Non-formal education encompasses various forms of acquiring additional knowledge, competencies, and experiences, characterized by its voluntary nature and less structured frame compared to formal educational programmes. It takes place outside formal learning frameworks and often focuses on specific areas of knowledge. Participants are usually highly internally motivated and actively engage in the learning process. The most common form of non-formal education is adult education, while for children and adolescents, it often manifests through leisure activities reflecting individual interests.
Despite having some common characteristics, formal and non-formal education also have significant differences. Both processes aim at acquiring knowledge; however, formal education always provides recognition and certificates validating the acquired education, while non-formal education does not provide such certificates or they are less standardized, but never equivalent to formal ones. While formal education is mandatory at the primary school level, non-formal education is entirely voluntary.
Formal art education typically features a highly structured curriculum covering a wide range of topics, including art theory as well as practical aspects across various artistic domains, utilizing various materials and techniques. Conversely, non-formal art courses and workshops offer more flexibility in their programmes, tailoring their offerings based on demand and participants' preferences. The range of offerings varies from narrowly focused workshops/courses to more general courses where the program heavily adapts to the participants' interests.
In the academic years 2023/2024, we visited four art courses offered by private providers in Ljubljana and observed their activities. We were interested in their methods of work, diversity of art techniques and materials, and the breadth of offerings. Before the visits, we also reviewed and compared the programmes of the selected courses.
We found that the courses initially appear very similar to each other, often offering classical art techniques and materials, reflecting the demand, which suggests the interest of adolescents in art; mostly desiring drawing and painting from observation (photographs), which is driven by the desire for the ability to "draw beautifully." It is important to emphasize that there is no objective definition of beauty in art.
None of the selected providers offer theoretical art knowledge. Additionally, upon a broader review of the course and workshop offerings in Ljubljana, we noticed that institutions and organizations funded by the state or municipality offer greater program and technique diversity. These providers also more frequently organize shorter workshops or courses, intended for occasional entertainment, while longer-lasting courses provide participants with additional social environments where they can express themselves, develop, and acquire socially significant competencies, which they might not obtain in other environments.
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