A group of Kaliningrad students spent two weeks in Italy

Kaliningrad Amber Museum together with Kaliningrad Art and Industrial College conducted a selective competition among students on 8 May 2014; its winners were awarded with certificates for two-week study trip to Italy. Jury that consisted of art experts, expositioners, designers, jewellers - selected works of following students: Anastasia Gutsu, Elena Denisenko, Gleb Pogorelov, Olga Tsyplakova, Tamara Emsen, Alexandra Bochkova.

Besides on 5 - 7 May Konrad Laimer together with graphic designer from Milan Jacopo Marcolini conducted a workshop "Men and measure" for students of Kaliningrad branch of the K.G.Razumovsky Moscow State University for Technology and Management. Talent, efficiency, sociability of students amazed the Italian guests so much that it was decided to take two more people - Ivan Pchelintsev and Valentina Chernetskaya - for the study trip to Italy.

From 14 tо 27 September young artists were in Italy. Study trip was divided in two logically and geographically different parts.

The first week was spent in Venice. The students studied and worked there under supervision of goldsmith, designer, constant participant of international projects of the Amber Museum Barbara Paganin in the Michelangelo Guggenheim Art School. Young artists visited a lot of museums - the ones on Murano and Burano islands included and inspired by everything seen and heard created jewellery pieces using a so called merletto technique.

The second week was spent in the much slower rhythm in Laas\Lasa in Southtirol, in the north of Italy. Boundless water spaces and narrow streets of Venice were changed with picturesque mountain landscapes: the magnificent Alps, medieval castles, small calm towns with friendly people and of course  snow-white marble of Lasa. Working on earlier unknown material - marble - became a challenge for students. Curator of this part of the study trip was teacher of the Marble and Stone Workers' Professional School in Lasa Walter Blaas. He helped students to overcome difficulties, found unusual decisions to realize ideas of the young artists.

We should also mention visit of the amazing shop and workshop Fruehauf, which caused strong emotions and incredible inspiration by students. It is a family business of Markus Fruehauf - jeweller, constant participant of the international contests "Alatyr" organized by the Kaliningrad Amber Museum. The other interesting event was visiting the International Trade Fair for Stone, Design and Technology MARMOMACC 2014 in Verona.

So in two weeks students got a lot of information, visited even more places, got to know different sides of culture in Italy, tried hands in jewellery and plastic art - had great experience, they will surely need much more time to realize it.

We wish creative success to the young artists and will look forward to the new works!