On 30 March 2018, the Large Hall of the School Centre was the setting for a round table marking the 60th anniversary of the Hermitage’s Art Studio.
The round table drew professionals – museum educators and art teachers – from St Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Samara, Saratov, and Petrozavodsk. Specialists in this distinctive sphere of museum activity – members of the staff of creative studios – shared their experience and a variety of methods of working with children in the museum environment.
Great attention was devoted at the meeting to working with children who have special needs. The participants in the round table noted the beneficial influence of art on the formation and development of their personalities and the importance of creative activity in a museum setting.
The Hermitage was one of the first museums in this country where, as far back as 1957, an art studio for children was organized. Over the years the Art Studio was headed by the gifted artists and experienced educators Konstantin Kordobovsky, D.I. Mamonov and Olga Nekrasova-Karateyeva.
For some 40 years now, the Art Studio’s New Year carnival celebrations have taken place on the stage of the Hermitage Theatre. The annual exhibitions ““We Draw and Paint in the Hermitage” held in the foyer of the theatre have become another welcome tradition.
The Art Studio has been run continuously since 1976 by Boris Konstantinovich Kravchunas, a Candidate of Art Studies and member of the Artists’ Union. He has developed and implemented a unique programme for teaching the fundamentals of pictorial art to children aged 5 to 11. The pupils of the Art Studio play an active part in many exhibitions and creative events, including international ones.
Among the alumni of the Art Studio there are many who went on to choose a creative profession or to work in a museum. The Hermitage Director, Mikhail Piotrovsky, was also a pupil of the Art Studio.
On 31 March 2018, the Council Hall was the venue for a formal meeting of graduates of the Hermitage Art Studios from various years. Those attending were welcomed by Irina Diubanova, the head of the School Centre. Boris Kravchunas, the head of the Art Studio, reminded the gathering of his predecessors’ contributions to the cause of educating and training young artists. In a friendly atmosphere, Art Studio alumni shared their reminiscences of their years spent within the Hermitage walls and sincerely and warmly thanked their beloved guide and mentor.
Many of the graduates have chosen a creative profession and are using the knowledge acquired in the Art Studio in their field of work. As adults they still maintain friendly ties with their alma mater.
