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.
HOW BITOLA'S MONTMARTRE WAS BORN
The very idea came spontaneously, in the far 1982 in Zagreb (Croatia) during the friendly chat with one of the editors of Zagreb kids magazine named Modra Lasta and few art pedagogues of former Yugoslavia.
Namely, in 1982 members of the Children Art Studio - Bitola were granted the first prize of the state competition entitled as "The world around us" announced by the magazine "Modra Lasta". The manager of the Studio Kosta Hadzi Antonovski attended to this celebration, along with the awarded participant. He made some meetings in Zagreb with distinguished art pedagogues from allover Yugoslavia presenting the idea to organize art-painting children manifestation in Bitola. His idea was accepted with exaltation by the art pedagogues with a promise that it will be of great pleasure for them to take participation. Encouraged by this support Hadzi Antonovski began with preparations about the organizing of the new art manifestation in Bitola immediately after his arrival from Zagreb.
The first art manifestation "Bitola" was held in 24th and 25th of May 1982 on the occasion of the festive day of Slavs educators Cyril and Methodi. On the first Art Colony "Bitola82" forty pupil took participation and 5 art pedagogues from Pag and Vinkovci (Croatia), Prilep, Makedonski Brod and Bitola (Macedonia). The participants of this colony created two days in front of the Culture Hall in Bitola, on their own theme choice.
Next year at the colony "Bitola 83", the festival "The Small Montmartre of Bitola" gain the current physiognomy. On the second colony participants from 8 Yugoslavian cities took participation, upon the selection and invitation of the Studio. They brought to Bitola their own collections of their art works and the first children art exhibition named as "Bitola" was promoted. Each school-participant on this colony was presented by their collection of 10 paintings, and those 100 paintings were exposed at the Art Gallery in Bitola. This exhibition actually meant the very beginning of the foundation of the International exhibition "Bitola", which by its magnificence opened the new page of the Guinness book of records.
The third Art Colony "Bitola 84" will be remembered in the annals of Bitola's Monmartre by the announcement of the art competition (state competition at that time which now became international) for participation on Bitola's colony and by the fact that works of art were selected by the expert jury consist of eminent art pedagogues, artists and society-political workers. Since this year the manifestation was named "The Small Montmartre of Bitola"
At the colony "Bitola 84" another novelty was promoted, which lasts till nowadays the organizing of the art caravans. The first such caravan took place in village of Bukovo near Bitola.
Since 1992 Bitola's colony gain international character, with participation from young art talents from Europe and around the world.
Until the present days "The Small Montmartre of Bitola" accommodated art talents from many countries from Europe and world wide: Argentina, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, France, Serbia and Montenegro, Australia, India, China, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Netherland, Belarus, Moldavia, Republic of China-Taiwan, Turkey, Iran, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Austria, Indonesia, Ermenia, Hungary, Lebanon, Malesia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Albania, Belgium, Cyprus, Macedonia…
There are quite lot possibilities at this year jubilee manifestation "The small Montmartre of Bitola" the number of participants to be remarkable increased.