The Sokolniki MEC team working on the International Exhibition of Calligraphy, including Valery Pilchin, Lyudmila Kulanina, and Maria Makeeva, project coordinator visited Saint Petersburg. The main purpose of the visit was to determine the possible venue of the International Exhibition of Calligraphy, which will be held in Saint Petersburg on September 16-21, 2008. The team examined about ten potential exhibition grounds, among which there were art schools, museums and palaces, the Russian Academy of Arts and the Repin State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture of St. Petersburg.
The representatives of Sokolniki MEC held negotiations with Albert Charkin, Chancellor of the Repin State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture of St. Petersburg, People’s Artist of Russia, member of Russian Academy of Arts and Yuri Khvatov, Director of the Research and Development Museum under the Russian Academy of Arts. Albert Charkin stated, «the youth must be disciplined through the beauty of handwriting». The two representatives of the Russian Academy of Arts highlighted the social importance of the project, expressed their hope for meeting soon and took a group photo with Sokolniki MEC team.
Calligraphy is a remedy and mental gymnastics.