The journalists and invited experts were welcomed by Maria Nasimova, the principal curator of the Museum, she told about the history of the Center of Avant-garde and presented its new leader – Andrey Sarabyanov:
«The Center of Avant-garde in the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center exists from the very opening of this institute. In August 2014, the Museum decided to reformat the educational programs. In February 2015, we chose the concept of development of the Museum the main goal of which was to make the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center the largest scientific and educational venue of the city with the involvement of the leading experts in the spheres of culture and art. The concept also aimed at the considerable expansion of the Center of Avant-garde activities, which Andrey Dmitrievitch Sarabyanov was supposed to head. We are happy that he and the team of the Encyclopedia of the Russian Avant-garde supported our initiative and were interested in collaboration.»
Andrey Sarabyanov told about the renewed concept of the Center of Avant-garde and its long-term strategy of work. The team of the Museum and Encyclopedia of the Russian Avant-garde plans to develop the Center in four directions: research, educational, publishing and exhibitional. The first exhibition prepared by the Center of Avant-garde will be held in spring 2016:
«We plan to publish two series as part of our publishing activities: big monographic books and small books dedicated to the little-known to the mainstream audience artists and artistic groups of the Russian Avant-garde. The Center of Avant-garde will also hold exhibitions in the Jewish Museum. Nowadays we prepare a large project which will present «forgotten» or little-known works of the Avant-garde artists from the regional museums. Moreover, we would like to involve large museums and to carry out joint exhibitions with the State Tretyakov Gallery or Pushkin Museum, on one side, and, on the other, to invite small provincial museums.»
The new educational program of the Center will consist of the cycles of free of charge and paid courses. An extensive introduction course dedicated to the Russian Avant-garde, 32 academic hours, will be held by Andrey Sarabyanov. In fact it is a university program for those who want to learn more about the appearance and development of the Russian Avant-garde. At the same time the program of free of charge lectures is being developed with the goal to acquaint students with a wide context of Avant-garde and its directions in different spheres of art: cinema, music, theatre, architecture, and literature. Discussions, move screenings, concerts, onsite city excursions will be held as part of the educational program of the Center.
The Center of Avant-garde should become one of the most important cultural platforms meant to study Avant-garde in Russia. A long-term strategy of its development includes possibilities to carry out support programs for young scientists, scientific researches including regional ones and organization of international exchanges.
The start of activities of the renewed Center of Avant-Garde under the supervision of Andrey Sarabyanov is scheduled for October 2015.