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Museum of Calligraphy

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Established
  
August 14, 2008

Tel.
  
+7 495 728 7758

Director
  
Alexey Shaburov

Phone
  
+7 495 728-77-58

Museum of Calligraphy

Location
  
2, bld. 1, 5 Luchevoy prosek, Moscow, 107114, MEC Sokolniki

Getting here
  
metro-station Sokolniki

Operating times
  
Tuesday-Friday 12 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Address
  
Sokolniki Park, ul. Sokolnicheskiy Val, 1, Moskva, Russia, 107113

Similar
  
Natsionalnyy soyuz kalligrafov, Sokolniki Park, Sokolniki Arena, Tagansky Protected Comman, State Public Historical

Profiles

Contemporary museum of calligraphy


The Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, dedicated to the art of calligraphy, is situated in Sokolniki Park, Moscow. The museum collection features calligraphy masterpieces from 43 countries. The concept was elaborated by Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre and the National Union of Calligraphers.

Contents

The Museum was officially opened on August 14, 2008.

Contemporary museum of calligraphy is a member of International Council of Museums (ICOM), American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and European Museum Forum (EMF). The exhibitions, organized by the museum, are supported be the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation and are granted the auspices . In 2009 the museum's project International Exhibition of Calligraphy was approved by UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) for high professional level of exhibitions organization. In 2010 the project entered the final three of exhibitions World Cup according to Exhibition News Awards (London). In 2010 the International Exhibition of Calligraphy was certified by Russian Union of exhibitions and fairs (RUEF).

The engaged initiator and the director of the museum is Alexey Shaburov, the President of Museum-educational complex Sokolniki.

The museum was created in order “to provide the conditions for developing calligraphy as a language of mutual understanding without borders.”

Similar museums have been long working in Turkey, China, Japan and United Arab Emirates. It is by a very strange chance that Russia did not have any calligraphy museum before.

Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy is the first Russian museum for the art of lettering.

Contemporary museum of calligraphy 2009


Contemporary museum of calligraphy Timeline

August 14, 2008—the opening day of the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

September 16–21, 2008—The I International Exhibition of Calligraphy (Repin State Academic Institute of Painting Sculpture and Architecture, Saint Petersburg).

December 9–14, 2008 — the exhibition “Mystery world of calligraphy”

December 12, 2008 — the museum shows the first and only handwritten Constitution of Russian Federation. The author is Petr Chobitko, the Chairman of the National Union of Calligraphers. Today this unique exhibit is still in the museum.

March 26, 2009 — master-class of famous Japanese calligraphers Sashida Nakefusa and Hirose Shoko.

April 14–19, 2009 — festival of Japanese culture “Sakura” in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

May 18, 2009 — the Contemporary museum of calligraphy become a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

May 22, 2009 — the museum gets the auspice of the UNESCO RF Committee.

May 23, 2009 — the Day of Slavonic culture.

June 3, 2009 — the museum takes part in the 11th Moscow International Museum Festival “Intermuseum-2009”.

June 30, 2009 — the museum starts the contest “Holy Script in Calligraphy”

July 8, 2009 — at G8 summit Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi holly presented to the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev the Russian national anthem written by hand and beautifully illuminated. This work was created by The museum was asked by Marilena Ferrari-FMR publishing house to perform this Russian national anthem. So, a member of the National Union of Calligraphers Evgeny Drobyazin and an Italian calligrapher Barbara Calzolary, whose works are also displayed in the museum, created this anthem.

August 14, 2009 — Museum’s birthday. The museum gets new exhibit — the World largest Mezuzah written by a famous Israeli calligrapher Avraham Borshevsky. This scroll is by right included into the Guinness Book of World Records.

September 23, 2009 — the museum gets a greeting letter from Kirill Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus.

October 14 — November 14, 2009 — II International Exhibition of Calligraphy (Museum- educational complex Sokolniki, Moscow). A world-famous calligrapher, a member of the UNESCO international jury on distribution of art awards Nja Mahdaoui comes to the exhibition and gives some master-classes.

November 25, 2009 — the project of the museum International Exhibition of Calligraphy are approved by UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) for high professional level of exhibitions.

March 23, 2010 — the project International Exhibition of Calligraphy becomes a finalist of exhibitions World Cup according to Exhibition News Awards (London).

March 26—28, 2010 — the Days of Japanese culture in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

May 27—28, 2010 — the Days of Slavonic culture in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

July 8, 2010 — the museum becomes a member of the American Association of Museum (AAM).

August 1, 2010 — the museum becomes a member of the European Museum Forum (EMF).

September 10–12, 2010 — III International Exhibition of Calligraphy (he territory of Yaroslav’s Court, Vilikiy Novgorod). 37 000 visitors for 3 days.

November 17, 2010 — a one-day exhibition of the birch-bark manuscripts and the Four Gospels from the Novgorod State United Museum-Reserve are held.

November 18, 2010 — the opening ceremony of the National School of Calligraphy, initiated by the Contemporary museum of calligraphy. The main professor is a member of the National Union of Calligrapohers Yury Koverdiaev.

February 3, 2011 — the projects of the museum are approved by Russian Union of exhibitions and fairs (RUEF).

February 14, 2011 – St.Valentine’s Day. Calligraphers sign Valentine cards.

March – May, 2011 – At weekends the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy accommodates chamber concerts of classic music.

March 27, 2011 – The days of the Korean Script, Kim Jong Chil personally conducted a tour around the museum and a workshop.

March 29–30, 2011 – Japanese Culture Days at the museum. Workshops conducted by Japanese calligraphers Sashida Takefusa and Hirose Shoko.

June 1, 2011 – Calligraphy Fest dedicated to the International Children’s Day.

October 16, 2011 – A new season was marked by a series of master-classes.

April 8, 2012 – The Day of the Slavic Eastern Egg, a celebration on Easter Eve, dedicated to painted egg tradition.

May 21, 2012 – The Day of the Slavic Script at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy.

November 1 – December 15, 2012 – The IV International Exhibition of Calligraphy, took place at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow, traditionally featuring lectures and workshops by Russian and foreign calligraphy masters. Its distinctive characteristic was the shape-shifting exposition that had been totally changed several times during the event

March 15–21, 2013 – Korean Calligrapher Kim Jong Chil's Solo Exhibition

Museum innovations

  • First and still the only museum of contemporary calligraphy art in Russia.
  • The exposition is formed according to principals of visual perception.
  • The museum is a kind of art-workshop. People are gathering to discuss art questions, to communicate with calligraphers, to change their own art experience, to take part in collective art-making.
  • Museum activity

    I International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held in Saint Petersburg in 2008. 68 participants from 26 countries took part in this exhibition

    II International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held in Museum-educational complex Sokolniki in Moscow in 2009. More than 100 calligraphers from 33 countries. The exhibition halls’ total area is about 5 000 sq.m.

    III International Exhibition of Calligraphy was held in Velikiy Novgorod in 2010. For this exhibition a special pavilion was built in the city historic centre near the Kremlin in Yaroslav’s Court. 109 calligraphers from 43 countries.

    The IV International Exhibition of Calligraphy at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow, attended by 178 calligraphers from 43 countries (footnotes 10-11).

    The common number of visitors of these three big events is about 84 000.

  • Cultural Festivals and Events
  • April 14–19, 2009 — festival of Japanese culture “Sakura” in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

    March 26—28, 2010 — the Days of Japanese culture in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

    May 23, 2009 and May 27—28, 2010 — the Days of Slavonic culture in the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

  • Master-classes
  • The Contemporary museum of calligraphy regularly organizes master-classes of Russian calligraphers and famous masters of writing art from abroad.

    As the link between calligraphy and other kinds of art is very close, the museum cooperates with the artists, musicians, poets and other people of art for organization of little events.

  • The National School of Calligraphy
  • The School was open on November, 2010. The School’s aim is to show people what calligraphy art is, explore the history of different fonts, teach to use different pens, give basics of beautiful writing. The senior professor is Yury Koverdyaev, graphic artist, calligrapher, member of Russian Union of Artists.

    Exposition

    The museum has the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of national Russian calligraphy, European writing systems, samples of Hebrew calligraphy, colorful Arabic calligraphy, ancient Georgian calligraphy, strict Japanese hieroglyphs and ancient Chinese calligraphy. These art creations reveal to a man the history and continuous development of world writing systems. Calligraphy art pieces are added by rare handwritten books, pens and writing implements.

    The museum displays works of 114 calligraphers from 41 country.

    The most famous exhibits in the Museum are:

  • Handwritten Constitution of the Russian Federation
  • Decalogue (Ten Commandments)
  • The World famous Mezuzah
  • Sacral calligraphy collection
  • Samples of sacred calligraphy

    The Contemporary museum of calligraphy is a new and unique institution that unites painting, graphics and writing.

    Apart from its permanent exposition the Museum is the official organizer of the International exhibition of calligraphy.

    The Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy is located at Pavilion 7 of the Museum-educational complex Sokolniki.

    Calligraphy museums

  • Contemporary museum of calligraphy
  • Bartlhaus
  • Hill Museum & Manuscript Library
  • The Karpeles Manuscript Library
  • Manuscript Museum (MsM)
  • Naritasan Calligraphy museum
  • The Modern Calligraphy Collection of the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Ditchling Museum
  • Klingspor Museum
  • Sakip Sabanci Museum
  • Calligraphy exhibitions

  • International Exhibition of Calligraphy
  • Calligraphy Exhibition at Ethos Art Gallery
  • Japanese calligraphy exhibition
  • World calligraphy association

  • National Union of Calligraphers
  • Association for the Calligraphic Arts
  • North West Calligraphers’ Association
  • The Chinese Calligraphy Association
  • The Washington Calligraphers Guild
  • Calligraphy Society of Florida
  • The International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting IAMPETH
  • L’esperluette
  • Centro Internazionale Arti Calligrafiche
  • Peannairi (Irish Scribes)
  • Associazione Calligrafica Italiana (ACI)
  • Meitokai
  • Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society
  • What the press says

  • The Diplomat magazine. Treasures of Calligraphy, 1.2009
  • The museum was created in order “to provide the conditions for developing calligraphy as a language of mutual understanding without borders.”

  • Mospress. Official web-portal of the Moscow government - available in Russian
  • Similar museums have been long working in Turkey, China, Japan and United Arab Emirates. It is by a very strange chance that Russia did not have any calligraphy museum before.

  • RIA Novosti - available in Russian
  • Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy is the first Russian museum for the art of lettering.

    References

    Museum of Calligraphy Wikipedia