IDEOLOGISTS & CREATORS
Mr. Kosta Hadzi Antonovski
The ideological creator of "The Small Montmartre of Bitola", Mr. Kosta Hadzi Antonovski this year marks his two important jubilees: 76 year of his life and 55 years career as a painting artist and art pedagogue educator.
Born in Bitola on 22. 05. 1935, he graduated at School of Applied Arts in a class of the most famous Macedonian fine arts artists Borko Lazeski and Lazar Lichenoski. Since 1981 he is the manager of the Children Art Studio St. Cyril and Methody - Bitola. Although since 2001 Mr. Kosta went on a deserved rest, the retirement, he continue to work with the members of the Studio and at the same time he continue to organize the festival The Small Montmartre of Bitola. These and many more obligations after his retirement he performed voluntary.
Kosta Hadzi Antonovski has given a precious contribution in the field of children education and artistic creation of Macedonian culture. He is an exceptional and very genuine person, a great enthusiast of the art, idealist but also a practitioner. At the same time he is a born pedagogue, someone with untold love for the children.
For his lasting and fruitful wirk, Kosta Hadzi Antonovski has been awarded with great number of domestic and international appreciation. He is a winner of the Ministry of Education of R. Macedonia "St.Climent award", twice he is awarded by the highest recognition of the city of Bitola, the award of "4th of November" (once for the art education and the second time for a life achivment award). For his exceptional training work he has been procalimed as a "distinguished pedagogue of Yugoslavia"…He was granted with the highest recognition - Medal of Honor of the City of Paris (France) as well as the award of the Festival Montmartre of Europe - Paris for the great contribution given by The Small Monmartre of Bitola for the multimedia festival Montmartre of Europe held in Paris. Order of Republic of France for culture,Nehru Award for culture and award by Television “Orbis” - Bitola for lifetime achievment.
For the restless art pedagogue - educator Kosta Hadzi Antonovski it is of great success that "The Small Montmartre of Bitola" exists for 30 years.
THE MAGIC CALLED THE SMALL MONMARTRE OF BITOLA
This year Bitola - the city of councils with pride and dignity will mark a very important event from its cultural history and that is the 30 Anniversary of The Small Montmartre of Bitola, which manifestation affirmate this city of the foothill of Pelister and Republic of Macedonia world wide.
Jubilees are a good occasion to resume the achievements of the celebrant. Our celebrant - The Small Montmartre of Bitola during the last three decades achieved so many results. Those results encounter this Bitola's manifestation among the most famous children art festivals not only in Macedonia but worldwide. Numbers will be the best confirmation of that.
And those numbers speaks about the interest, which is greater from year to year. On the first art colony only five teams with twenty kinds took participation, while later more than thirty teams took participation regularly, and there were more than 150 pupils, art pedagogues and other guests.
The organizers of Bitola' manifestation Children Art Studio St. Cyril and Methodi - Bitola, thanks to The Small Montmartre of Bitola gain the priceless art fortune with more than 500 000 beautiful children art work made from the children all over Europe and world wide. Such fortune could only be seen at the most famous galleries like Louvre in Paris, Hermitage in Sankt Petersburg, Prado from Madrid.
Those 30 years existence of The Small Montmartre of Bitola shows that the manifestation is accepted from the entire world: accepted by the art talents and art pedagogues from Australia, China, Iran, Russian Federation, South and North America, from the majority of the European Union countries. Thus, there is one question that intrudes allover: what is the matter that attracts the children and art pedagogues so much so they come every year with such love to Bitola, they travel thousands kilometers by plains, trains, jeeps and even taxi. The current practice shows that Bitola's Montmartre is an inexplicable phenomenon. Why is it so nobody knows yet? It is only known that the magic called The Small Montmartre of Bitola will go on.
The Small Montmartre of Bitola is a true festive of colors, art panels and paintbrushes, world youth.. Bitola's manifestation will remain to be the world art workshop, which participants, besides the creating of art masterpieces in all art techniques, create their own world of friendships announcing the messages of peace worldwide.