School of Folk Art of the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna St. Petersburg

• Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
• Founded: 1992
• Age of students: 7-17 years
• Type of education: joint (mixed)
• Language of instruction: Russian.

The School of Folk Art was opened in 1911 under the patronage of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, was part of the Imperial Women's Patriotic Society. The educational institution conducted education in two areas: church and folk art.

After the revolution, the school was closed and reopened its doors only 73 years later - in the fall of 1992 thanks to the work of the Fund for the Revival of Traditional Culture (in memory of Princess M.K. Tenisheva).

The model of the School of Folk Art is still relevant today; it allows students to cultivate a love of national, spiritual art and culture. The educational institution teaches on a general education program, prepares students for passing final exams, and offers a variety of additional courses in the field of art.

Crafts, folk music culture are taught as part of basic education. Pupils who want to study music or art culture in-depth can enter a music or art school (part of the educational institution). Their program is based on the study of folklore, church singing, folk art, and ornament.

The educational institution attracts teachers from the State Conservatory, St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Repin for more in-depth education of children. A school choir works: the winner and participant of many vocal competitions, festivals, a participant in the art program of All-Russian exhibitions.

Every year, at the beginning of summer, students of all classes go on pilgrimage trips to holy places and monasteries in Russia, to folklore and ethnographic expeditions, to agricultural practice. Over the years of the existence of ShNI, students have visited Karelia, Smolensk, Talashkino (the Tenishevs' estate), the village of Tatevo (the birthplace, the place of work of S. A. Rachinsky), repeated the school trip to the Nilova Pustyn in the wake of S. A. Rachinsky and his students. Pupils are conducting search work on the history of the school in Luga, the educational institution is reviving educational links with 29 provinces and monasteries, from where, before the revolution, students were sent to St. Petersburg, the School of Folk Art of the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, and centers of traditional crafts. The expeditions visited Moscow, Sevastopol, Kaluga, Ostashkov, Pushkin mountains, villages of Pskov, Tver, Smolensk, Leningrad, Novgorod regions, Polkhovsky Maidan, Krutts. Pilgrimages to Shamordinsky, Optinsky, Tikhvin, Aleksandro-Svirsky, Vvedeno-Oyatsky, Nilo-Stolobensky, Trinity-Sergiev, Valaam monasteries occupy a special place.

Teachers carefully prepare each practice, pilgrimage or expedition throughout the school year, each student receives an individual task - preparing works for a photo exhibition, reports for school conferences, detailed illustrated written reports written in free creative form.

• The School of Folk Art of the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, an independent educational institution that has passed the necessary certification, accreditation at all levels of secondary general education, has received licenses for teaching in-depth study of folk crafts. Today, ShNI still pays great attention to in-depth study of folk traditions and crafts.
• The School of Folk Art conducts training according to state basic programs, monitors the compliance of students with the St. Petersburg educational standard.
• The learning process is built taking into account the leading educational technologies, pedagogical achievements of the past - the legacy of K.D. Ushinsky, S.A. Rachinsky et al., Modern teaching aids that meet the educational objectives of the school.
• A significant place in the educational system of the ShNI is the religious component. The daily life of the educational institution is subject to the Orthodox calendar, many students and teachers observe fasting, children get acquainted with church holidays. Some of them, such as Christmas, are widely celebrated, all students participate in their preparation. Children sing in a church choir, sew vestments, learn to paint icons, and study the diversity of church art crafts. Every day begins with a common prayer, the students read the Gospel, and the Divine Liturgy is served on holidays.

The school is located in a 4-story separate building with all the necessary educational equipment.

The school has at its disposal a permanent base for conducting summer practices - a school estate in the village of Voskresenskoye (50 km from Tikhvin). The house built in 1917 was donated to the School of Folk Art in 1996. On the basis of the estate, ethnographic, folklore, handicraft, and agricultural practices are held annually, students make pilgrimages to Tikhvin, Zelenetsky Monastery, Staraya Ladoga.

Tuition is differentiated for different categories of students. The amount of payment is established by the Board of Trustees of the school.

• Guardianship services

• Student's supervision