History of working with children in State Museum fine arts named after A.S. Pushkin

Immediately after the opening in 1912, the unique "museum-textbook" was visited not only by professors and students of the Department of Art History of Moscow University, but also by history teachers of Moscow gymnasiums. Since 1916, the outstanding art critic, teacher-educator A.V. Bakushinsky.

Since the 1920s, the Museum has been conducting extracurricular work with children. "In the current academic year, at the Museum of Fine Arts, at the suggestion and initiative of an employee of the Institute of Extracurricular Activities A.U. Zelenko, it was necessary to begin a new type of educational work ... classes with children (from 10 to 14 years of age)" (from an article by one of the first directors of the Museum, Professor N.I. Romanov). Romanov formulated the idea of ​​"saturating children's fantasy with images historical era which help to revive monuments of art" and substantiated the need "to organize activities for children of a more mobile nature, which can give them more scope for the initiative of searching ... for motor reactions in the form of drawing from memory or from life, for reproducing the poses of a given statue with the movements of their own body or figures in the picture, and in general to deepen feelings with the help of dramatization". These provisions were later actively used in work with children at the Museum. Since 1928, researcher S.V. Razumovskaya organized systematic circle work with students.

An important event in the life of the Museum was the International Exhibition "Children of the USSR and Children of the Capitalist Countries" (1934). The work plans of the Museyon Center provide for the organization of a series of exhibitions introducing modern generation spectators with drawings of children from different countries exhibited at the Museum seventy years ago.

During the winter school holidays of 1935/36, the Pushkin Museum organized the "First children's festival art in the museum", which organically included sightseeing and special excursions conducted by the most prominent employees of the Museum (V.N. Lazarev, A.A. Sidorov, etc.).

In 1949 a school lecture hall was organized; Since the mid-1950s, lecture topics have covered virtually the entire history of art.

Since the early 1960s, there have been emerging and still existing areas of work with children different ages. The concept of aesthetic education in the Pushkin Museum is based on the principle of a continuous process of education in an art museum.

At present, the existing out-of-school museum-pedagogical system consists of the following main components:

1. Art studio for younger children. In the mid-1960s, the Art Studio was headed by Erna Ivanovna Larionova (1922-1992), who laid the foundations for the methods of teaching children in the art museum. For 20 years, since 1973, the Art Studio was headed by Nina Nikolaevna Kofman (1906-1998), art critic, artist, honored art worker. Having precious experience of long-term leadership of the Moscow city children's art school, she created a unique method of shaping the perception of art by young children at the Museum.

Children as young as 5 years of age are admitted to the art studio. In the classroom, they get acquainted with the masterpieces of world fine art in the halls of the Museum. Then the children, under the guidance of artists-teachers of the museum art studio, embody their impressions in drawings. The training programs are designed for five years.

2. Family groups for children aged 5-8 with parents were created on the initiative of N.N. Kofman. For children aged 5-6, it is especially important to take the "first steps" into the "world of great art", into the "world of the museum" accompanied by parents or close people. Gradually, this form of work gained great popularity, turned into a new direction of work with children at the Museum. Currently at the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin in family groups are engaged in about a thousand children and parents.

At the end of the academic year, the Museum hosts reporting exhibitions and performances-concerts of the participants of the Family Groups program.

3. Club of art lovers for students in grades 5-8 exists in the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin since 1961. From the day the club was founded, Alla Sergeevna Stelmakh has been its soul for more than 40 years.

KLI brings together schoolchildren in grades 5-8 who are interested in the history of fine arts, archeology and numismatics.

5th grade students (Ancient World circle) study culture and fine arts ancient egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

6th grade students attend the Middle Ages circle. Renaissance. In the classroom, they get acquainted with the culture and art of Byzantium and medieval Europe learn about the life and work of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

In the circle Great Masters of the 17th century, schoolchildren of the 7th grade can get acquainted with the works of famous artists of this era.

The circles are led by researchers from the Museum's Popularization Department.

Students in grades 6-8 can also take part in Archeology and Numismatics. Here, children learn about the famous archaeological discoveries, about the excavation methods, about coins from different eras and countries. According to a long tradition, classes in these circles are conducted by the best specialists of the Museum.

Studying in circles of the Club of Art Lovers since 1962 ends with an exhibition children's creativity and costumed prom. Children in historical costumes perform scenes from the works of ancient authors, excerpts from the plays of Shakespeare, Moliere, Calderon, read poems by poets of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

4. Club of young art historians for youth in grades 8-11 and junior students of Moscow universities began work in 1960 with the support of the director of the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkina A.I. Zamoshkin. At first, the KUI consisted of several dozen Moscow high school students who had previously attended lectures for schoolchildren at the Museum. The first head of the club was Liliya Lavrentyevna Makoed.

Thanks to the Club, our Museum has become an alma mater for many young Muscovites - today's art critics, philologists, doctors, architects, engineers, physicists, musicians.

Teachers, together with students, visit other art museums, galleries, artists' studios and exhibitions in Moscow. Evenings are organized in the club, for which students, with the help of leaders, prepare quizzes, literary and musical compositions, show impromptu pantomimes, read poetry (often of their own composition), stage plays by classical and modern authors.

From the beginning of the existence of the Clubs, a tradition has arisen of collective trips of the asset to the ancient Russian cities and abroad during school holidays.

Uniqueness pedagogical process in the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin lies in the method of continuous education of the younger generation in the conditions of an art museum.

Many of our pupils, who have long become adults, come to the Museum not just as spectators, but as its friends, they bring their children, and some already their grandchildren. The Museum has a lot of employees who have gone through the art studio school, family groups, art lovers clubs and young art historians.

"Children's" exhibitions in the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin from the 1960s to the present:

1988 - "Chinese folk toy" (from the collection of I.V. Zakharova); 1992 - "The World and Images of Childhood". The exhibitions presented "adult" folk and professional art created for children, telling about children, addressed to children, but also interesting to adults.

1994 - "Happy Birthday, Earth". International Exhibition children's drawing, compiled from the collection of the "Children of the Earth" gallery (Tokyo) and drawings by Russian children, mainly students of the museum studio. Little artists reflected in their drawings the world around them and their ideas about it.

1997 - "Moscow in the drawings of children of the XX century". Big international project carried out by the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin together with the Institute art education dedicated to the 850th anniversary of Moscow. At the same time, a unique retrospective section was exhibited, introducing the audience of the late 20th century to Moscow seen through the eyes or imagined by children in the 1920s-1990s. 2001 - "We are from childhood." Exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Fine Arts Studio of the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin and the memory of its leader N.N. Kofman, made it possible to see the works of Nina Nikolaevna's students, created by them in their childhood in the Art Studio, and their adult professional works in painting, graphics, design, and jewelry.

2004 - "Mercy on the battlefield" (a joint project of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the International Red Cross). The exhibition was dedicated to a hot topic, especially relevant today. It presented the works of students of the art studio and family groups, created within the framework of a program specially developed at the Museum, with the involvement of children's drawings from the archive of the art studio.

Address of the Center for Aesthetic Education:
Kolymazhny lane, 6
(opposite the 5th entrance of the main building of the Museum)

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts invites Moscow schoolchildren and preschoolers to the circles of the Center for Aesthetic Education "Museion" in academic year 2017/18.

It is better to check the availability of free places in circles on the museum website. In some circles, admission is only based on the results of the interview.

Family group. 5–6 years and 6–7 years

October - May: Tuesday, 12:00, Wednesday, 12:00 or 15:00, Thursday, 14:00 or 15:00, Friday, 12:00 or 14:00, Saturday, 12:30, 13:00 or 14:30, Sunday, 11:00 or 13:00
September - April: Thursday, 12:00 or 12:30, Thursday, 15:00, Friday, 11:00 or 12:30, Sunday, 11:15 or 13:30

The youngest students, together with their parents, discover the fine arts for two years, get acquainted with its masterpieces and learn to spend time in the museum with pleasure. Classes are held in groups, they are interactive walks around the Museum's exposition, during which children and their parents receive assignments, answer questions and listen to the stories of an art historian.
Children 5-7 years old are accepted. Classes are held from October to May once a month on weekdays or weekends, depending on the selected group.
A cycle of 16 lessons is designed for 2 years. All classes are held at the Museum (in the Main Building or the Gallery of 19th and 20th century European and American Art). Membership includes 1 child and 1 parent.
The cost of a subscription for 2 years of study is 10,000 rubles.

Conversations about art. 2–3 grades

September - April: Wednesday, 16:00, Thursday, 16:00, Friday, 16:00, Saturday, 14:00, Sunday, 12:30 or 14:00
October - May: Friday, 15:30, Saturday, 13:30, Sunday, 11:10

Younger students learn to think about and talk about fine art and learn about its history through the Museum's collection under the guidance of art historians. An occupation is a conversation, participating in which children learn about the features of fine art, its types, genres, styles and directions from ancient world until the 20th century.
Classes are held once a month on weekdays or weekends, depending on the chosen group.
A cycle of 16 lessons is designed for 2 years. All classes are held at the Museum (in the Main Building or the Gallery of 19th and 20th century European and American Art).
Membership includes 1 child. The subscription fee for the first year of study is 3,000 rubles.

Conversations about art. 4th grade

October - May: Friday, 17:00, every second Saturday, 15:00

This course is specifically designed for Year 4 students who are just starting out in fine arts but not yet familiar with history. In the classroom, participants will get acquainted with the Museum's collection, talk about fine art and its features, so that next year, relying on knowledge of history, continue this conversation in the Art Lovers Club or in thematic "Conversations".
Classes are held once a month on weekdays or weekends, depending on the chosen group.
A cycle of 8 lessons is designed for 1 year. All classes are held at the Museum (in the Main Building or the Gallery of 19th and 20th century European and American Art).
Membership includes 1 child. The subscription price is 3,000 rubles.

Conversations about Art: The Ancient World. 5th grade

October - May: Sunday, 11:15, 13:10 or 16:00, Saturday, 14:30

A course for those who started within school curriculum study the history of the ancient world. During the classes in the halls of the Museum, schoolchildren will be able not only to see works of art that they are familiar with from illustrations in history books, but also to talk about the features of different ancient civilizations.
Classes are held once a month in the Main Building of the Museum on weekdays or weekends, depending on the chosen group.
A cycle of 8 lessons is designed for 1 year. Membership includes 1 child. The subscription price is 3,000 rubles.

Computer graphics

October - May: 2 times a month on Wednesdays at 17:00

Classes are specifically designed to introduce children ages 9 to 13 to the basics of computer graphics based on the history of fine arts. Using the examples of the works of Renaissance artists and other masters, children learn to use color, learn the principles of perspective. Thus, in the classroom, children create their first graphic works based on the masterpieces of world painting, while gaining basic skills in Photoshop.
A cycle of 16 lessons is designed for 1 year. Membership includes 1 child. The subscription price is 8,000 rubles.
Admission is based on an interview. The start of online registration for an interview is August 22, 2017.

Art lovers club

2 times a month on weekdays at 16:00

The club was created specifically for those who study in the middle grades of the school and supplement the school history course with an in-depth study of the history of fine arts. That is why the Club's program is divided into 3 consecutive stages for students in grades 5, 6 and 7.
In addition, there are two circles in the Club, especially for those who are fond of archeology and numismatics; anyone can join them (students in grades 5-8).
All classes in the Club are held 2 times a month on weekdays at 16:00 - lectures in the auditorium of the Center for Aesthetic Education "Museion" and classes in the halls of the Main Building of the Museum.
A cycle of 15 lessons is designed for 1 year. Membership includes 1 child. The subscription price is 5,000 rubles.

"Ancient world". 5th grade

October - April: Tuesday, 16:00, Friday, 16:00

The course is designed specifically for 5th grade students. At lectures, children get acquainted with the monuments of ancient civilizations, and study them in more detail at classes in the main building of the Museum.

"The Middle Ages and the Renaissance". 6th grade

The course is designed for 6th grade students and is a continuation of the Ancient World course, so there is no enrollment of new students for this course. At lectures, children get acquainted with the masterpieces of the main masters of the era, and at classes in the halls they study the topic of the course using the example of works from the Museum's collection.

Course "Great Masters of the 17th century". 7th grade

The course is designed for students of the 7th grade and is a continuation of the course "The Middle Ages and the Renaissance", so there is no recruitment of new students for this course. The course introduces students to famous masters New time at lectures, as well as on the example of works from the Museum's collection.

"Numismatics". 5th–8th grade

September - April: Wednesday, 16:00

A special program for schoolchildren, developed by researchers from the Department of Numismatics of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin. This is a way to learn about the art and history of numismatics, learn to understand ancient coins, and also get acquainted with the work of scientists.

"Archeology". 5th-8th grades

September – April, Thursday, 16:00

A program for those who are interested in the famous archaeological discoveries and finds, as well as the work of archaeologists today. The authors and presenters of the course are real archaeologists who acquaint students with the history of archaeological discoveries and modern archeology.

Art studio. 5–6 years

October - May: Tuesday, 11.00, Wednesday, 12.00, Thursday, 11.00

The art studio was created specifically to introduce the collection of the Museum to children who love to draw and draw a lot on their own. This course is not an art school or drawing class, which is why admission to the Art Studio is based on views. Classes are structured in such a way that children spend part of the time in the halls of the Museum, so that later in the workshop they can depict what they were inspired by works of art.
Children 5-6 years old are accepted. The course is designed for 5 years. Admission is based on an interview and review of the child's work (pictures). The start of online registration for an interview is August 21, 2017.
Membership includes 1 child. The cost of a subscription for the first year of study is 7,000 rubles.

Art workshop. Ceramics. 9 years

September - April: 2 times a month on Wednesdays at 15.00

During the two years of classes in the ceramic workshop, children work with different types clay and learn to understand the differences between faience, porcelain and pottery clay. They learn how unbaked glaze, underglaze painting and enamel painting look like, try their hand at sculpture and relief, study works of applied pottery in the Museum's exposition.
Children aged 9 are accepted. The course is designed for 2 years. Admission is based on an interview and viewing the child's work (drawings, modeling). The start of online registration for an interview is August 22, 2017.
Classes are held in the ceramics workshop at the Museyon Center for Economics. Membership includes 1 child. The cost of a subscription for the first year of study is 8,000 rubles.

Art workshop. Print. 11–15 years old

October - May: 2 times a month on Tuesdays at 17:00

Schoolchildren from 11 to 18 years old are engaged in the printmaking studio. The course is designed for 4 years. During this time, children get acquainted with various engraving techniques, master the technique of engraving on linoleum, wood, plastic and metal, and also gain experience in building a graphic composition - a clear rhythmic structure based on a combination of silhouette, spot and line.
Children aged 11-15 are accepted. Admission is based on an interview and review of the child's work (pictures). The start of online registration for an interview is August 22, 2017.
Classes are held in the printmaking workshop at the Museyon Center for Economics. Membership includes 1 child. The cost of a subscription for the first year of study is 8,000 rubles.

Club of young art historians

September - April: once a week on Saturdays at 16:00 (or 16:30)

This is a youth community at the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin, where they study the history of fine arts. The club was created for high school students (grades 8–11) and junior students. Classes in the club are lectures and seminars on the history of fine art from the ancient world to the 21st century. The Club hosts various events that allow their members to learn how the Museum works, to get acquainted with contemporary artists, try yourself as guides and curators, as well as make new friends among like-minded people.
Classes in the Club are designed for 4 years. Admission to the Club on the basis of an interview. The start of online registration for an interview is August 22, 2017.
Classes are held at the Museyon Center, one of the buildings of the Museum or in other museums in Moscow (depending on the topic of the lesson). Classes are conducted by employees of the Center for Economic Education "Museion" and invited experts.
Subscription requires the participation of 1 listener. The cost of a subscription for the first year of study is 6,500 rubles.

Once every few months, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts gets younger. On April 10, the action "I'll show you the museum" was held there for the third time. Pupils of the Club of Young Art Critics at the museum conducted free tours for everyone throughout the day - from 11 am to 7 pm. "Tatyana's Day" visited three excursions and would have stayed more if I had the strength.

As usual, there is a crowd at the Pushkinsky box office. There are no signs about the action, it is not easy to find the right entrance. Teenagers scurry up and down the stairs. The Brownian movement of youth is especially noticeable among the monolithic, art-hungry queue.

“You buy a ticket only for the entrance, and the tours themselves are free,” they tell me.

Teenagers in white T-shirts with the words "I'll show you the museum" are sitting along the stairs. I recall the phrase of Comrade Dynin from the movie “Welcome, or Outsiders entrance forbidden”: “Children! You are the masters of the camp." Today, children are the owners of one of the main museums in the country. For one day they become caretakers, administrators, guides.

The same T-shirts, only black, are worn by the guys in the Art Gallery of Europe and America. They are curators: they themselves approach visitors and offer to tell about the paintings.

These young people from 13 to 19 years old, with their curators from the Museion Center for Aesthetic Education of Children and Youth, have been preparing for almost two months more than 20 different excursions for adults and children, a quest game with prizes for winners, live pictures, and musical accompaniment. When X-day comes, both visitors and young art critics get excited.

The main building of the Pushkin Museum looks like a buzzing beehive. At the entrance to the halls, a dark-haired girl holds a sign with the name of the tour high above her head. Raspberry pants, a braid to the waist, a smartphone sticking out of his pocket. Her name is Anya Volkovitskaya, she is 14 years old.

- Look look! She pushes her friend. Have you seen how many people I have?

Sin in the mirrors of epochs

In the main building of the museum on Volkhonka, it is not the curators who come to visit the visitors, but the visitors to the guides. Anna was brought to me by her friend Polina. We were late for the start of the "Sin in Art" tour, and now Anya "out of favor" repeats the first part for us.

- Do you like studying here?

- I go to the Club of young art historians for the first year. We study on Saturdays, and I really like it,” Anya says as we run around the halls of Pushkinsky.

Each action "I'll show you a museum" has its own theme. The theme of the third meeting is travel.

- How do you prepare for the tour?

“First, I write it. Then the curator checks what has been written and makes corrections. Then I learn what I wrote by heart. Then we have an audition: the first with the curator, the second with a stranger. And then we go to the groups.

There are many who want to hear about sin in art. Anya is proud of her popularity.

- The concept of sin in antiquity was different from the Christian one. in front of you sculptural composition"Athena and Marsyas". Does anyone know who Marsyas is?.. As we know, Athena invented the flute or, in Greek, the aulos, on which she loved to play. Aphrodite and Hera laughed at her, because during the game, Athena's cheeks were very swollen. When she saw her reflection, Athena threw the flute to the ground in anger. She was picked up by the strong Marsyas, who learned to play the instrument so masterfully that he challenged Apollo himself to a duel. There are still disputes about who won, but the result was disappointing for Marsyas: Apollo became angry, tied the satyr to a tree and tore off his skin. sin in this case it was believed that strong dared to challenge the god to a duel.

To Luca Giordano's painting "Apollo and Marsyas" - red shades of flesh, a bloody knife, drooping skin - another young guide brings the listeners - Katya Kaplina. Her tour is called "Suffering Through Stone and Canvas."

- Tell me, can children go on your tour? asks the mother of a seven-year-old boy.

Don't worry, we don't have age restrictions.

Katya is serious and unhurried. She tells the audience not only about poor Marcia, but also about the suffering of Christian martyrs. For example, Saint Lawrence was roasted alive on an iron grate for openly confessing the Christian faith and refusing to bow to pagan gods.

“And here, on a polyptych by Francesco d’Antonio da Ancona of the 14th century, we see that St. Catherine was wheeled. She is standing with a palm branch in her hands, and do you see the wheel on the back right?

Children silently look at the sash with the image of the saint. Looks like it's time to get outside.

Zero emotions and very smart

Each tour lasts from half an hour to forty minutes. A detailed schedule on topics and start times can be obtained from the guys at the counter, at the entrance to the museum halls.

- Are you going somewhere else? Anya asks me.

– I… I don’t know, but can I?

“Sure, go if you have time. This guy yesterday made me comments on my excursion. He corrected mistakes, said that there was little scientific approach.

A group of people walk past us, led by a young man with glasses.

“What if I go on a tour with him?”

- Go down. It will be very smart. Well, very much.

Hellenism and the Mahabharata

The excursion "Woe to the vanquished" is conducted by Nikita Pravlshchikov.

- What competitions do you know? Nikita asks.

- Sports.

- Yes, this is the easiest option, the first thing that comes to mind. No, no, don't worry, I specifically asked the question to get this exact answer. Thank you for helping me.

For his fifteen, Nikita is very smart: he compares Greek myths with the Indian epic Mahabharata and, like any teenager, does not doubt that he is right.

Journey into the depths of centuries begins with antiquity. A copy of the frieze of the altar of Zeus in Pergamum (the city of Bergama in modern Turkey) reflects the myth of how Kronid kills the Titans, and Gaia, their mother, looks at what is happening with horror. Although her face has not been preserved, it can be seen that in antique art facial expressions appear only in the Hellenistic era. Before that, sculptors got by with what in the language of art historians is usually called an archaic smile.

Archaic smile hides emotions. Scream and cry antique statues somehow out of hand: The “Wounded Amazon” by the sculptor Polykleitos is bleeding, but it’s hard to understand from her calm face that she is in pain.

She's actually in pain, and she's almost laughing. You know that all modern gags (from the English gag - a joke, a comic episode, a comedy technique based on obvious absurdity - "TD") actually came from Aristophanes. He described everything long ago in his Clouds. Imagine, since then comedians have not come up with anything new! Does anyone remember what Hercules' feat was the Lernean Hydra?

“Second, I think,” the girl replies.

“That's right, and the first one was the Nemean Lion. Well, I won’t load you, Nikita tells the listeners. - You have questions?

Adult listeners smile guiltily.

- In fact, they say that there are no questions when everything is clear to everyone or the guide has tired everyone, so goodbye!

And the teenager with a confident gait leaves the imaginary stage, leaving the listeners with a desire to re-read the myths immediately upon arrival home.

Back to the Future

It's scary with them. They are angular and clumsy, but they are guides to the world of beauty. But worst of all, they ask questions.

Why is there a cross on the church when Christ had not yet been crucified and no one knew what the cross was a symbol of? Anya asks, pointing to 11th-century doors depicting biblical scenes. She runs through the halls of Pushkin as if she were in her apartment. I try to keep up - I'm afraid of getting lost. The answer to her simple question, I, of course, do not know.

- Yes, because the sculptor just wanted to indicate that this is a church. After all, people could not read, how to show them that the church is the church? Make a cross on the roof.

They make you pay attention to the obvious - composition, light, colors. And they interpret the symbols not in a dry scientific language, but as if every day they meet painters and sculptors in the subway.

“Would you like to pursue art in the future?”

- And who will I work then?

- I don’t know, a museum curator, maybe ... A history teacher.

No, they don't pay much for it. I want to become a military translator.

- A military translator?

- Yes, I just have an institute next to my house. I love languages.

Polina, Anna and I are sitting on a leather bench in front of the statue of David. Anya tells us about the Cranachs: their exhibition is on at the Pushkin Museum until May 15th. You need to buy a separate ticket for it, so we watch the pictures via the Internet on the smartphone screen.

- In general, Cranachs are Northern Renaissance. Why northern? Because north of Italy. Do you see the vine? It is a symbol of the blood of Christ. Wine is made from grapes, and the artist decided to indicate this in the picture. His future victim. The curators told us a lot about it yesterday, but I didn’t remember everything. Do you know each other at all?

I look at Polina, then at Anya.

“To be honest, we just met. We were late for your tour together.

- Wow! And what a big group I had!

In the evening I read a review on the Internet: “Thank you very much for the action “I will show you the museum”. It was very interesting. I liked the tour "Sin in Art" very much. Anya, who led it, impressed us with a great speech. Also valuable was her attempt to show how sin was portrayed in different eras, in different countries". I forward the message to Anya: they say, look, you have been noticed!

- Wow! Thanks for sending!

It's not every day that thirty-two people listen to you.

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts hosted the action "I'll show you the museum"

In the Pushkin Museum named after A.S. Pushkin went on a bold experiment: young art critics replaced the museum staff for one day. The children worked as caretakers, told tour groups about Rembrandt and the sculptures of Ancient Egypt, and handed out prizes for correct answers in quizzes.

We talked to the new employees of the museum and found out if they are going to connect the future with the museum, which exhibits of Pushkinsky they like and why the time spent in the art historian's club is priceless.

Olga Katkova, 15 years old, studying at Lyceum No. 1158

What is your favorite exhibit and why?

- Wonderful. It's great that you can give people your knowledge, point of view. When you know the answer to a question that a visitor asks you, it gives confidence. You know more than other people. True, this hall is often missed by people, it is a checkpoint.

- Tell me, how long have you been in the club?

- This is my first year here. We were brought here by our first tour guide. At first I did not understand anything, but now I understand that everything is very cool. I like the promotion we are running.

Alexandra Bondar, 14 years old, studying at gymnasium No. 1567

– Tell us, what is your favorite exhibit in the Pushkin Museum?

- Probably, after all, shedu, which stand in the Assyrian hall. These are large sculptures with the body of a bull, the head of a man, the Assyrian king, and the wings of an eagle. This is a prime example of how sculpture was used to intimidate. They are very massive, they were placed in front of the entrance to the city itself, and they were also in front of the entrance to the king's palace. They were supposed to scare a person who enters there with bad intentions.

- What gives you the role of the caretaker of the hall?

- You can communicate with the most different people. Even when you ask: "Do you want me to tell you something?" - and they say to you: "No", - anyway, try not to get upset, but go to the next person, believe. You can also learn something about the exhibits that you would never read just like that in your life. For example, we have Hercules with a doe. Small child once asked what was in the mouth of a doe. We thought for a very long time, probably two weeks. We picked up all sorts of options, but it turned out that it was just a fountain.

- Tell me, where do you see yourself in the future?

- I would very much like to connect my life with art, but I don’t know yet who I will become. Maybe I will teach children art, give lectures. I draw and here, in the museum, I go to engraving classes. I'm not sure that I will connect my life with painting. Here you will become an artist, but what's the point? You will paint portraits to order.

How did you get involved in the art club?

- My aunt graduated from the club, and she told me a lot about it. She left a lot of friends with whom she still communicates. Last year I went to the art lovers club for the fifth and seventh grades. When I found out that there was an opportunity to go further into it, I continued without hesitation. First, I have made many friends that I cherish. Secondly, we have amazing seminars and very interesting lectures.

Julia Nakoshnaya, Ekaterina Kadushkina