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.
SUMMER ART SCHOOL OF BITOLA'S MONTMARTRE
In 1989 another novelty was promoted at "The Small Montmartre of Bitola" the organizing of summer art schools for the young talented artists from Republic of Macedonia.
The first summer art school was organized at the end of the month of July 1989. The attendants of this school were children from Ratkovo, Stip and Bitola and they painted the magnificent fresco on the wall of the new elementary school "St. Clement Ohridski". The participants worked on this fresco for 15 days. But, they did not regret at all, because they left behind a magnificent art masterpiece that will be of great proud for next generations of pupils of "St. Clement Ohridski".
Summer art workshops were organized also in Struga, Oteshevo, Bitola, several times on Pelister. The attendants of those summer schools painted another fresco, which is painted on a wall of a store at the entry of the Old Bitola Bazaar, entitled as "Awakening".
In summer workshops organized on Pelister the attendants work on a traditional theme "The beauties of Pelister". They created more than 1000 paintings and the best of them are exhibited in the collection entitled as "Pelister rhapsody". The exhibitions of this collection arose a great interest and such exhibitions were organized in Skopje, Kochani, Ohrid, Resen…
Summer art workshops of "The Small Montmartre of Bitola" are e true art workshops on the open air. Here many talented artists enlarge their knowledge about the fine arts, today some of them are academic painters or a students of academies of fine art in the country and abroad.
That is the reason, which makes us believe that it is not so far the day when this Summer Art Workshop will grow into a small art academy.