The Student Chamber of the Academic Senate of the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) believes that it is important to offer some facts in response to certain points in the petition calling for the restructuring of the Academy and the dismissal of its rector, Ing. arch. Marie Topolčanské PhD. We do not agree with the content of the petition or with the request that the rector resign. The petition contains disinformation regarding what goes on inside the art school and sets out to damage the reputation of the school, its students and employees.

We have no desire to support the generational wars taking place globally. However, in a situation in which figures of the Czech art scene are actively destroying the legacy that they themselves built, we must stand up for our values and for those who help us cultivate them.

The diversity of teaching at AVU
In several places the petition speaks of pressure from the administration to force students into collective activism and ideological activities. As students we can confidently state that this is a lie. Students resort to collective activities purely of their own volition. From our perspective the diversity of teaching is inspiring. This is evident in the internal report entitled “AVU through the eyes of its students”, which AVU commissioned from a third party (Gov Lab), in order to improve the quality of teaching on offer. The final section of the report states the following: “Freedom is perceived as one of AVU’s strong points by everyone we spoke to.” “The students feel that they learn new skills because this a decision over which they have full control and for which they are responsible. Students quite clearly see that they have influence over the form, content and organisation of their tuition. Students have the space to pursue issues that fascinate them and see that initiative is rewarded rather than punished.”

By electing the trio Fesl-Velická-Ištok to lead the Sculpture 2 Studio, Mária Topolčanská has merely acted upon the recommendations of a properly constituted committee of experts. The selection procedure took place in full accordance with Section 70 and Section 77 of Act 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education and the valid rules of the selection procedure for filling faculty positions at AVU. To accuse the management of AVU of manipulating the selection procedure, without providing any evidence whatsoever, is merely another unfounded attack on the structure of the Academy. Our Academy has a well established internal system that can uphold justice in the event of serious misconduct on the part of the management or any other members of faculty.

Under the law, the final decision in the selection process for the management of a studio belongs to the Rector. The commission provides only an advisory voice. It follows that it is not a given that those whom the commission recommends will be selected. This is what happened in the case of Kateřina Olivová, who was selected by the former rector, Tomáš Vaňek.

The attack on Kateřina Olivová
We condemn outright the insults levelled against the head of the New Media 2 Studio, MgA. Kateřina Olivová PhD. We see them as an attack on the entire institution of performance arts.

The death of students
The exploitation of the tragic death of our classmate and his girlfriend, which affected the entire academic community deeply, is completely unacceptable. To base a fabricated argument on the death of a student is disgraceful and disgusting. We must refute the claim that this was a studio trip. The event took place outside of any possible responsibility of the academy.

We demand that this passage be removed from the petition and a written apology be sent from the authors of the petition to the survivors and the Academy.

The function and form of the AVU senate
The petition claims that “student members of the Senate have greater power than professors“, and that “very often, therefore, it is the case that not a single professor is elected to the Senate”. These statements are at odds with reality, with the democratic principles on which the school is based, and with Act 111/1998 Coll., on Higher Education, which states the following: “The Academic Senate of an institution of higher education is a self-governing representative academic body. It will have at least eleven members, of whom at least one third and no more than one half will be students.” At AVU the student/teacher ratio is 7/10.

Competition for a new management
The petition also calls for the announcement of a selection procedure for new management at AVU. However, apart from baseless attacks, the petition does not offer a single substantive reason why the current rector should resign from her position. As students we stand behind our rector.

We urge the art community and the general public not to allow themselves to be swayed by unfounded conclusions hastily arrived at and to check the accuracy of the information they have in their hands. We also appeal to the media, both public and private, to verify the claims made in the petition.

Student Chamber of the AVU Senate
Dorota Václavíková, Heřman Hůrka, Jiří Kaňák, Cyril Filcík, Hedvika Ocásková, Filip Brandejský, Adela Gertruda Kurešová

Statement of the Student Chamber of the Academic Senate