Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Charlie Dewulf, ambassador for the Day of the Academies, credits part-time art school in Menen for fostering creative freedom. The event, involving 165 academies and 200,000 students, promotes artistic exploration through 25 challenges.
Charlie Dewulf is the ambassador for the Day of the Academies. He wants to promote creative freedom for students and teachers. He encourages them to try new things and be playful with their art. To inspire this, he proposed 25 creative challenges for the academies.
Some tasks involve making art at high places in the city. Others include a 24-hour art marathon. Some projects connect with the community, like giving handmade art to local people. Some challenges involve big events, like parades, where many students join together to perform. Dewulf believes art should be interactive and accessible to everyone, not just done in classrooms.
How do art academies in Flanders and Brussels inspire creativity?
According to Dewulf, the Day of the Academies is an important event that celebrates part-time art education in Flanders and Brussels. This year, it focuses on the theme of “play.” 2 main groups organize the event.
DenkBeeld supports visual arts like painting and photography. VerDi promotes music, dance, and spoken word. He mentioned that together, they help schools and students. About 165 academies and over 200,000 students are joining this year.
According to Charlie Dewulf, the academy helped him to be free to rebel and create. He attended a part-time art school in Menen. There, students are encouraged to question rules and think differently. For Dewulf, this was a chance to express himself and break away from strict expectations.
He mentioned that in regular schools, creativity is often less important than following rules. But in art academies, being different is welcomed and supported. This freedom helped Dewulf grow as a person and as a filmmaker. His later work often explores themes like identity and social norms. He said that this early support for challenging the norm shaped his storytelling and artistic vision.
According to officials, art schools teach important skills and provide mentorship. They also create a space where failing is part of learning. They mentioned that this mix of freedom and structure allowed Dewulf to try new things without fear.
“The academy gave me the freedom to rebel as well as to create,”
Dewulf stressed.
“Without that space to think differently, I would never have become a director. The academy gave me the freedom to rebel as well as to create”
