Feeding the Flame : Wonder and Joy in the Caucasus : Art Villa Garikula
|
|
Art makes life worth living. It is at the core of living. It is at the core of learning. Art is the spark that brings the mind aflame with wonder and joy. It is that moment when the personal world interacts with the tangible world. It is the time when words and images come alive as never before. Up to that time of flame, reading, seeing, learning is just a chore which must be endured toward adulthood. After that time, the fuel for the flame is words, images, ideas, and magic. An art center or art museum or art complex is one place where the flame is fanned and cherished. Every city, every human being needs such a place. We believe that place in the Caucasus region is Art Villa Garikula, working in collaboration with other places of wonder and kindred dream spinners. Art Villa is the center for the flame, the imagination, and it helps children and adults find their own center. “Art is important!” Art is critical to a full life. It is the one ingredient which makes all learning a bonfire, a celebration of joy. It is the beginning of learning, the tool on the pathway toward wisdom, and the destination of sensual information (creating a personal and universal vision from the stuff of life). As Picasso said, “Anyone can take a sunset and make it yellow. It takes an artist to take yellow and create a sunset.” Art Villa Garikula takes the vision of a center for new ideas in Georgia and fans the collective creative imagination of many artists so that the glow reaches out to all the world. IMAGINE. The year is 2020. ART VILLA has been in existence for twenty years as a new center for contemporary art. Karaman Kutateladze, the founder of this special place, stands on the porch of the renovated home of past royalty, looking out over the picturesque, quiet, and beautiful valley of Garikula. The image is calming but there is always an inner excitement when a new workshop of artists and students is starting. He knows with pride that it was his visionary insight that led some artists and social activists to re-establish Georgia’s rightful place in the history of art by creating Art Villa Garikula. Now, looking out at the river in the distance and the rounded shapes of the comforting mountains around the valley, he thinks back on the journey that led to this point in time. It has been a journey hand in hand with fellow dreamers and artists. No longer must he struggle to find money to make this new Bauhaus a reality and sell it as the place for new ideas and new forms of expression. Today, it is known far and wide as an artistic force in the Caucasus region and beyond. Karaman smiles to himself, waiting for the bus which brings artists for a celebration workshop in painting, sculpture and poetry. Looking at the feminine curve of one mountain, he knows that Art Villa stands upon the shoulders of others. It is now established upon a solid foundation built from dynamic, Georgian, modern art pathfinders like the visionary artist, David Kakabadze, and his poet friend, Ilia Zdanevitch. Zdanevitch was Karaman’s uncle who created his own center for ideas in Paris. Picasso, and many other artists, knew him as ILIAZD. This connection with Paris was used to recruit French artists to come to Garikula. Walking back to the balcony, Karaman searches the outlines of the newly-built school, art studios and architectural complex. Closing his eyes, he sees fragments of twenty years of exhibitions in the galleries, library, museum, movie theater and the conference hall. Beyond that planned complex is the hotel for tourists and a magnificent view of the natural world that bathes this valley in the glow of creative light. For centuries, this village has been the home of artist/craftsmen. Accompanying the new resident artists on the bus are the members of Art Villa’s international advisory board from America, France, Germany, Russia and Italy. The bus arrives over the paved road. Karaman walks through a garland of trees to greet his friends. Already a welcoming band of students gather round the visitors. Another day of creativity and ideas is opening at Art Villa. Symbolically, one older student runs to meet the bus, holding the hand of his young son. The smile grows on Karaman’s face. This scene happens each workshop and will be repeated many times in the future. Art Villa Garikula is a dream in motion. The greeting from Karaman to his guests is one word: “IMAGINE!” Written by Joe Kagle, Member of Art Villa Garikula Advisory Board, USA |
|
Website created by Skillcraft Custom Design |