#MINITREMU

Educating the next generation

Most often, Music and Art are considered useless subjects, regardless of the changes that take place in the school curriculum. Many people do not understand how important it is to integrate arts in the life of a child or adolescent. They help expand a child’s ability to interact with the world around them and provide a new set of skills for self-expression and communication.

Gabriel Boldiș and Laura Borotea – the artistic duo Minitremu, have founded the Minitremu Association to help young people who want to develop through art. They combine pedagogy with art, their mission being to make art understood through direct experience, dialogue and reflection.

Laura Borotea is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Design Timișoara, an active member of the alternative art scene. In addition to being an artist, Laura is a curator and cultural manager, as well as a teacher at the Vocational High School of Art in Târgu Mureș. Gabriel Boldiș graduated from the University of Arts Târgu Mureș, the Audiovisual Communication – Multimedia Department.

Among the first Minitremu projects are Brâncuși de jucărie, miniature wooden replicas of the famous artworks The Infinity Column and the Table of Silence. They can be assembled and joined in different ways, like pieces of lego. This was followed by an Activities and colouring book with drawings made in collaboration with artist Dan Perjovschi. The book helps children understand forms of contemporary society at all levels: cultural, social and political. The role of the book is to familiarize younger audiences not only with art, but also with the society of which we are part.

The next step was to organise a summer camp for teenagers, dedicated to contemporary art. At its sixth edition, Minitremu Art Camp is the meeting place between artists and curators, who are invited to prepare workshops, and high school students. Among the guests are Alexandra Pirici, Anca Benera, Dan Perjovschi, Pavel Brăila, Manuel Pelmuș etc. Participants can express themselves freely and are encouraged to say what they think, without being judged. The camp is a safe space for teenagers, a place where the student-teacher hierarchy is replaced by communication between equal partners. At the same time, the camp provides a context in which young people can be free and creative, ask questions and open dialogues, look at things from new perspectives in an environment that supports the exchange of ideas.

Year after year, for a few days, the Minitremu Association and its guests play the role of a mentor for young people, filling some of the gaps left by the educational system.