Educational Programmes

Besides its planned educational activities (organizing lectures, mobile exhibitions, meetings with artists and other creative persons, master-classes) the museum additionally implements still more large scale projects, such as described below.

Museum on Wheels

During the 2003-2006 academic years, the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I.V.Savitskiy implemented the project of British Council “Museum on Wheels”. The project organized mobile exhibitions in comprehensive schools in the districts located far away from the centre of Karakalpakstan and lectures for middle and senior school children. During a three years period, over thirty thousand students from seven districts of the region got acquainted with folk and applied arts of the Karakalpaks and with the artwork of Karakalpak artists of various generations. About four thousand students attended lectures on different topics and subsequently visited the museum.

Young Art Historian

During the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 academic years, an educational project by the name of “Young Art Historian” was implemented with financial support of British Council in Tashkent. Forty senior school children in Nukus city joined a club that introduced them to the history of the world art, from antique to the modern. The young art historians were introduced to the collection not only of Avant-Garde art but also the historical sites of ancient Khoresm, through which they were able to connect with their own history and of their forefathers. These classes covered all aspects of museum activity and culminated in exhibitions in the museum premises, curated by the children themselves.

Revival of Traditional Handicrafts

During 1998-1999 the museum implemented a project by the name of “Revival of Traditional Handicrafts”. Within the framework of the project 5 handicraft workshops functioned, including.

one for training in the national Karakalpak embroidery;

producing the Karakalpak yurt.

In the course of the project 20 young participants were trained. They also made a yurt which is now standing in the museum hall.

Since 2000 the project “Revival of Carpet Weaving” under the “Cultural Heritage” Association was implemented, and the experimental carpet-making workshop producing 22 kinds of rugs was established. The workshop designer was A.A.Shpade, who decorated these rugs according to the motifs of traditional Karakalpak ornaments. The similar workshops functioned also in Shumanay and Kegeili districts.