Children’s Art Schools (entry)

Categories / Science. Education/Educational Institutions
CHILDREN’S ART SCHOOLS are primary schools in the system of schools for creative and talented children. In 1835, K. Kh. Reissig founded in St. Petersburg public Sunday drawing and drafting classes at the Technological Institute for people of any title, state, or age (from age 10 and up). In 1839, he opened the Auditors Drawing School at the Custom House (2 Birzhevaya Square), which was given to the Society of Arts Assistance in 1857.The Primary Drawing School and the School of Drafting and Modeling was created through the funding of Baron A.L. Stieglitz (see The Stieglitz) in 1879. Classes with 9-year-old children took place three times a week in the evenings; there were 314 pupils in 1881 and 746 in 1892. Several private children’s art schools were working in Petrograd until 1917. In 1918, they turned into the Art School-Workshop at the Social Education Department of LOONO (known as the Second Children’s Art School after 1936) under the guidance of Y.K. Shablovsky (from 1919 it was situated at 35 Tavricheskaya Street) with four-year evening education for children from 10 to 13 years of age (in 1933 there were 460 pupils). In 1933, the Primary School of Drawing, and Drafting and Modeling was founded at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. In 1936, it was transformed to the First Leningrad Art School (14 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street), which gave general secondary and arts education. It was also directed by Shablovsky. In 2002, there were 20 regional and one city (26 Griboedova Canal Embankment) children’s art schools in St. Petersburg. They have the faculties of drawing, painting, sculpture, composition, ceramics, weaving, batiks, history of arts, etc. The most popular children’s art schools are those that hold classes after school hours two to three evenings a week (for four to five years). Children aged 10-11 must take entrance examinations to be accepted there. Graduates can continue their education in secondary art schools.

References: Художественное училище имени Николая Рёриха: Страницы истории / Авт.-сост. Э. М. Романовская. СПб., 2001. С. 19-20, 180-191, 206.

S. V. Boglachev. Shablovsky Yan Konstantinovich
Stieglitz Alexander Ludwigovich, Baron
Birzhevaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city, house 2
Griboedova Canal Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 26
Krasnoarmeiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 14
Tavricheskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 35
Художественное училище имени Николая Рериха: Страницы истории / Авт-сост. Э. М. Романовская. СПб., 2001. Religious schools
Society for the Encouragement of the Arts
Academy of Arts