Russian-German Online Music Academy, Museum of Lost Paintings, Op-Pop-Art school of popular art and 7 other award-winning projects were among the first to join the Culture Online web portal.

The above-specified award for the best cultural projects of 2019 and 2020 effectively implemented with the use of modern digital technologies, was held for the first time in the fall of 2020 — during a period of strict anti-epidemic restrictions. Authors of several online initiatives noted by the expert council of the award told about their creative searches and experience of creating projects during the pandemic on the Culture Online portal.

Russian-German Music Academy online – for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, RCCR Projects GmbH
Winner in the “Best Online Project” nomination

The international project was prepared in the usual offline format, but with the onset of the pandemic, it transformed into a series of online events. Two music films and four concert streams were highly appreciated by politicians and diplomats from Russia, the USA and Europe, as well as by more than 4 million online viewers. The video shows Russian and German classical music and other musical pieces related to the theme of World War II, performed in the empty concert halls of Berlin, Moscow and St. Petersburg by Valery Gergiev, Denis Matsuev, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Martin Wuttke and other artists.

“Making films for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II was not an easy task under the pandemic conditions: all concert halls were closed, musicians from all the countries were separated,” says Nikolaus Rexroth, Artistic Director of the international cultural organization RCCR Projects. “It took a huge effort, and what is more important, the desire of both sides – Russian and German – to make such films and streams, to show how important is to remind the whole world at that exact moment that people of art unequivocally stand for peace and must do everything so that the horrors of war never happen again”, – noted the pianist.

“One on One with Pushkin Museum”,  Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 2nd place in the nomination “Best online project”

During the period of nationwide isolation, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts launched an online program #НаединесПушкинским (“One on one with Pushkin Museum”), which united all the museum’s Internet projects. Virtual Pushkin Museum continued to operate and to open new exhibitions, hold the online meetings with caretakers and curators, lectures and numerous excursions.

VKontakte Art Marathon, VKontakte social network, 3rd place in the “Best Online Project” nomination

Leading Russian social network turned its users to culture with the help of a large-scale online marathon. VKontakte Art Marathon project brought together a variety of cultural events and organizations: symphonic concerts, ballet and opera by the Mariinsky Theater, Ilya Averbukh’s ice performance in the Italian Arena di Verona, an interactive performance “Drama on the Highway” based on Boris Akunin’s play – at the Alexandrinsky Theater, broadcasts of productions from Russian drama theaters and even a web performance of the Ballet Moscow Theater created by choreographer Vladimir Varnava when in self-isolation.

Культура.РФ (www.culture.ru) web portal, Культура.РФ
is the winner in the “Online Breakthrough” nomination

Being separated from the audience and visitors, Russian cultural institutions began to actively post online events on the digital platform Культура.РФ (www.culture.ru). In the first six months of 2020, the portal’s traffic has almost doubled — from 13.6 to 27.1 million. Museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues have hosted more than 86 thousand online events here: 432 concerts, 431 lectures, 32 films and 26 performances.

“Museum of Lost Paintings”, Russia Today media group
is the winner in the “Integration of IT and culture” nomination

VR museum, created by the Russia Today media group shows 17 previously lost, but restored in virtual reality Russian art pieces, from ancient icons to paintings by Vereshchagin, Kuindzhi, Repin and other famous artists. Here you can not only see the fine art masterpieces, but also hear multimedia stories telling about their fate.

“The fate of each work is woven into the context of events. It echoes the history of the country and the world. A viewer not only sees what he would not be able to see in the “actual reality”, but understands and realizes how closely art is connected with all the possible aspects of our life,” – says the deputy editor-in-chief of the Russia Today media group Natalia Loseva.

Stay Home with Russian Seasons, Russian Seasons Autonomous Non-Profit Organization is the winner in the “Best online platform” nomination

Russian Seasons International Festival online service is a free extensive media library of Russian cultural content for foreign and Russian audiences, located in a special section on the website of Russian Seasons. It presents the events of the leading cultural institutions and creative collectives of Russia, translated into French or English.

Op-Pop-Art School of Popular Art, Anastasia Postrigai
is the winner in the “Best SMM campaign” nomination

Art critic, art dealer in the past and author of her own methodology for studying art Anastasia Postrigai speaks about culture in a clear language with an audience of thousands – on social networks and at author’s online courses. Special attention at the Op-Pop-Art school is paid to novice art connoisseurs – they are taught not to be afraid of a complex art history language.

“During the pandemic, the number of my students increased dramatically: people fled from the horror surrounding them into the world of beauty. At my courses, they studied, rested, relaxed, pumped up spirituality and were able to cope with the stress of COVID-19. In addition, my project helps people feel loved. I have been persistently and for a long time building a community of people in love with art, I encourage acquaintance in my social networks and on educational programs,” said the art critic, founder of the online school for the study of the history of art Op-Pop-Art Anastasia Postrigai.

 

“Victory Day” song performed by a consolidated group of 1000 musicians under the direction of Yuri Bashmet for the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Concert Agency and the Russian Culture Fund
is the winner in the “Special Jury Prize” nomination

New version of David Tukhmanov’s song with words written by Vladimir Kharitonov was recorded and mastered in isolation: staying at home, young musicians and singers from various regions of Russia independently recorded their parts, which were later mixed into a video clip presented for the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory.

“Fairy tales in a bomb shelter: chronicles of kindergartens and schools of besieged Leningrad”, TASS (Telegraph Agency of Soviet Union)
is the winner in the “Special Jury Prize” nomination

Special project by the TASS news agency tells about the everyday lives of kindergarten and school teachers and children during the siege of Leningrad, difficult wartime and daily heroic deeds – based on archival data, diary entries and children’s drawings.

Culture of Yaroslavia web portal, Educational, Methodological and Information Center of Workers of Culture and Art of the Yaroslavl Region
is the winner in the “Special Jury Prize” nomination

The “Special Jury Prize” of the Culture Online Award in 2020 was also granted to the bright regional information portal “Culture of Yaroslavl” – for a creative and non-standard approach to presentation of cultural events, as well as attracting the attention of the audience to the cultural heritage and traditions of the region.

“When developing an up-to-date concept of a regional cultural portal, the most important thing, in my opinion, is to explore and deeply understand the identity of the region and carefully think through the ways and means to present it to the site visitor,” said one of the authors of the project Irina Ivanova, Executive Director and Managing Partner of the LOCUS Consulting Group Consulting and Analytical Center.

Total of 235 works from 43 regions of the Russian Federation were submitted for consideration by the expert council of the Culture Online Award in 2020. The expert council of the award included 11 cultural figures, media representatives and experts in strategic communications. These included actress Anna Mikhalkova, artistic director of the Alexandrinsky Theater Valery Fokin, head of the Department of Contemporary Art of the State Hermitage Dmitry Ozerkov, General Director of the TASS Sergey Mikhailov, writer Alexander Tsypkin and others. The Council is chaired by Alla Manilova, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.