Even though both gallery buildings have been closed since June this year due to renovation, we wanted to make the day camp happen. Already last year, we asked the parents if they would be interested in a slightly different, field trip format of the camp. When we sent them an offer in January of this year, the spots filled up immediately. This made us happy, but at the same time we knew that the program had to be prepared very carefully.

For each day, we wanted to prepare a trip with a visit to a cultural institution and thematic worksheets with quizzes. So first I approached my colleagues from various related institutions to see if they would agree and prepare an educational program for us. I was very pleased that their reaction was positive in most cases. We discussed the camp dates, only Mondays, when museums and galleries are closed, were unoccupied for a long time. On Tuesday, when we had a planned trip to Prague, my former colleague from the National Museum, Kačka Musílková, arranged for us to we visit the Ethnographic Museum and at the same time we took advantage of the peaceful surroundings of Kinský Garden. The afternoon was followed by the visti at The Museum of Decorative Arts, where another colleague, Kristýna Juríková, took care of us. I met her two years ago, when she approached our gallery for the needs of her diploma thesis. On Wednesday, Evka Novotná, an educator from the Třebíč museum, prepared an experience program for us. On Thursday afternoon, my sister Zuzka Demlová, who heads the education department at the castle in Žďár nad Sázavou, showed us around. Jana Jarošová, who was preparing the whole camp with me, thought of visiting the Petrkov castle. Lucie Tučková from the Museum of Czech Literature accommodated us both with the Monday date and with everything we needed. I realized how great it is to keep in touch with my fellow educators. I thank all of them very much for the willingness and care they gave to us and the children. We really appreciate it!

So we had the places and dates set up. Even though I know all the institutions, I wasn't sure how to get to them within the city and public transport. I usually visit them by car. That's why I agreed with Jana that we will go through the routes and test public transport. In addition, I was preparing a picture map of places for the children, so Jana took pictures and also kept track of the times. This is how we went through Třebíč and Žďár. We immediately arranged lunches on the spot, found out where the toilets were, options for a snack and ice cream. Our fellow curator Jana Bojanovská went to Petrkov with us. Her task was to bring us lunch here during the camp. She also helped us find and walk the educational trail from Petrkov to the train station in Havlíčkův Brod. It was here that we thought of purchasing insect and tick repellants for the camp, which we ended up using. Our journeys were not only creative, but also very beneficial from a practical point of view. After returning from my travels, I started working on worksheets. For the children, we had a folder with envelopes and different tasks for each day. Both my colleagues willingly read and commented on the texts. So we were ready for trips to individual places.

Nevertheless, we wanted to have a space in which we could get to know the children on Monday and finish the camp on Friday. So we approached colleagues from the Center for Documentary Film (CDF), to whom we regularly made available the gallery building on Masaryk Square during their camps. This year we switched roles. Since the spring of this year, they have moved to the new premises of Silver House at the Masaryk square, so we asked them for cooperation. They willingly accommodated us and for that we thank them!

And how the whole camp turned out in the end, you can read HERE.

Pavlína Pitrová, August 2024