A radical journey to art entrepreneurship
The study focuses on the establishment of the Art Teachers Art Exhibition’s (ATAE) entrepreneurial journey to bring art educators under one roof. The mindset becomes imperative for art teachers to develop a program to empower themselves and value their art works. Art Teachers Art Exhibition aims to be an international radical movement of art educators into the world of proficiency and entrepreneurship. Art Teachers Art Exhibition will not only serve to bring educators together for financial gain, but to share skills, teach and learn from each other. Art educators must emerge as entrepreneurs soliciting alternative platforms to the traditional art world. Radical changes happened years back. Before documenting events in a written form, people would record historical events with images as can be proved, not only in Africa but around the globe. That was the way people interacted or documented some experiences. Art is thus, a form of communication. Presently, we call that form of communication, visual art. Art Teachers Art Exhibition strives to bring together the past and present through exhibitions to enable art educators as entrepreneurs. This study examines the benefits, aims and objectives of art entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the study recommends the involvement of both Teaching Artists and Art educators to evaluate and monitor the success rate of the project. It will similarly view various new developments and ideas for improving existing art. It is an approach for reinventing and upgrading of the members towards an example or a role model for students and learners. This study sees artists as the most modern entrepreneurs, and exhibition opportunities created, will enable the educators to harness a home for entrepreneurial skills and knowledge development. The first leg of ATAE activities started a year back in Estonia. During the Africa Arts Association conference in Kampala, Uganda, ATAE will have its second exhibition.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, art educators, Teaching Artists, exhibitions
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Be Radical Video. Go On And Strike. Policy in the Arts and Arts Education 2024
Quite recently, in winter this year, we had all-Estonian teachers´ STRIKE, again. It began on Jan 22, 2024. Planned to last a week, or two. In Jan-Feb 2012, there was estonian teachers´ strike, already. Just, before the strike in 2012, I initiated to organize Art-Teachers´ Art Exhibition (ATAE), called STRIKE.
Now, real STRIKE again! It is evident, that a CHANGE of policy in Estonia and notably, in art education, is very much needed. Co-work with art-teachers and pupils-students gave and always give interesting results. Political banners, slogans, flags, paintings, drawings, posters, pictures, video-clips, etc. Motivated art-teachers are able to create REAL ARTWORKS themselves, too. Obviously, not only teach, how to do these.
The cause of 2024 all-teachers´ strike is/was, that Estonian neoliberal-neoleft government parties of the last, almost 15 years, have used unreliable and uncontrolled e-elections. We have witnessed hidden and destroyed original material of e-voting. All these manipulations are/were/have been for the government parties to be in power, again and again. These „coalition“ parties sit due to these uncontrolled e-elections. Governments are one party, + 1 or 2 satellite parties, which do not care of majority of estonian people. Mostly traditional-national estonian people and teachers are experiencing almost unbearable troubles and problems due to these parties in power. Estonia is a very small EU country. Guess who is Estonia´s big neighbour? Due to the policies of Estonian governments, last 10-15 years, the prices of electricity, gas, oil, land and food have gone sky-high in Estonia. Taxes have been sky-rocketed due to long-time-in-power neoliberal ,,green turn” government parties´ decisions. Members of goverment, some doing even business, a very questionable business, with the oligarchs of the big eastern neighbour… at the same time.
No other countries use e-elections, e-voting … only some …
Huge money launderings have been discovered in some banks´ filials in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. During the last 2-3 years, Russian-speaking immigration into Estonia has raised to a level we have never witnessed before, since Estonia re-established its freedom. Even, during soviet times.
Estonian teachers´ salaries are still very low, as compared to other EU countries. This motivated and emboldened the teachers to take measures into their hands and go on strike, again. To gain respect, being heard, to get adequately paid and cared. Art-teachers tried to find effective visual results as catchy as possible, together with the pupils and students.
But, so far – no results.
„Be Radical – Go On And Strike“, art-meets-music video´s aim is to put together already done works, plus real art-works, against the deaf and ignoring governments of Estonia. To show different and sharply focused drawings, pre-works for political posters, photos, video-clips. „Be Radical … „ video for WAAE Summit will include the pupils` and teachers´ inputs. Drawings, paintings on A4 prepared papers were to be colored with pencils, gouashes, acrylic, etc. The results were photographed, saved in PowerPoint to create a new video – Be Radical II, Go On Strike! That is the needed POLICY in Arts / Arts Education.
Political pictures, caricatures with dark humor, curiousity or serious other standpoints are the contents of this VIDEO. Pictures showing the current attitude of the atmosphere. The video expresses politically different stands, against the mainstream position. Shows more specifically art-education situation in Estonia, 2024. Not only concerning the strike, but beyond. Use of co-work with the other subjects´ colleagues.
Influence and inspiration of different music, alternative news and other types of channels of social media, helps a lot. Be brave and focus! And, it might do the trick, or pilot one´s mindset so, that it energizers. Everything can be open for feeling, recording and reproducing, as one´s own inspiration and ability guides. In the VIDEO, You can also see some wakeful and brave-enough pupils-students, who came along with the teachers´ strike ideas and events.
Art-meets-music videos, shown on the big screens with enough good stereo sound and picture quality, help the pupils-students and teachers to concentrate. To push the ideas into movements. Expressively, spontaneously. We can understand, watching the pictures of the pupils in the video, that their ideas deeply connect to the Teachers´ Strike.
Striking art-teachers, with political visual material, felt the support and confidence coming from the other colleagues at the real meeting. The atmosphere was warm and energetic, in spite of cold winds of estonian winter in front of the Parliament. The sparks between the teachers ignited all the involved people. Energy came back and forth. A real synergy emerged. It processed and gave birth to several emotional artworks – visual speeches. Rhythms, waves of emotions passed over to artistic movements. All in the name of the strike – freedom of speech and CHANGE of policy.
That is the point of the video „Be Radical – Go On And Strike“.
We still wait for the governments´ parties to change their attitudes and decisions …
- 04. 2024
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Policy in the Arts and Arts Education 2024
Reality is, that we had all-Estonian teachers´ STRIKE, which started in Jan 22, 2024. Was planned a week, or so. In Jan, 2012, there was all-teachers´ strike, already. During the time I helped to organize art-teachers´ art exhibition (ATAE), called STRIKE. Now teachers striked, again! It means, that the change of policy in education and also in art-education, is evident and needed. Co-working with art-teachers and pupils-students gave and will give interesting first-hand results. Banners, slogans, flags, paintings, posters, pictures, video-clips, etc. Motivated art-teachers are able to create REAL ART themselves too, not only teach how to.
Now, the cause of the 2024 STRIKE is, that Estonian neoliberal-neoleft government parties of the last, almost 15+ years, have used uncontrolled e-voting and are in power due to manipulations and not reliable e-elections. Government parties refuse to let international auditing to do their work and to control the e-elections. The parties-in-power do not care about estonians, mostly national and traditional people and have caused unbearable troubles. Estonia is a small EU country, but guess, who is Estonia´s big neighbour? Prices of electricity, gas, oil and food have gone sky-high, many taxes sky rocketed due to the policies of too-long-time-in-power neoliberal ,,green turn” parties´ and questionable decisions.
At the same time, there have been direct secret business connections with the big neighbour country on the highest levels. Huge money launderings discovered, etc. Russian-speaking immigration into Estonia, in such large numbers, we have never witnessed. Extremely low salaries of estonian teachers, as compared to other EU countries. So, the teachers were forced to take measures into their own hands and strike, to gain respect and being heard. To get adequately paid and cared. Art-teachers try to find as catchy as possible and effective visuals, together with the pupils and students. To show different and focused drawings, pre-works for political posters, photos, video-clips.
Not only concerning the STRIKE, but beyond. Open your attitude with energetic and artistic nature. It might have the effect and pilot our mindset so, that it involves us in a creative process, too. This inspiring momentum, or the act of striking, has motivated many teachers.
In a new, 10 min. art-meets-music VIDEO, we have put together, is a short-cut of the events that happened. You see some wakeful pupils-students-teachers, who have followed and supported the teachers´political steps in Estonia. Brave enough!
Policy in Arts and Art Education is really a focal point in our times, isn´t it?
T.T. – InSEA 2003-2024+
May, 24.
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