Children’s workshop series inspired by Polish culture

A series of art workshops for children, inspired by Polish culture and tradition, is taking place at Galway City Museum for the next three Sundays in August and on September 30.

These are being co-ordinated by the Bardzo Ladnie Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which celebrates Polish culture, traditions and art.

This Sunday there will be a screening of an episode of Reksio, a popular Polish animated cartoon series about the adventures of a friendly mongrel dog and his friends.

Afterwards, participants can create their own comic strip of Reksio or another character of their choice.

This event will take place from 2.30-4pm and is suitable for young people aged seven to 12.

On Sunday, August 20, the focus will be on avant-garde art. Inspired by the internationally renowned Polish avant-garde painter, Władysław Strzemiński, the workshop will give youngsters an opportunity to create their own unique patterns with which to design t-shirts.

On August 27, the theme is Traditional Polish Costumes and will cover a range of regions from the Carpathian Mountains to the Black Sea. The Bardzo Ladnie Foundation will introduce a variety of eye-catching and colourful costumes, after which young people can create mixed-media versions of these on large, specially-prepared templates.

On September 30, children will explore The Most Beautiful Village in Poland. That place is Zalipie, in the south east of this vast country, where the churches as well as every house, barn and kennel are covered in painted flowers. According to tradition, this phenomenon started when someone painted a flower on their ceiling to hide a soot mark. After learning about the village, the young workshop participants can create 3-D flowers to decorate their own homes.

All these workshops are organised by the Bardzo Ladnie Foundation and are designed to fire up children’s imaginations. They promise to be colourful, energetic and fun, with something for all the children to take home.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.