Meetings

On July 13 and 14, 2019, Almetyevsk hosted a 2-day program designed to reduce social tension around the problem of drug addiction. The program consisted of educational and art-therapeutic activities held at different sites in Almetyevsk district.

On July 13 in Nizhnyaya Maktama a creative meeting with musician Andrey Maloy (Mister Maloy) was held at the closed rehabilitation center of Almetyevsk district. Mister Maloy was invited as a guest not by chance: in his youth, being in a creative environment, he himself experienced drug addiction. At the meeting the musician shared his personal experience of overcoming addiction and talked to the participants about the prejudices concerning people in the creative professions. They discussed ways to overcome health crises caused by addiction, art as a way to cope with addiction and how life changes when people leave addiction.

In the second part of the workshop the participants were invited to take part in an art therapy fluid-art painting workshop «The Color of Mood. Map of feelings» from Julia Petrova. The practice of drawing in this technique helps to cope with stress and abstract from external stimuli, it is suitable for people with any level of education in art.

All the works made by the participants that day became part of the group panel, placed in the rehabilitation center of Lower Maktama.

On July 14, a similar event, but in an open format was held in Almetyevsk.

On August 13, 2019, a meeting between the Uruguayan artist Alfalfa and local residents was held in Almetyevsk. The event took place in an informal atmosphere: in the courtyard of houses near Herzen Street. It was in this place that the artist was going to create his large-scale mural «Mrs. Gusinya: tradition and freedom / Kazbikә: goref-gadәt hәm irek».

Active interaction between residents and artists is an important step in the public art program. This way citizens can feel their participation in the creative processes around them and take part in the transformation of the city.

For artists, it is important to understand how local people live: what inspires them and what contexts they find themselves in. The thing is that at the heart of each art object is one or another idea that comes from local cultural traditions and ways of life. It is through Tatar hospitality and communication that the artists of the public art program get acquainted with the local cultural code, which undoubtedly influences their future works.

Nicholas Sanchez is no exception. He happily interacted with residents right in the courtyard of the house where he created his work. Here's one participant's impression of the meeting.