Hand-written masterpieces displayed in Veliky Novgorod

Svetlana Pahomova

Veliky Novgorod will be hosting the 3rd International Exhibition of Calligraphy from September 10–12, 2010. It is the largest project under the auspices of UNESCO ever dedicated to the art of beautiful handwriting and its culture.

Russia’s first International Exhibition of Calligraphy took place in St. Petersburg in 2008, the second one in Moscow, in October 2009. Today the masterpieces are displayed in Veliky Novgorod, later the exhibition is planned to be held in other countries.

The main events are to rock Yaroslav’s Court situated in the Old Town’s ancient Novgorod Marketplace where luxurious white pavilions with the total area of one thousand seven hundred square meters are being erected. So much space is required to accommodate all the handwritten masterpieces from more than forty countries!

Visitors can get acquainted with calligraphic paintings, pieces of applied calligraphy, writing materials and utensils featuring such world-famous masterpieces as: a Golden Koran, the Sacred Mantra, a World Famous Mezuzah, ancient hand-written Russian miniatures, etc. with the Sacred Calligraphy collection as a core exhibit.

A rich cultural and entertaining program has been organized for the guests with master classes by renowned calligraphers, representing the national art of various countries, holiday concerts, the World Cuisines project and the Museum Night project, as well as water show on the Volkhov River with the best athletes from Russia, Europe, and Asia.

The exhibition was organized by the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, the National Union of Calligraphers and MVK, the International Exhibition Company supported by the Committee for Culture, Tourism and Archives of the Novgorod Region. The organizing committee was headed by Sergei Mitin, Governor of the Novgorod Region and Alexey Shaburov, Director of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy.

Alexey Shaburov emphasized the project’s mission, which is to build a beautiful and healthy society and the goal, which is to preserve the rare art of calligraphy for future generations.
“We have chosen Veliky Novgorod among other Russian cities as, firstly, it is here that the ancient birch barks had been found; secondly, it is one of the oldest Russian cities, and, finally, Novgorod is the cradle of Russian democracy,” Mr. Shaburov explained.

“The decisive argument was the location of Yaroslav's Court, an ancient marketplace, a unique platform with 11th-17th century monuments. It is inimitable. Nothing could be better for our show,” Mr. Shaburov summed up.

The three days of the Fixed Event Period will be bursting with pleasant surprises for the citizens and guests. By the way, the ticket prices have been cut as much as possible. After all, the organizers' goal is to introduce as many people as possible to this magnificent art. Another courtesy is free writing utensils and materials for the visitors to practice Arabic lettering, oriental hieroglyphs or birch bark writing.

Source: The Voice of Russia radio (Rus.ruvr.ru)

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