“Art in School” – Implementation of diverse cultural programs for school students has begun

At the Georgian National Museum, Mikheil Batiashvili, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, presented the "Art in School" project. The event was attended by Project Manager Maia Datunashvili, Director of the Georgian National Museum David Lordkipanidze, Head of the Culture Department Nana Dolidze, film directors Nana Janelidze, Kote Chlaidze, and other invited guests.

The "Art in School" project aims to strengthen the culture component in general education institutions and diversify students' school lives. National culture is an inseparable part of education, and its integration into the educational system is one of the goals of the reform. The "Art in School" project unites three important fields of culture and includes the following programs: "School in the Museum," "School in the Theatre," and "Cinema at School." In the future, the scale of this project will expand. The project has been implemented in a pilot mode since May within the framework of the education reform – the "New School" model.

The "School in the Museum" program involves utilizing the collections of the Georgian National Museum as an educational resource. To develop and implement educational programs, museum exhibits were selected such as: remains of early humans, unique archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, natural history material, the rich heritage of the Middle Ages, and works by contemporary artists. The program will be implemented in three museums: the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, the Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery, and the Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography. The implementation of the program began in a pilot mode in May, and 808 students from grades VII-XI of various Tbilisi schools have already participated in it.

The goal of the second program, "School in the Theatre," is to raise students' arts education, introduce high-quality theatrical art to bring young people closer to theatrical life, and foster future audiences with good taste. The program provides for screening performances from the repertoires of Georgia's leading theatres that are relevant to the students' curriculum. Adolescents will have the opportunity to witness behind-the-scenes processes, meet actors after the performances, and write reviews about the shows. Since May, the program has been implemented in a pilot mode at the Kote Marjanishvili State Drama Theatre, the Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State Drama Theatre, and the Shota Rustaveli State Drama Theatre, with nearly 4,000 students already having participated.

As for the "Cinema at School" program, it aims to develop analytical thinking and creative skills among adolescents through the popularization of cinematic art. Within the framework of the program, various activities will be planned in schools once a week after classes, during which students will receive basic knowledge about cinematography and watch specially selected Georgian and foreign films. Discussions will be held at the end of the screenings. The organization of screenings and the deployment of qualified cinema specialists to schools will be provided by the Georgian National Center of Cinematography.