Ex-libris in Slovene Primary Schools

Abstract

The development of ex-libris prints as well as their functional and collective value have gradually left their mark on the primary school’s educational programme. Children’s ex-libris is deeply rooted in Slovenia. Till 2011, more than ten exhibitions of these small prints were organized in Slovenia. The year 1993 represents a milestone; the exhibition held at the Komenda – Moste Primary School that year was the first independent one in Slovenia and the first one organized at an international level. The Žalec Primary School still organizes graphic biennales, and thus the tradition of creating graphic sheets within art education in Slovene schools is preserved. In the primary school curriculum, printmaking is present in all the grades, from grade 1 to grade 9, while ex-libris is introduced in the last grade. Ex-libris enables a child to express his idea of himself through the language of fine arts; the artistic motif of ex-libris is the child’s personal mark, adjusted to the printmaking technique. The making of ex-libris requires a lot of specific knowledge that is passed down to the child by the art teacher, and the results depend on the endeavours of both – the pupil and his mentor.