is printed and distributed
14. Photographs – Me as an artist – students will take pictures of themselves as artists
15. Students portfolios are created in which their works, photographs, Cv, Europass-mobility certificates, Language Passports will be gathered to be presented to future employers.
16. Publishing the report on the project’s web page.
17. Dissemination of the project and it’s final achievements and results on the school websites and in mass media.

After each year of the project an evaluation and analysis reports will be written. The project will be disseminated in mass media.

Project will be managed and assessed during six Transnational Project Meeting.

Many activities carried out at home will be correlated to activities conducted during six Short-term Activities For Learners. Each of these will be disseminated in websites and local mass media. Also students who will visit partnership schools will prepare workshops in their school teaching others what they have learnt abroad.

Activities carried out in Partnership schools:

Screen printing workshop, 3D film-making, the digital Picture Art Dictionary for Schools, Meetings with local artists and seeing their workshops, Exhibitions of works created, “The art of creating IA -Traditional Romanian blouse”- workshop on transforming a piece a fabric into art, Seminar on  poetic and philosophical approach to art, Abstraction with calligraphic elements and finishing with marouflage and wax, Blind printing marks on paper turned into a composition play with colors and photography,Water pumpkin decoration workshop, Stained glass workshop, Seminar on needs and requirements of art businesses, Graphics techniques workshops, Textile techniques workshops, Photo and video for advertising and social media, Talks on : Businesses in the arts, Best photograph contest ‘Me As an Artist Portfolios – ICT workshop, Public presentation and exhibition of work done  for pupils, teachers, local authorities and media (presenting the portfolios, dictionary, Erasmus+), Sightseeing –national  heritage, art, local art businesses, Exhibitions of works created.