Anastasia Shipitsina Svetlana Luchnikova

Anastasia Shipitsina born in Kukushtan village of the Perm region, graduated from the faculty of History and Politics in the Perm State National Research University where she later also received her Master's degree. Curator of the project for teenagers «Za partoy» in the Museum of Modern Art PERMM.

Svetlana Luchnikova born in Porkrovskoye village of the Nytva region, graduated from the faculty of History and Politics in the Perm State National Research University. Curator of the project «Third Age» in the Museum of Modern Art PERMM.

Quotes

Svetlana:

• When you start doing something it the city, it grows into you. And you see its beautiful sides.
• If you feel sad or lonely, come to the museum.

Anastasia:

• Taking responsibility for your activity you can't give up on, keeps you at your place.
• I dream of making an object with the teenagers that will be seen from space.
• Modern art language can be a bridge for the teenager and world to communicate.

Our story

Anastasia: When I studied in the university, Museum of Modern Art PERMM was all over the news, working there seemed incredibly upscale. And as I was an active student — I did newspapers for the faculty, took part in organization of various events — my academic adviser Masha Romashova, Maria Vladimirovna to me at that point, invited me to work in the museum. I had a very precise task and aim — working with teenagers. It has been six years already that I'm doing it.

Teen age is the time when person is struggling communicating with the world in general -critical and abstract thinking are being formed, everything turns over in one's head, and he tries to carry these new thoughts to the world but still lacks the skill to articulate them. That is why adults don't understand teenagers. We see modern art as some language we can use to stabilize this communication, to start talking one language, a language we can read, translate, and use to express oneself. We think this language appropriate as it feels «close to home» for teenagers due to its attractiveness, use of technologies, and visual brightness.

Svetlana: It is a slightly different situation with the older age. It is often thought that museums of modern art are only for young people. We try to overcome this stereotype. People of age have a great resource of spare time, they have desire to learn new things. Works of modern art are to be interpreted, studied, put sense into them. It is interesting to watch how differently young people and elderly people approach this task.

Anastasia: We have a department of museum pedagogics here. Our task is to make modern art clear for everyone who comes, to make them interested in research. Our department's motto is, «Mum, I'm sorry, I'm going to be an artist.» We dream of the world where everyone treats their lives and everything in a creative way. We understand word «artist» in a wider sense — as a person who solves any problem in a creative way, improvises in the all-the-time changing circumstances.

Svetlana: We laugh that all the curators of the educational projects in PERMM kind of resemble their audiences. Nastya (Anastasia) Shipitsina is a bit of a teenager, Nastya Serebrennikova is a baby, and they sometimes call me a granny (laughs).

Anastasia: We love being avant-garde of the museum business. Many museums work with school groups, but rare museums work with teenagers individually, letting them come on their own, willingly and reasonably.

Svetlana: For elderly people it is usually clubs where the main focus is some skills they already have. We aim at teaching them something new, opening the new facets of the big and mobile world for them.

Anastasia: I feel really comfortable where I am now. It seems, I can create an environment to lead an interesting life, and I am surrounded by the team of the same-minded people I hold dear. When you are leading an active life and it drives you, you have no wish to leave.

Svetlana: There are always funny stories with the people of older age. For example, one of the students asked to take a picture of her at the lecture to prove her jealous husband she really goes to the museum. And it didn't annoy her, she was clearly pleased by it (smiles).

Or, for example, someone picks up a brush for the first time in fifty years (though he dreamed of it all the time), paints a self-portrait, carries it home and puts it in a frame.

Anastasia: I had a pretty boring teen age myself. I can't fix that but I can help guys to spend their teen age differently, because it is a truly cool time. And you have to have it right, so we try to think of the ways to make it happen.

Svetlana: I feel sad when people often immediately say «oh, no» about the modern art without knowing a single thing about it. I want people to think, to simply have a bit more joy in life. Personally, I dream of various small things. I want to see how a whale jumps out of the ocean, to go to the Antarctic, to live up to the moment when you can afford a trip to space.

Many people feel lonely when they get older. Museum creates companies, connects people who feel nice around each other. If you are bored, come join us, we have things to offer you.