Barents opportunities for young cultural entrepreneurs
Arkhangelsk city is very proud of its cultural heritage and historical traditions. So it is not a surprise that over a half of all Norwegian-Russian projects realized in Arkhangelsk region relates to the cultural sector.
Published on 17.03.2016
There are quite few cultural institutions in Arkhangelsk which are not already involved in cross-border activities with the partners in the Barents Region. Music and art schools, philharmonic society, arts museums, professional and amateur art groups, producing companies – most of them have got already a good experience of cooperation. Every year brings more interesting projects and more new partners involved in the cross-cultural activity.
The Arkhangelsk College of Culture and Arts is rather young participant of the Barents cooperation. But the contacts with the colleagues in the Northern Norway became already an everyday reality which broadens and enrich the regular educational process. The first Barents project of the college was happened only three years ago and was called Arctic Articulation. These were the workshops in Norway and Russia and joint outdoor painting with the students of Kabelvåg College of Arts and Filming during the days of Margaritinskaja Fair in Arkhangelsk.
But this was so good start that for a short period the Arkhangelsk College of Arts obtained many new partners in Norway and today its students took part in a good number of cultural events in the Barents Region. Among them quite famous like Barents Spectacle in Kirkenes and Pomor Festival in Vardo, the film festival TIFF and the snow sculptures festival in Tromso, the Norwegian Youth Festival of Art (UKM) and others.
Obviously the students of the college are very active participants of all cultural events arranged in Arkhangelsk by the local office of the Norwegian Barents Secretariat like Norwegian Spring Festival in May, the Barents Cross Roads cultural arrangement in September and newly arranged Barents Bird Festival in November.
The year 2016 is going to become one of the most productive for the students of Arkhangelsk College of Arts in terms of their participation in the Barents events. In January they have took part in Tromsø snow festival. Few weeks ago the young dancers of the college came back from the Power Dance Workshop in Tromso and during this week the students of design department are working in Harstad on the joint exhibition inspired by the topics of Northern Russian and Norwegian tales.
The exhibition will be opened in Arkhangelsk in May. These projects were the results of cooperation of Arkhangelsk students with the UKM Arctic festival. Very soon the students of cultural college are going to be the guests of the Pomor Festival in Vardo and this is going to be a new surprise for the festival guests, local citizens and great international experience for the students.