Penza, 29 September 2017. PenzaNews. A grand opening of the 7th international symposium "Art glass. Creativity of the young" was held in the business incubator of Nikolsk of the Penza region on Friday, September 29.

Photo: Ckr58.ru

Greeting guests of the event, the deputy head of the Nikolsk area administration Sergei Kayev noted that traditionally the symposium had been of high interest to glassmakers and cut glass artists.

"Today we are greeting participants from Luxembourg, Japan and Belarus. Professional communities of glassmakers from Russia are represented by professors and experts from the Russian Academy of Arts, and the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy," he said.

In turn, the director of the Penza K.A. Savitsky picture gallery stressed that in 2017 the number of young participants including beginning artists in the field of glassmaking and students of Russian leading art universities was higher than usually.

"Professional skills of distinguished glassmakers from Russia and abroad, long traditions of glassmaking at local enterprises, creative atmosphere in the town of Nikolsk – the unique glassmaking centre – are allowing teaching the youth the best art practices, as well as forming professional skills necessary for their creative realization.

According to the distinguished artist of Russia Alexander Fokin, despite the fact that the grand opening was held on September 29, participants of the symposium had started to work on Wednesday, September 27.

"The artists have already started to embody their creative ideas at workshops of the Nikolsky glass cluster. The leading idea of many creative works is ecology," he said.

It is expected that the work of the glassmakers will last until October 6.

According to the results of the 7th symposium it is planned to replenish the collection of the Nikolsk museum of glass and crystal glass as well as to continue the tradition of placing architectural forms of glass in the town.

In 2017 the international symposium is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

It was organized with the help of the LLC Cluster Development Centre of the Penza region.