Connect - Campus Summer School - exchange school

The Connect - Campus Summer School - exchange school project was co-financed by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for the Promotion of Culture - a state earmarked fund.

The first edition of the Connect - Campus Summer School project, an intensive artistic and professional course aimed at final-year students of art schools from all over Poland, took place in Sokolowsk from October 23-29. The week-long program focused on the development of key artistic, professional and social competencies, preparing participants to function consciously in the world of contemporary art.

The course was implemented in three complementary modules: art practice, professional skills development and networking. Students participated in workshops and masterclasses, consulted portfolios with renowned artists and curators, and attended meetings with representatives of galleries and cultural institutions. During the course, they developed original creative ideas, which formed the basis for further artistic work, and consulted concepts for their future diplomas.

The program culminated in a joint exhibition in Sokolowsk, presenting the results of the participants' week-long work - projects, installations and performative actions created during the course. The event brought together lecturers, residents and guests, becoming a space for the exchange of ideas and discussions about the directions of young art.

Among the presenters were prominent artists, educators and experts in the art world: Bożenna Biskupska, Piotr Bosacki, Aleksandra Chciuk, Marta Czyż, Zuzanna Fogtt, Karolina Freino, Grzegorz Hańderek, Michał Jakubowicz, Anna Klimczak, Ada Piekarska, Katarzyna Roj, Zbigniew Rogalski, Zuzanna Gocławska and Natalia Ślusarskaj. Their diverse professional and artistic experiences created a polyphonic space for exchange, inspiration and reflection on the role of art in today's world.

The project involved male and female students from eight universities: Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Wladyslaw Strzeminski Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznan, SWPS University of Humanities and Social Sciences in Wroclaw, Academy of Art in Szczecin, Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, and Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw.

Young artists representing a variety of creative directions and practices. Their presence and involvement brought a unique energy to the program, and the exchange of experiences between participants became one of the most important elements of the project.

A week of intensive work in the unique space of Sokolovsk became not only a time for learning and creative experimentation, but also for building relationships, mutual support and a community of young artists.

The event was organized by the In Situ Foundation for Contemporary Art.