From 2nd to 8th January 2019, a delegation of Gzhel University visited Republic of Cuba to develop cooperation with higher and secondary vocational schools, cultural institutions, and to exchange experience in the field of decorative and applied arts.

National educational and cultural projects, agreements have been concluded with educational institutions of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. A trip to Cuba expands the international relations of the university. This applies to both higher and secondary vocational schools. In Cuba, a large number of professional colleges, we visited several of them.

On January 4th, GSU representatives met with colleagues at the National School of Fine Arts in Matanzas. It was founded in March 1941; since 1995, students have been receiving secondary vocational education in the fields of design, visual and decorative arts for four years. The school organizes personal and collective student exhibitions and art history seminars on a monthly basis.

At a meeting with the head of the art department Lidis Silva Viiamil, the director of the National School of Fine Arts Maria Luisa Vigoa, the head of the art department Lisset Ramos Molina, the teacher Maria Julia Arango Guerra GSU rector B. V. Ilkevich made a speech on history of the university and its actual activities. Cinema and video films about the education and life of students, their achievements in creativity were shown. The meeting discussed the prospects of cooperation in the field of arts and crafts.

The school leadership was interested in the possibility of participation of Cuban students in international projects and the possibility of continuing their studies in the direction of preparation. Decorative and applied arts and folk crafts at Gzhel University. Colleagues exchanged experiences on the organization of education of children in art schools.

On January 5th, a university delegation visited the National Academy of Fine Arts at San Alejandro. This is the first educational center of painting and art established in Latin America and one of the oldest secondary vocational schools in Cuba. The Academy was founded in the monastery of San Augustin in Old Havana in 1818 by French artist Jean Baptiste Vermaille, who was its first director. It was planned that this would be a free school of drawing and painting, its main focus in the XIX - early XX century. was academic, i.e. creation of large canvases on ancient mythological and historical themes. Today the Academy is located in a monumental building built in the early 1940s. Here, students learn painting, drawing, sculpture, design, and ceramics.

The team of the academy, headed by the director Lesmes Larrosa Gonzalez, warmly welcomed the staff of the university, a tour of the educational institution was organized and the students’ creative works were presented. Then there was a presentation reflecting the main aspects of the activities of Gzhel University. B. V. Ilkevich presented one of the latest editions of the book «Gzhel: Art and Education», which, along with the history of the development of vocational education in Gzhel, the story of teachers and graduates who became famous artists, presents the full range of university activities.

Director of the Academy of San Alejandro Lesmes Larrosa González expressed his intention to cooperate in the field of decorative and applied arts, to participate in international projects of Gzhel University.

In the near future, cooperation agreements will be concluded with these educational institutions. Two Cubans are already studying at Gzhel University in the specialty Tourism. We hope that next year graduates of art colleges of Cuba will join the ranks of university students, because Gzhel University is a unique educational institution, the only university in Russia that trains specialists in the field of ceramics, located directly in the area of folk arts and crafts - international ceramics center.

N.V. Barkalova,

Head of the International Cooperation Department