American Artist Earns Polish Accolades

     The first foreigner to enter a szopka in the annual competition, Dave earned an “Honorable Mention for Artistic Merit” in the category Medium-Sized Szopki.

The Award was presented to Dave on December 10 by Michal Niezabytowski, Executive Director of the City of Cracow History Museum, at the annual Szopka Awards Ceremony in the Krzystofory Palace on Cracow‘s historic Rynek (market square).  http://www.cracow.name/krzysztofory.php

 

In addition to this special presentation, Dave was awarded a prize of 1,400 Polish zloty (approx. $500) for his entry. 

   Artist Dave Motak with his award winning entry in the 68th Annual Szopka Competition in Cracow, Poland on December 2, 2010.

  A folk craft with roots in the Middle Ages, when they originated as puppet theaters in the churches of Cracow, Poland, the szopka (“shop-kah”) or Cracow crèche, is an art form that transforms ordinary materials such as wood, cardboard, foiled paper and ribbon into ornate miniature architectural constructions.  Dave entered his szopka, entitled “From Pittsburgh to Cracow,” as a tribute to his many szopka students.  Since Dave began his szopka art education project in 2003, nearly 800 children, adults and families have taken his szopka building workshops around the United States.  In lieu of the traditional “lalki” or dolls that are part of a traditional szopka, Dave featured images of many of his students in his prize-winning construction. Each of these American szopka makers are featured holding the szopka that they made at Dave’s Cracow Creche Workshop classes. 

  The prize-winning szopka, which measured over 40 inches tall and lighted with European 220 volt electrical bulbs, was topped by a traditional Polish eagle, flanked with Polish and American flags, as well as hand-crafted coats of arms of Cracow and Pittsburgh.  Dave notes that the first American entry was very popular with the Cracovians and was a big hit during the annual Szopka Parade on Cracow‘s Market Square.  The Pittsburgh entry was covered on Cracow radio and was also featured in the local print media.

 Dave notes that getting the szopka to Cracow was quite tricky, as he had to build the fragile pieces in sections to be packed in two suitcases which were shipped as checked luggage.  He then assembled the sections and installed the lighiting in Cracow the night before the competition.  “Shipping the szopka was a nail-biting proposition, and locating the European lights was quite a task, ” Dave notes.  “Getting the szopka back from Poland will be the next challenge!”   Dave’s piece will be on exhibit at the Cracow History Museum until the end of February.  Dave also serves as Director of Communications for the Polish Falcons of America, headquarterd in Pittsburgh, PA.  

For further images and information, you can visit Dave’s web site at www.cracowcrafts.com.

 

The Cracow Creche Workshop is an educational endeavor dedicated to promoting the creation and appreciation of the Cracow Szopka or Cracow Creche, an art form dating back several hundreds of years.  For further information visit the project web site at www.cracowcrafts.com