During our first year, about 80 people have participated in the courses and individual classes offered by the Antidotum Workshop, which is located in Warsaw at ul. Narbutta 27/11. Among the students and graduates of the Workshop's courses are members of many various trades (sometimes ones that are far from the so-called artistic professions), the age of participants of our contests is also very varied - the oldest student of our hobby workshops decided to start creating jewellery when she was almost 70 years old. For neither one's age nor profession is important - passion and an urge to create are the only criteria which decide about becoming a part of the Antidotum "circle of creators".
Most of our courses are attended by women, for whom the possibility to expand their creative talents is worth it to overlook the difficulties of hard, physical, not always "clean" work. The students are also mostly residents of the capital or its surrounding towns, but quite a lot of them come up for the classes from other Polish cities. For them, we have created a possibility of studies in an individual mode, which allows for the intensity of studies to be adjusted to their time capabilities. The "record distance" was beaten by one of the participants of our individual studies who came all the way from... Tanzania. Among our students are also representatives of other nationalities, who are simultaneously perfecting their knowledge of the Polish language.

Despite of the diversity which we have mentioned above, people in groups during courses quickly become accustomed to one another, there is a relaxed and really friendly atmosphere in the workshops. Each of the participants can count on individual treatment, kindness and help, for the teachers as well as from the colleagues for the group. Besides exhausting exercises there is also room for conversation, laughter and jokes.

Foremost, the greatest achievement of the school are its students. During the school year 2006/2007, Antidotum Workshop presented their work during the "Złoto, Srebro, Czas" fair in Warsaw (October 2006) and "Amberif" in Gdańsk (March 2007). For young apprentices of the goldsmith craft it is practically the only possibility and a great chance to present their products to a wide public and to subject it to an evaluation of experts - jewellers and goldsmiths with many years of experience.

Another form of presenting student work is the internet - on our website we have collected a fair size photo album of work created as a part of the courses at the Antidotum Workshop. You can also see reports from lectures and meetings, which take place at our school (lectures from Piotr Małysz 09/2006; Jan Suchodolski 10/2006; Robert Szklarski 12/2006; Paulina Niezgoda 01/2007; Alina Tyro-Niezgoda and Grażyna Tomaszewska-Trusz; Paweł Niezgoda 06/2007; lectures from the professional group; a meeting with Elżbieta kochanek van Dijk), as well as outside event - fairs, exhibitions, and trips. There are also press publications about the school and people connected to it and information about their professional achievements ("Polska Biżuteria" website 06/2006; Prezentacje 2006 contest; "Być kobietą" website 12/2006; Elektronos contest 2007; "Moda i Uroda" website 04/2007; "Top Class" periodical; "Polska biżuteria" website, June 2007).

The internet has also been used as a tool in an audience vote for the best design in a contest created for the participants of the courses (contest works, contest results, award ceremony).

Few of the Workshop's students decided to take part in more ambitious "combats" - "Junge Cellini 2007" contest, organized by the German Federal Jewellery and Goldsmith Association at the MIDORA fair in Leipzig for persons studying to acquire the knowledge necessary to work as a jeweller.

The best works from the Antidotum Workshop students, created during the school year, were presented at an art opening which took place on June 28 th 2007 in Cafe Karma, at the pl. Zbawiciela in Warsaw. Alongside, there was an exhibition of photographs of selected works (photographs by Roman Kowalkowski).

Participants of the courses and teachers from the Workshop were present at the opening, as well as representatives of the media and opinion-forming circles.

The new school year started in a rebuilt interior of the workshop, which can now fit more workstations. Over 60 students started their studies for the 2007/2008 school year during the first week of September, which included a larger number of men this time. During the year, over 110 persons studied at the Workshop, taking advantage of various forms of studies (group and individual), several of our students were able to learn with us thanks to the co-financing from the Employment Office. Altogether, 70 people received diplomas for completing their courses.

In the middle of September, an inaugural lecture took place, lead by Jarosław Westermark, and the following lectures were lead by: Piotr Małysz, Robert Szklarski and Paweł Niezgoda from the advertising agency Testaro Red Cell, Jan Suchodolski and the professional course students, who presents lectures on the subject of, among others, modern Polish goldsmiths. The school year's series of lectures ended with a presentation of Art Clay techniques by Karolina Zarzycka from PlantArt.

In October 2007, we have participated in the "Złoto, Srebro, Czas" fair in Warsaw, five of our students (Anna Horsecka, Anna Zacheja, Małgorzata Bogucka, Małgorzata Podleśna-Zdunek and Edyta Tokaj) presented their works as a part of the prestigious campaign "Debiuty", under the auspices of the Association of Goldsmith Forms Creators. Their exhibition turned out to be a huge success. In November 2007, "Srebro+" exhibition took place, students and teachers from the Antidotum Workshop participated, and in March 2008 we were present at the "Amberif" fair in Gdańsk.

Our students started in a renown contest "Brylant/brylART", organised by the YES Gallery (Małgorzata Podleśnia-Zdunek qualified to the contest's final), in Elektronos 2008 contest, related with the "Amberif" fair, as well as a interior contest of the Antidotum Workshop, which this year was called "Ze srebrem - Na palec" (contest works, contest results, award ceremony). Our teachers successfully participated in various contests (the Merkuriusz Gedaniensis Award for Jarek Westermark) and exhibitons.
We established cooperation with major trade publications, among others the monthly Polski Jubiler and Polska Biżuteria website. It resulted in many reports (PB 10/2007 1, 2; PJ 11/2007 1, 2, 3), few articles (PJ 12/2007; PJ 03/2008; PB 3/2008 catalogue) and a picture story series entitled "Opowieść o pierścionku", where, along with Polska Biżuteria journalists, we have presented the painstaking technological process which a piece of silver has to go through in order to transform into a functional form of a ring.

The culmination of the 2007/2008 school year was an exhibition of the works of our students, "Antimateria", which was organized along with Apteka Sztuki at Al. Wyzwolenia, in Warsaw. The exhibition was planned for two full vacation months.
Video part 1 >>
Video part 2 >>

New academic year started in a brand new workshop situated on Willowa Street in Warsaw. Now there are over 80 students who have more workstations in different rooms suitable for different types of courses. The opening of the new workshop was enriched by the lecture of Jacek Byczewski . Other lectures conducted this year: "Photographing of Jewellery" (Remigiusz Grodzicki, who in 2009 joined the group of our teachers ), " Design" (Grazyna Tomaszewska-Trusz), an annual lecture on jewellery history (Robert Szklarski), on amber (Roman Kowalkowski) and 3D design (Tomasz Ogrodowski)
In October 2009 the School participated in "Złoto, Srebro, Czas" jewellery fair in Warsaw where we have promoted a new course of historical reconstructions, lectured by Robert Szklarski and Anna Zacheja - the creators of historical jewellery inspired by period of Middle Ages and Baroque .
As every year, some of our students have presented their work on Debiuty STFZ exhibition organized during "Złoto, Srebro, Czas" fair. Our appearance was marked as well on the occasion of the "Presentations" contest. In February 2010, we took part in Inhorgenta Fair in Munich , and in March in Amberif Fair in Gdańsk .
In October 2009 the School announced a new, nationwide competition for Metal Clay technique admirers: Play Metal Clay . The host of this year's Fresh Metal was an Italian school from Florence, Le Arti Orafe. The jury highly appreciated the works of our students and granted them high rewards. The competition works were exhibited in Warsaw and Florence, and now are presented at www. freshmetal .antidotum.pl . The theme for this year's edition was animals.
In June we've organized whole day demonstrations of different jewelery making techniques. The event, named ,,Warsztaty Niejadalne" took place in Centrum Cybernetyki in Warsaw.
Once again we've celebrated the end of the school year in Nieformalna gallery, where our students presented their works

In the new academic year, we introduced a new course available for all our students : a creative course, developing artistic imagination and feel for design .Th is course is led by Paulina Tyro-Niezgoda, a graduate of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. For our most talented students we created an opportunity to proof themselves on a difficult market of jewellery - we present and sell their works on the website gallery "Efekt Antidotum" (www.efekt.antidotum.pl). On facebook, we initiated a promotion : "Not advertis ing but a sincere desire can enable you to be a jeweller" which gives an opportunity for one most talented person to take courses in the Antidotum school for free during one semester.
The fifth year of our school existance we celebrated with a grand event at Antidotum.
In October, we were present at the "Gold, Silver, Time Fair" in Warsaw. F ive of our former and current students got qualified t o the final of the competition "Presentations 2010", with awards given to three people: Martyna Tejwan, Mariusz Fatyga and Magda Zienkiewicz.
In December, the works from "Efekt Antidotum Gallery" we re show n in "Informal Gallery" in Warsaw.
In the current academic year, we started to cooperate with Elisabetta Cappello who leads in our school classes of beads creation in Murano glass technique and Millefiori Lampwork.
In February 2011, we announced the results of two competitions organized by us: Play Metal Clay in 2011 and Fresh Metal 2011.
In March, we were present at the "Amberif Fair" in Gdansk, in April, at the "YES Gallery" in Poznan was held the opening day of the "Fresh Metal Contest" (theme:"Kinetics").
In May, we hosted the Director of the Florentine goldsmith school Le Arti Orafe, Mr. Gio' Carbone.
We organized several one-day editing workshops with felting, soutache and ceramics, and 2 editions of 4-day goldsmith workshops.
In May, we published our manual, "Goldsmith's Essentials" and we developed a script "Jewelry Soutache" about sutache technique.
In June, we appered at the "JUBINALE Fair" in Krakow, where works from "Efekt Antidotum Gallery" were presented, and where we led soutache workshops.
In June 21, in the "Informal Gallery" an exhibition was held displaying works made by our students in the school year of 2010/2011.