From December 19th to December 21th, 2018, N. V. Barkalova, Head of the International Relations Department, and V. M. Konovalova, Deputy Director of the College for Scientific and Creative Work, discussed the results and prospects for developing cooperation with Belarusian university partners.

On December 19th, Gzhel University was invited to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the gymnasium-college of arts named after I. O. Akhremchik. The college provides education and upbringing at the second and third levels of general secondary education with study at a higher level of academic subjects, the content of which is aimed at developing students’ abilities in the field of musical and visual arts, and in four specialties at the level of specialized secondary education, including painting and sculpture.

Representatives of the university conveyed congratulations from the university administration on a significant date to the director M.A. Pazdnikov, wished development and prosperity to the college, and the teaching staff - health and interesting work. The prospects for the implementation of academic semester exchange and practical training on the basis of training workshops of the Gzhel University were discussed.

On December 20th, representatives of GSU visited the Minsk State Gymnasium-College of Arts - an educational institution that implements the system of continuous education in three stages: primary school (grades 2–4), gymnasium (grades 5–11), college (1-3 courses). Next year the gymnasium will be 100 years old. Cooperation with it was started in 2015. High school students actively participate in international festivals held by GSU, students of Gzhel University take part in the international festival ART-Fest, organized by the gymnasium in March 2018, and other events.

At the meeting with the graduates, a presentation of the activities of the university was presented, the guys were interested in entering the Design direction. With the director of the gymnasium, L. A. Mitsuray, the prospects for academic semester exchange and the passage of educational practices on the basis of training and production workshops of GSU were also discussed.

December 21, a working meeting with colleagues from the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts (BSUCA) was held. The agreement on cooperation between our universities was concluded in 2015. At the same time, a joint exhibition of creative works “Gzhel - Minsk: the origins of creativity and craftsmanship” was organized, which was exhibited first in Minsk, in the Palace of the Republic, and then in Gomel, in the museum complex Palace Rumyantsev and Paskevich. Cooperation develops in different directions: 24 students from both sides during this time were trained under the program of academic exchange in the field of decorative and applied art, Belarusian students take part in international festivals "We Learn in Russia" and "Art Ceramics" and many other projects of Gzhelsky university.

At a meeting with the Vice-Rector of Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts on scientific work V.R. Yazykovich, it was decided to continue the implementation of the program of academic exchange in the direction of the preparation of arts and crafts and folk crafts, as well as to organize a joint conference on the visual arts with the subsequent publication of scientific articles in the collection.

Belarusian colleagues received an invitation to take part in the international festival "Artistic Ceramics", which will be held in May 2019 and will be dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the Gzhel University.

N.V. Barkalova,

Head of International Relations Department