IN CASE IF ONLY ONE THING IS MISSING – NOTHING EXISTS! - PLATON
IN CASE IF "THE SMALL MONTMARTRE OF BITOLA" WAS MISSING, THE MACEDONIAN CULTURE WOULD BE VERY POOR.
THE EYE IS A GUARDIAN OF THE BODY, THE EYE LAST GO TO SLEEP. IT’S OPEN ONLY WHEN OTHERS ORGANS ARE CLOSED.
THE TEAR IS ANOTHER THING, SHE ABANDON THE BODY, BUT THE EYE NEVER.MY EYE WANTS TO SEE "THE SMALL MONTMARTRE OF BITOLA" ALWAYS IN JOY AND FOLLOWING SUCCESSES!
POPOVSKI ALEK
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.