On 31 March, Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana hosted the 14th Cultural Bazaar, i.e. the largest professional training in the field of cultural and artistic education in Slovenia. The Ministry of Culture, MESS and the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Education, in cooperation with partners, prepared a rich and varied one-day programme. This year’s red thread was Culture and the arts/well-being of society and the individual. In addition, a special interdepartmental content set was dedicated to culture and well-being in rural areas.
Surprisingly, the Cultural Bazaar 2022 was opened by a natural scientist, Prof Dr Zvezdan Pirtošek, Head of the Department of Neurology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, with its plenary lecture Art as an Intertwining of Senses, Thoughts, Movement and Emotions: Neurobiological Pathways to the Well-Being of Human and Society. He proved that cooperation between science and art is now not only possible but essential. They even intertwine so profoundly that we can no longer speak of the two parallel cultures that Charles Percy Snow wrote about seventy years ago in his famous essay The Two Cultures. People need culture and art more than ever in challenging times like war and pandemics. We look for them because we intuitively feel that the changes they cause lead to well-being and health. Music, artistic creation, enjoying the culture, visiting a gallery, etc., build our brains the way we want them to. Thus, art comforts and heals us. Although it seems inaccessible in its shell – the skull, the brain can quickly synchronise with others in collaborative activities. Colloquially, we say we are ‘on the same wavelength’ with someone. Scientists have found that mirror neurons allow us to connect with other people, and art is a particularly powerful synchroniser. The entire lecture was broadcast live by the ARS programme and is available on their YouTube channel (in Slovenian).

The market of cultural goods offered more than 40 events of various types, from lectures, film screenings, performances and presentations to round tables, talks, workshops and guided tours. From a diverse range of content, participants were able to design a programme according to their needs and desires. The entire event was also enriched by the Bazaar Hip Route, which connected the exhibition areas of cultural institutions. In the Grand Reception Hall, all cultural and artistic education areas were shown, while the First Foyer hosted culture and art in connection with other areas. The presence of numerous individuals and groups striving to improve, enhance and enrich our lives raises hopes for the future.

The SIAE also participated in the market of cultural goods. Alenka Štrukelj presented to the participants interested in online arts and cultural education the web portal for family literacy (in Slovenian), which contains the most diverse information on promoting reading literacy and reading culture among all family members from birth. On the National Month of Joint Reading website, a rich selection of reading and book-related events in Slovenia, abroad or in foreign countries is available.

Dr Tina Kompare Jampani (tina.kompare.jampani@acs.si) and Alenka Štrukelj (alenka.strukelj@acs.si), ACS

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ISSN 2630-2926

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Published by Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE), Šmartinska 134a, SI-1000 Ljubljana | Editor-in-chief: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (E: zvonka.pangerc@acs.si) | Editor: Ana Peklenik (E: ana.peklenik@acs.si) | Other members of the editorial board: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, dr Nataša Potočnik, Directress of SIAE, dr Tanja Možina, Tanja Vilič Klenovšek, MSc and dr Tanja Rupnik Vec | Computer solution: Franci Lajovic (T: 01 5842 555, E: franci.lajovic@acs.si) | Translation/proofreading: Mesto znanja, izobraževanje in svetovanje za osebno rast, Petra Cvek, s. p.  | Design: Larisa Hercog | Corrective reading: Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc, and Mateja Pečar | W: https://enovicke.acs.si/en/home/