Competition of arts and crafts “In the best traditions”

2022 is the Year of the Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia. As part of the event, the Moskovskaya Pravda newspaper announced a contest of arts and crafts “In the Best Traditions”. In the summer of 2023, its results will be summed up. In the meantime, some members of the competent jury of the competition and our partners had a conversation about folk art.

Shod MULADJANOV: “The competition is announced for young people and for people of the older generation”

There are many interweavings with philosophy, history, and literature in folk applied art. The works sent to the editorial office demonstrate not only the high professionalism of the contestants, but also their soul, the desire to show the world in their works how beautiful, diverse and unique it is.

When asked what the main task of this project is, Shod Mulajanov, chairman and initiator of the competition, editor-in-chief of the Moskovskaya Pravda newspaper, answers us:

– The competition was announced for young people and for people of the older generation who are passionate about folk art. As the works sent to us show, we were not mistaken in this choice. For young people who are just at the beginning of their journey, this is an opportunity for growth, development, promotion of their work on the market (why not?).

For the older generation, this is a new trend, something unknown, for which there was simply no time before due to employment.

I would like to draw special attention for the participants of the competition to the materials. In the house we throw away plastic, old things, dishes, paper… All these materials in skillful hands turn into works of art, they are given a second life. And this is the theme of ecology, protection of nature.

Vladimir SUROVTSEV: “Symbolism, totemness is the initial stage of any folk art”

It should be noted that this is not the first contest aimed at the idea of ​​goodness, happiness and creation in our society, announced by Moskovskaya Pravda. After all, the newspaper, in addition to the information task, has one more task – to be an organizer, to form socially active readers around itself. Over the past few years, competitions have been held for the author’s song about Moscow, for the best poster for environmental protection in the city. All of them ended not only with the presentation of gifts and diplomas, but also with grandiose holidays that demonstrated to the world more and more new talents. How did folk art begin, for example, if we talk about fine arts? The sculptor, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, laureate of the Russian Government Prize Vladimir Surovtsev knows this well:

— I sometimes joke that I belong to the oldest profession. After all, the world did not begin with us and will not end with us. And a man in ancient times began with the fact that, seeing some roots, pebbles, he looked for images in them that looked like animals, birds. As a result, he himself began to break off small pieces from them, “sculpting” the object he saw. Even then, he put some totemic meaning into it. Therefore, symbolism, totemness is the initial stage of any folk art.

Today we are more interested in the aesthetic side of the work. In the competition, we are trying to support those who have this creative streak, or maybe someone will remember their family tree.

Andrey MADEKIN: “In modern carpet weaving, I would single out tapestry products”

Passion for arts and crafts makes a person a diversified personality, able to think globally, and not only within the framework of their professional competencies. The works sent to the competition are of various directions. And one of them is the lost, it would seem, forever weaving. Andrey Madekin, a Russian artist, art historian, writer, tells about this:

– Weaving is a traditional art, the oldest of the arts, because we were almost always dressed in something. But with the industrial revolution, it died as a folk craft. In a narrow segment, only decorative weaving remained.

On my mother’s side, I belong to the well-known families of textile entrepreneurs in the 19th century Ivanovo region. My great-grandfather owned an office with 1,000 clients. But this stopped at the beginning of the last century – the century of the technical revolution. In general, carpet weaving in Russia had no original roots. The Caucasus, Central Asia – this is where it has been common for centuries.

In modern carpet weaving, I would single out tapestry products. In folk art, you can often find small-scale works. Although there are schools where tapestry artists are taught in Russia.

Olga KUZMINA: “Golden hands will do everything themselves”

Another area of ​​folk art is the manufacture of jewelry. Interest in this art never faded. Fantasy in the manufacture of jewelry has no limits. For example, ordinary beads in skillful hands can become a real work of art. And Olga Kuzmina is rightly proud of her students of online beading courses:

— My online beading courses started on the eve of the pandemic, in 2019.

During this time, many interesting women have passed. It is difficult to single out someone, but perhaps I will do it. This is a woman with a beautiful name Fleur.

She came to the courses, completely unable to weave, from scratch. From the first days it became clear that the person is talented and you just need to push her, tell her about the basics of skill. And then the golden hands will do everything themselves.

Of course, Fleura is not the only such student, you can make a whole book with the work of amazing craftswomen. I am very proud of them.

Elmira SCHERBAKOVA: “These are the spiritual bonds of any nation”

After the announcement of the start of accepting works of the competition “In the best traditions”, the law of synergy worked. More and more new works come to the jury to the editorial office. Organizations that occupy a worthy place in the development and promotion, including folk art, showed interest in the competition. The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly and the ethnographic park-museum “ETNOMIR” became our partners.

The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly established a special prize for participants. Which one, we’ll keep a secret for now.

Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly Elmira Shcherbakova:

– The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly is an international union of non-governmental organizations and citizens with an active life position, sharing and promoting the ideas and values ​​​​of Eurasian integration, protecting peace, strengthening friendship, harmony, partnership and good neighborliness between peoples.

And what, if not creativity, allows people from different countries and peoples to understand each other without words?

“In this regard, folk art is the basis, it is the spiritual bonds of any nation,” emphasizes Elmira Shcherbakova. — This is what unites people, creates the prerequisites for any professional creativity. Its strength lies in the fact that everything can be understood without words and superfluous speeches.

Tatyana GRIGORYEVA: “Our project is a creative city of peoples’ friendship”

Folk art requires constant nourishment. And you can plunge into the oasis of folk art and even get certain skills by spending time in the park-museum “ETNOMIR”.

Tatyana Grigoryeva, director of the largest ethnographic park-museum in Russia “ETNOMIR”, and her team are doing a great job of reviving folk traditions. She says:

– ETHNOMIR is an ethnographic park, an educational center, an open-air museum, a tourist cluster and a creative city of friendship between peoples. The project provides an opportunity to live the experience of the peoples of the world through tangible and intangible heritage, to understand the cultural code, to get closer to understanding the unity in the diversity of the peoples of the Earth.

In ETNOMIR, everyone can go through 15 to 20 professions. You can try yourself in such areas as pottery, weaving, sewing, construction, gardening, eco-technologies, tourism, oratory. Craft workshops are open for children and adults in ETHNOMIR.

A little about the competition

Everyone who is friendly with the world of arts and crafts and gives his soul and strength to it can take part in the competition “In the Best Traditions”.

Traditionally, the winners will be determined by popular vote.

In addition to cash prizes, the winners and prize-winners will receive gifts from the partners of the competition.
More about the competition “In the best traditions”: https://mospravda.ru/2022/05/22/526065/

Nina Donskikh.