Oscar Olivares is a globally renowned and award-winning visual artist, illustrator, and educator who established the in 2019, an online art-school that offers unique artist development programs. The school currently caters to more than 3000 students worldwide.
Bearing an artistic vision that extends beyond the canvas, Olivares has also been creating murals over the world, and recycling as much as 1.5 million bottle caps to create them. The biggest ecological mural he created, for which he used 400,000 bottle caps and which spans 285 square meters, can be found in Guatire, Venezuela.
Olivares’ 10-year career has seen prestigious recognitions such as the Ibero-American Online Entrepreneurship Award in 2015 and the Mara de Oro Award in 2017.
In the Q&A below, we sat down with Olivares to discuss the importance of art education in empowering young people.
Could you share your journey in empowering young people through painting education and the impact it had on aspiring artists?
In 2019, I began offering three-hour drawing workshops, encouraging participants to express themselves freely through art. Traditional art education often had limitations — varying student paces, insufficient time, and the lack of guidance on making a living as an artist. This inspired the creation of the Olivares Academy, an online drawing school. Going online enabled us to reach artists worldwide, allowing for independent learning with constant teacher support via WhatsApp.
What is astonishing is that some students, including those attending traditional art universities, found our Academy's education superior. This highlights a concern about the current state of traditional art education, which tends to focus on copying techniques from the past rather than encouraging students to explore new styles and forms of art.
Over the past four years, we have had over 3000 students from Venezuela and 30 other countries and provided320 scholarships to financially-challenged young artists across the country. These scholarships inspired countless young talents to believe in their capabilities and tirelessly seek for opportunities to cultivate them. Furthermore, our students have exhibited their work in Venezuela, Colombia, the United States, and Spain.
Education can unlock opportunities. How do you see art education playing a role in creating opportunities for individuals and communities, and what changes do you wish to bring to art education through your initiatives?
Education has the power to create opportunities in all fields, but in the case of art, there has been a significant flaw. Traditional education focuses on teaching techniques, but the key question is: "What can you do with these techniques?" It is crucial to educate artists on how to create opportunities for themselves and their communities, for brands and companies, and, in turn, make a social and environmental impact.
Art has an under-explored ability to influence the collective unconscious, shaping the images and ideas shared by a society. Art will not change society, but it can influence it. Artists need to be aware of this potential. For decades, some artists made the mistake of saying, "Society does not pay attention to art," but that changes as art engages with society.
We have made a difference in art education by emphasizing freedom in every assessment and practical exercise. For instance, we do not assign tasks like "Draw the five eyes in the picture." Instead, we say, "Based on what you learned, draw the gaze of five loved ones or people you admire." This fosters creativity and idea generation. We provide positive feedback and motivation, showcasing examples of professional success through our instructors.
Our curriculum covers diverse ways to earn a living through art, how galleries and exhibition spaces operate, and all aspects of managing an artist's career. We also introduce topics like the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the art profession, Virtual Reality, NFTs, Digital Art, and more, preparing you to adapt to new technologies.
The future of art lies in the hands of a new generation of artists who are conscious of these elements.
You've been involved in various initiatives related to art and education. How do you envision the future of art education, and what role do you believe young artists can play in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on ensuring quality education for all?
In my vision of the future of art education, young artists have a significant role to play in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure quality education for all. Art education should focus on enabling each artist to express their individuality and creativity. It should challenge artists to create innovative works using new materials and techniques, moving beyond the replication of existing methods.
To align with SDG 4, art education should also incorporate digital technologies, such as Digital Art, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and the understanding of how social media can impact an artist's career. Online education, which connects artists with diverse cultural influences, will continue to be essential.
Young artists can challenge academic institutions and educators to modernize their approaches, adapting to the 21st century's unique opportunities. This era provides unprecedented access to artistic knowledge and techniques, especially through the internet. Artists and educators should consider how to provide education that complements what is available online, and address the needs of those without access to internet or other advanced technologies.
Your creative projects have left a lasting impression in many places. Could you tell us about one project that holds a special significance for you and the community it is located in?
The most special project is the one in Guatire, Miranda State, Venezuela, where we created the world's largest bottle cap mural with over 400,000 caps. We witnessed how, from the announcement, the impact on the community was incredible. For the first time, "Guatire" became a topic of conversation throughout the country for something positive.
People began collecting bottle caps, with no major corporations involved. You would see stores and businesses with a box that said, "We collect bottle caps for the world's largest mural." While we worked on the mural, more than 100 people of all ages would join each day. There was one individual who cried when placing a cap because they were leaving the country the next day, and this represented leaving their mark on their city.
There is this story of a cancer survivor who gave me a cap from their chemotherapy treatment and asked me to place it in a special spot. We positioned it in the center of the "Parranda de San Pedro," and, on a particular day, the , a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, visited and spontaneously composed verses on the mural. We received visits from national and international media from around the world, but what impressed me the most was seeing the impact it had on people.
Many people, for the first time in their lives, started thinking about the environmental impact of plastic.
