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To register for the convocation, click here
Our major efforts for 2002 - 2003 focused
on the exhibition of Down
By the River: Anacostia, A Place of Spirit
in St. Petersburg, Russia (May 2003). This project also related
to our commitment to youth development and international efforts
to support civil society.
Down By the River:
Anacostia, A Place of Spirit
In May 2003, the Washington Arts Group took an exhibition
about the Anacostia community of Washington, D.C., Down
By the River: Anacostia, A Place of Spirit, to St. Petersburg,
Russia for the city's 300th anniversary festivals. click
here for a listing of St. Petersburg's schedule of events
The exhibition highlighted the cultural life of Anacostia,
the importance of faith in the history of the emancipation,
and the role of spiritual life in a community. The exhibit
opened at the House of Scientists on May 22 with an opening
reception and it ran thru June 19. We also hosted a Seminar
on May 26, titled "Spirituality in the Arts: Continuing
the Vision of Vincent Van Gogh". Talks were given by
artists, officials and education instructors from Russia,
Holland, and the United States.
Continue reading below for a brief look at the vision
of the exhibition and how
we will involve the community in the project. Follow
this link to find out about the history
of our involvement in Anacostia and St. Petersburg.
For a preview of the exhibition and associated events,
click here.
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Vision: A Generation in Need of
Hope
"A lot of them [southeast
D.C. children] have talents, and there is no way to express
it or show it to others. People used to come across the city
to see the art shows and operettas that we would put on when
I was a little girl. Today the arts are not an area that receive
money in public schools and parents often do not have the
education to encourage their children."
Ms. Carol H. Parris, southeast D.C. resident and educator
The Anacostia River traces a cultural and economic rift through
Washington, D.C. During the 1970s a popular Washington, D.C.
disc jockey kept a daily tally of the people murdered in Anacostia.
Similar reports have claimed countless headlines ever since.
Discouraged by these statistics, residents from the suburbs
and northwest city districts rarely set foot in Anacostia
and southeast D.C. Anacostia's cultural isolation has had
a devastating impact upon its children. In a visit to the
class of Lucy Ellen Moten Elementary School (Anacostia) art
teacher Roslyn Cambridge, we discovered that none of the children
had been to D.C.'s National Gallery. Ms. Cambridge said cuts
in the school's budget prevent her from bridging this cultural
gap.
Thousands of miles away in St. Petersburg, Russia the next
generation faces similar difficulties due to tension caused
by institutional infighting. After years of labor, our Russian
friends Dr. Konstantin and Inga Ivanov secured a building
for a children's school on the humanities and democracy in
St. Petersburg. The school became a center for exchange between
Eastern and Western educators and human rights activists.
In 1999, however, city police besieged the Ivanov's school
and diverted their funding to another institution. As their
experience demonstrates, institutional conflicts in St. Petersburg
threaten the ability of the next generation to benefit from
freedom of thought and valuable cultural exchange with the
West. At a May 2001 education conference in St. Petersburg,
we witnessed the negative results of this trend first hand.
When students from a variety of educational programs were
asked if they thought they could positively contribute to
the future of their city and nation, all responded negatively.
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Participation of the United
States in St. Petersburg 300 Year Jubilee:
The United States is celebrating the 300th
Anniversary of St. Petersburg in many different ways, and
in many different places. There will be major exhibits and
events in St. Petersburg, and major events across the United
States to mark the anniversary. Through this celebration,
the United States Embassy hopes to highlight the close connections
between American and Russian Culture, and the growing number
of contacts between Russian and American cities, cultural
institutions, and private citizens.
Special Events in St. Petersburg
President George W. Bush in St. Petersburg
The most important American participation is the expected
visit of President Bush, who will join President Putin and
many other heads of state for the official celebration at
the end of May. This will be third visit of President Bush
in just one year.
Plaque to First Ambassador to Russia and President
John Quincy Adams.
On April 11 the U.S. Embassy will dedicate a plaque marking
the residence of of John Quincy Adams, the first accredited
U.S. envoy to Russia and later President of the United States.
Funding for the plaque was generously provided by Alfa Bank..
U.S.- Sponsored Exhibits
Joseph Brodsky Exhibit at Akhamatova Museum
On April 11, the State Department, the Russian National Library
and the Joseph Brodsky Estate, with a generous contribution
from Alfa Bank, will open a major exhibit on the work of the
Nobel-prize winning Poet Joseph Brodsky, which will take place
at the Akhmatova Museum. The exhibit will include documents
and memorabilia from Brodsky's life in Russia and the United
States. Much of the material in the Exhibit will become part
of the new Brodsky Museum being created in St. Petersburg,
a permanent gift to the city to honor a great Russian and
American writer.
Prokudin-Gorskii Photographs at the Russian
Museum
On April 12, the Library of Congress will open a special exhibit,
"The Empire That was Russia," with 59 digitized
images of rare color photographs taken by Sergei Mikhailovich
Prokudin-Gorskii early in the 20th century. The exhibit's
photographs provide a unique portrait of Russia on the eve
of revolution, covering a wide range of subjects; churches
and monasteries of old Russia; railroads and factories of
an emerging industrial power; and the daily life and work
of Russia's diverse population. At the Strogonov Palace of
the Russian Museum, until May 5.
Kuntskammer Exhibit on 300 Years of Russian-American
Relations
On May 13, the Kuntskammer and the State Department will present
an exhibit of rare books, maps and documents, including autographed
books by Benjamin Franklin and the first Russian map of America,
recording three hundred years of contact between Russia and
the United States. The Exhibit focuses on the role of Russian
navigators and scientists in exploring and documenting the
northwest coast of America, and scientific cooperation between
the two nations.
Mark Rothko Exhibit and Other American
Artists at the Hermitage
In 2003, the State Hermitage Museum will present exhibits
by painter Cy Twombley (July 8-September 21); photographer
Robert Mapplethorpe; 125 photographs from the Museum of Modern
Art; (Summer 2003), and, in February 2004, a major exhibit
of works by abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko, from
the National Gallery of Art. The Rothko Exhibit is sponsored
by the U.S. Department of State.
American Western Art at the Marble Palace of the Russian
Museum
On April 18, the Foundation for International Arts and Education
and the Russian Museum will open an exhibit of 160 masterpieces
of art depicting the American West from 1830 to 1940, from
the collections of the Omaha Art Museum and other U.S. museums.
At the Marble Palace (www.fiae.org).
"Down by the River - Anacostia,
a Place of the Spirit"
An exhibit of paintings, photographs and sculpture by the
artists from the Washington DC suburb of Anacostia. At the
House of Scientists, May 21 to June 2. The exhibition will
be at the House of Scientists and there will be a delegation.
Performances and Installations of Contemporary
Art
CEC International Partners will present perfomances and installations
of contemporary art and music, along with seminars on arts
management, at different cultural institutions around St.
Petersburg. In addition, CEC International partners is sponsoring
"St. Petersburg Jubilee Fellows: training programs for
Russian arts managers. (www.cecip.org)
Supporting Russian Regional Art Exhibit
at the Russian Museum
The Fund for Arts and Culture is providing support to the
Russian State Museum to exhibit treasures from small regional
museums around Russia. (www.fundforartsandculture.org)
Exhibit of International Young Jewelers
In May the Faberge Arts Foundation is sponsoring an exhibit
of work by the winners of the International Young Jewelers
Competition. (www.fabergearts.org)
*The above listing was taken from the U.S.
Consulate press release of events surrounding the 300th Anniversary
celebrations in May 2003
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Involving the Community
"It is a shame that there
is not money for the arts in Anacostia-but there are too many
programs trying to do the same thing. They need to cooperate."
southeast D.C. educator
The Washington Arts Group always seeks to partner with existing
institutions and organizations. Our Down By the River:
Anacostia, Place of Spirit affiliates include the community
outreach centers, youth mentoring programs, seven congregations,
several public/private elementary schools, and the Anacostia
After Hours Gracious Arts Program (AAHGAP) founded by artists
from our 1998
and 1999 exhibitions.
The Washington Arts Group has formed an advisory
committee composed of Anacostia and Washington,
D.C. area residents to ensure that the local community remains
informed of and involved in project developments. In addition,
the committee will make the final recommendations for the
participating children who will travel to St. Petersburg,
Russia. The St.
Petersburg host committee for A Place of Spirit
includes Irina Alexashina of the Teacher's Advance Training
University and Dr. Boris Stolyarov of the Russian State Museum's
Russian Center of Museum Pedagogy.
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Schedule of Events in St. Petersburg,
Russia - May 23 thru June 1, 2003
May 23 - Jubilee Opening
May 24 - Grateful Descendants: Remembering the City's Origins
May 25 - Festival on Every Street
May 26 - City of Promise: Celebrating the Sciences (a festival
of sciences, education, industry and high technology)
May 27 - City Day: Solemn Opening of Peterhof Fountains
May 28 - Health and Sports Day: events, performances, competitions
May 29 - Theater Jamboree: professional actors perform in
city squares
May 30 - Peter the Great's Birthday: Free entrance to all
city museums
May 31 - International Celebration Day, Welcome All Flags
June 01 - We Are Only 300! Looking toward the Future
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