OPEN-AIR ART GALLERY

WHAT CAN YOU SEE DURING A VISIT TO OPEN-AIR GALLERY?

The gallery is located around the old building housing the Folk High School of Artistic Crafts. It is here that artists associated with the School create unusual and intriguing sculptures during workshops and open-air artistic events. Walking through the gallery, you will come across many fascinating figures and representations.

One of the most exciting sculptures is a wooden instrument on which visitors can play various tunes. In the gallery, you can also meet a fisherman, with a fishing rod and a goldfish, watching over the river. There are many other interesting figures, such as a scarecrow pointing the way to travellers who got lost, or a wooden postman with a pocket full of newspapers, which local people can borrow and read. Within this picturesque landscape, you can also encounter mysterious birds, musicians and dwarves, all of these contributing to the attractiveness of this place.

However, the most impressive installation in the Gallery, entitled Exodus, is a procession of 140 wooden figures. This monumental sculpture refers to the relocation of the Ruthenian people from Wola Sękowa and sends a strong message about the past and history of the place. In the gallery you can also see many sculptures inspired by Tadeusz Kantor's theatre, as well as artistic forms in stone and wood, such as the 'Odyssey of Sisyphus'.

The Open-Air Art Gallery in Wola Sękowa also hosts meetings of artists from various countries during events called International Artistic Action. Together they create works enriching the gallery and building room for intercultural dialogue. On display in the Gallery are also works created by the students doing the two- year course at the School. These are for instance goldenrod-stained lace in the branches of an old apple tree, ceramic hens as well as sundials.

The Open-Air Art Gallery in Wola Sękowa is not only about the sculptures and works of art, but also about the nearby natural environment providing a lovely backdrop to art. In the green nooks and crannies, you find quiet spots for meditation with "wicker spindles of time', where you can feel the place pulsating with art and nature.

The Gallery has inevitably become a tourist attraction in the village in which you can also see lovely scenery, historical shrines, a hill once occupied by a tserkva with a preserved bell tower, as well as a cemetery from the time before World War I, and a monument commemorating Adam Didur who was born here. With its idyllic atmosphere, tranquillity, hospitable local people, as well as the Manor House in Wola Sękowa and many agritourist farms, this is a excellent place for unforgettable holidays.

Make sure you visit the Open-Air Art Gallery in Wola Sękowa, where art meets nature, creating a magical and inspiring place, enchanting for its uniqueness and beauty.

PLACES WORTH VISITING IN THE VICINITY OF THE FOLK HIGH SCHOOL OF ARTISTIC CRAFTS?

Glass Heritage Centre in Krosno

Podkarpackie Museum in Krosno

Museum of Crafts in Krosno

Prządki Rock Reserve

Kamieniec Castle in Korczyna-Odrzykoń

Museum of Oil and Gas Industry in Bóbrka

• Wola Sękowa Manor House – a guesthouse situated within the historical manorial estate once owned by the Wiktor family; during the interwar period the place was visited by Jan Kiepura, Mieczysław Fogg, Wiktoria Calma and obviously Adam Didur. The current owners have partly rebuilt the stable and the annex building, and they take good care of the historical manorial park with numerous old trees. Along the road, near the manor house the guests are greeted by Adam Didur depicted on the mural painted by Arkadiusz Andrejkow on the bus stop in Nadolany.
• Murals by Arkadiusz Andrejkow entitled Silent Memorial,
• Ruins of the Greek-Catholic tserkva of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Nagórzany,
• Ruins of the Greek Catholic tserkva in Płonna, with reconstructed belfry and reproductions of the preserved icons

Photo: archive of the Folk High School of Artistic in Wola Sękowa