International Biennal of Amber Artworks "Alatyr - 2007"

Conditions of "АLATYR-2007", the Second Biennial of Amber Artworks

Kaliningrad Amber Museum is organizing the second Biennial of amber works of arts in June 2007. This contest has a title "Alatyr-2007".

This title means "father to all stones". "Alatyr" is a native Russian name of amber which in the folk tradition was endowed with magic power and salubrious qualities.

Objectives and purposes of the contest:

• Mutual enrichment of cultures
• Detection of the work’s specificity with amber as with the art material in different countries: aesthetic systems and individual practices.
• Enrichment of Kaliningrad art exhibition thanks to the possibility of contacts with works of art of the foreign painters in the real space.
• In the context of contest’s arrangements, realization of an educational programme for students of the vocational art lyceum № 10 from the department of specialists in artistic amber treatment and for the young Kaliningrad artists.
• In the context of competitive programme, realization of the seminar "Modern amber collections: structure, principles of formation and peculiarities of usage".

The order of the contest’s holding

The curator in every country appoints the participants membership and the authors’ works. It should not be more than 15 participants from each country. One can download the participant's application form from here.

(See below the curator’s duties)

Artists also can present the works at their free-will, irrespective of the curator. The last term of giving the artworks to the organizing committee is 20th of June.

Applications for the participation in the Contest should be send till the 25th of May. The address is ambermuseum@bds.ru.

The present contest is conducted in four categories:

• Jewelry
• Carved articles
• Interior objects

In all the works submitted for the contest amber should be the main material.

The use of both natural and pressed amber is permitted, as well as amber with inclusions. It can be combined with other precious and semi-precious stones, metal, bone, wood etc. The methods of amber treatment are not restricted.

Works of arts made in 2006-2007 will be accepted. The works must be the property of the maker or the enterprise (firm) where he/she is employed.

Amateur artists may participate in the contest along with professionals.

The jury takes into consideration all pieces of work which are represented at the contest without any limits. The participant has the right to submit not more than two articles in each of the three main categories. This ensemble of works will be considered as one work.

All artworks coming to the organizing committee should have a special label with the title of each work, the year of its creation, its material, its technique and its personal code (any six-symbol figure). Name and address of every artist should be printed in the special list and delivered to the organizing committee together with the art goods. This special list should be in the sealed envelope with the printed six-symbol figure on the envelope.

The dead-line for delivering of artworks to the organizing committee is the 15 th of June.

The international jury including representatives of all countries participating in the contest will estimate the participants and sum up the results of the contest.

Members of the jury can not participate in the contest. Curators are not allowed to be the members of the jury.

All artworks which were accepted to the contest are participating in the exhibition with their authors’ names. The only exception will be works rejected by jury because of their obvious art failure.

The artworks of the contest will be exhibited at the Kaliningrad Amber Museum in July –August 2007.

In the framework of the contest:

• The educational programme for students of the vocational art lyceum № 10 from the department of specialists in artistic amber treatment and for young artists from Kaliningrad is realized;
• The seminar "Modern amber collections: structure, principles of formation and peculiarities of usage" will be hold. All materials concerning the seminar will be published in the appendix of the contest’s catalogue.

Publication of a catalogue

Coloured bilingual illustrated catalogue with artistic works of contest’s participants is going to be published according to the contest’s results (English is the second language). The catalogue will include short informational-analytical articles of curators from every country participating in the contest.

This catalogue is free of charge for all members of jury and all participants of the seminar.

Awards to the winners of the competition

The contest’s organizing committee establishes one main prize, 3 titles of laureate and a number of special jury’s awards. The works of art which were awarded by jury would be obtained by Amber Museum for its collection. Museum accepts gifts from artists in order to form their creations into the state collection.

Apart from the organizing committee’s awards, the establishment of enterprising awards is planned. Names, content, estimations and amounts of the initiations awards will be determined by the originators of this award together with the contest’s organizing committee.

A viewer’s choice award has also been established and the recipient will be determined by votes of the exhibition viewers at the end of its work.

Curator’s duties:

1. Selects a group of the contest’s participants (maximum 15 persons from each country);
2. Chooses artworks for the contest according to its conditions;
3. Wrights the informational-analytical note about the participants on both Russian and English languages (1800-3600 symbols, 14 size of type with one interval)
4. Selects the illustrative material made by digital camera on the electronic carrier (with good resolution minimum 5 mega pixels) and sends it to the Amber Museum before the 15 of April 2007
5. Delivers artistic works to the context (Amber Museum pays for the turn and return tickets and curator’s stay in a hotel);
6. Artworks’ insurance and the paper work concerning the importation and export are carried out by participants or curator;
7. Artworks` dispatch is carrying out through the consulates of all countries-participants.

Organizing committee of "ALATYR – 2007",

The second Biennial of Amber Artworks