The previous meeting was held in Jihlava in March 2020, and immediately after it the covid lockdown began. Fortunately, we only remember the unhappy time of the coronavirus with relief now.
We were very happy that over thirty colleagues from various institutions of our republic participated in this year's meeting. We learned that some came also thanks to the interesting program we prepared for them. On Wednesday morning, we met in the gallery in Komenského street, where small refreshments were prepared. At 11 a.m., a bus was waiting for us, with which we set off towards Svatý Kříž, Petrkov and Humpolec. The first stop was at the cemetery near the grave of the artist Bohuslav Reynek's family. At the same time, we saw the picturesque village square of Svatý Kříž with the church, which the Reynek family regularly visited. From there it was only a short distance to the castle in Petrkov, where the family lived until recently. Today, the farmhouse is managed by the National Literature Museum, which makes it possible to view the entire building with the garden. Our guide was the wonderful Hanka Nováková, the former director of the gallery in Havlíčkův Brod, who, after watching the documentary Petrkov 13, told us the story of Bohuslav Reynek and his wife Suzanne Renaud in a very engaging and insightful way. The tour of the house, and especially the garden, left a deep impression on most of the participants. From Petrkov we went to Humpolec, where we had lunch in the Visitor Center of the Bernard Family Brewery. The building, which was awarded the Building of the Year award in Vysočina region and is now also nominated for the best Building of the year 2023, pleasantly surprised us. After an excellent lunch, we set off towards the 8smička art zone. Here we had an arranged guided tour of the exhibition Nothing is a Problem and also the Collector's Apartment. From Humpolec, we took the bus back to Jihlava, where most of our colleagues booked in hotels. We ended the evening with an informal meeting in a restaurant. The great weather we were blessed with certainly enhanced the experience of all the trips and tours on the first day of the meeting.
The next day we met at the gallery building on Masaryk Square, where the chamber‘s meeting began. President Lucie Haškovcová informed us about the current situation regarding revisions of the RVP of basic education. We also discussed how we could continue to educate and advance as educators. Subsequently, there was a presentation of the Art Stops project, which we took place in the gallery last school year. We are glad that it was a success with colleagues and it seems that it inspired them to further activities. After the presentation, colleagues viewed the exhibition Under the winter sun of the south and we went to lunch. Some said goodbye to us before that, others left right after lunch. For those who had time, we offered a tour of the roofs of St. James's Church. That was the end of our meeting.
Many thanks to everyone who took the time to come to Jihlava!
Pavlína Pitrová, September 2023
