Portrait of Art School: 20 Years of the Art School in Kraljevo 2004-2024

The idea of establishing the first high school of art in this part of Serbia appeared in parallel with the changed socio-political and cultural circumstances at the beginning of the 2000s. Through the efforts of individuals from the sphere of politics, education and culture who worked in support of the opening of a specialized pedagogical institution for education in the field of fine and applied arts, in In 2004, the Art School was opened in Kraljevo. After receiving the Founding Decision, the School started its work and was, next to Art School in Niš, the second institution of its kind south of Belgrade. As the first director, a distinguished fine artist, academic painter Velimir Zelenović, was appointed, who will continue to manage the institution very successfully for almost twenty years. The art school has managed to maintain a high educational level, to position itself as a prestigious institution, in which an increasing number of primary school students want to study, as well as, despite different social, political, economic and other circumstances, unhindered and without interrupts continued work for twenty years.

A lot of work, effort and enthusiasm of the employees, but also the support and understanding of the local government, cultural and public workers and fine artists were needed to realize the ambitious curricula of a high educational level. This time distance provides an opportunity to summarize the results achieved by the students of the school, for which, to a significant extent, the professors are responsible. Despite numerous challenges, they have been improving the work of the institution for years.