Students of the MYP2 class in Matija Gubec International School took part in the 29th Croatian Children’s Festival, held on 23 November 2025 at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. The festival was organised by the Croatian Children’s Festival Association and the Arija Music Association, under the patronage of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the Education and Teacher Training Agency, and the City of Zagreb.

Our school’s participation came as a result of a direct invitation from the festival’s art editor, Dr. Art. Ivona Biočić Mandić, who selected distinguished Visual Arts mentors from across Croatia for this year’s edition.

Representatives of Matija Gubec International School

The following students were selected for this year’s festival:

• Lyra Jurić, Too Much, MYP2
• Viktoria Muftić, Some Sea, MYP2
• Marko Tomislav Božić, No Name, MYP2
• Zofia Polańska, Moonlight, MYP2
• Nidhi Elise Booth, Drowning, MYP2

“Visual–Tactile” Exhibition

The festival’s musical and language programme was enriched by the “Visual–Tactile” exhibition. Mentors and students were presented with an artistic challenge: to develop interaction with the audience through visual–tactile artworks. They were given complete freedom in choosing themes, techniques, and artistic approaches.

Under the mentorship of teacher Ivana Devernay Cimić, students created visual–tactile artworks using mixed media aligned with the abstract art style of Art Informel. MYP2 students expressed their current emotions and inner states by creating diverse and rich painterly textures designed for exploration and experience by blind and visually impaired individuals.

The exhibition is inclusive in nature and involves children with different types of difficulties, particularly those with visual impairments. Students received certificates of participation, and their works—together with other selected works from across Croatia—will become part of the permanent collection of the “Branko Ružić” School Gallery at the Centre for Education and Rehabilitation Goljak.

This type of work is fully aligned with the humanitarian and inclusive mission of the 29th Croatian Children’s Festival (HDF), which emphasises the importance of tactile experience and raising awareness for children with visual impairments, while still maintaining the essential visual dimension. It was an honour for the mentor and students to contribute to the development of visual culture and inclusive art through their creative efforts.

Festival’s Official Page

Festival Program