Young artists criticize art schools and have established their own

Prague - Young artists are establishing a private art school, as they consider public universities too conservative. The zero year of the Scholastika school will open in January in Prague's Holešovice district, offering seven art courses. The project does not have accreditation as a private university, and according to the school's founder, Evžen Šimera, they want to function as a preparatory school for art academies for now. One semester will cost 7000 crowns.
"No one will teach you to paint and draw; you have to do it yourself. We want to teach how to name those things. To show how to contextualize a piece, to get it into different contexts; we will also lecture on theory and the history of 20th-century art so that people understand in what time they are moving, what contemporary art is today, how artists think, and what the various approaches are," Šimera stated. This intention is supposedly supported by the location of the school in the functionalist building of the former Electric Enterprises in Prague's Holešovice, where there are studios and some contemporary Czech artists with whom students will be able to meet in the hallways.
The school will be taught by young artists and art theorists, such as Jiří Franta, Ondřej Brody, Terezie Nekvindová, and Robert Šalanda. Interested individuals can learn in studios for painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, photography and video, conceptual creation, and art history. However, the subjects will likely overlap, as the courses are open to older individuals interested in studying art.
The curriculum will also include guided tours of exhibitions or advice on creating one’s own portfolios. Starting artists will also learn how to present their work and how to apply for grants.
The Scholastika project arose from the dissatisfaction of young artists with the current education in art universities. "Teachers do not continue their education, do not follow the contemporary scene," believes Brody. However, Scholastika lacks the accreditation necessary to establish a private university, which is why they will be opening a zero year from January, serving as a preparatory class for candidates of classical art academies.
"We do not want to be part of a system that we know works poorly," Brody pointed out. He added that they would like to create a private art university within ten years. For now, they will select new students based on an interview and assessment of their homework. One semester of study in a studio will cost 7000 crowns; if a student were to attend, for example, five studios, their education would cost 15,000. However, if a significant talent appears during the admission interview who cannot afford the tuition, the school would waive the fees.
The founders from among the artists also stated that they are currently financing the project from their own resources and want to raise money in the future from sponsors or grants.
Private schools in the Czech Republic primarily teach humanities disciplines. Among public universities, the University of Applied Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts teach visual arts, and art faculties are also at the University of Ostrava and the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem.