Summer School of Design to Be Held in St Petersburg

Andrey Lyublinsky's installation at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall

Photo from the archive of the HSE-St Petersburg Art and Design School

The HSE Art and Design School in St Petersburg is launching the Summer School of Design, a new urban educational project for those interested in design and visual art. The school, which is organised with support from the government of St Petersburg, will be held online on July 4–10 and will offer first-level courses in seven design disciplines.

The Summer School of Design is aimed at people interested in design and visual art. The project has been organised by HSE University in St Petersburg with support from the city government, and is being held as part of the implementation of the Concept of Scientific and Technological Development of St Petersburg until 2030. The Summer School programme is intended for a wide audience, from high school students preparing for admissions to adults thinking about continuing education or retraining. Its intensive courses will also be useful to students of city and regional art and design colleges and universities.

The Summer School of Design will be held online on July 4–10, 2022. It will be the first of a two-level educational project in seven design disciplines taught at the HSE Art and Design School in St Petersburg:

1. ‘Branding’ by Mikael Askerov

2. ‘Urban Design’ by Andrey Punin

3. ‘Books and Typography’ by Evgeny Grigoriev

4. ‘Public Art’ by Andrey Lyublinsky

5. ‘Poster’ by Sergey Kleshchev

6. ‘Object Design’ by Pavel Ulyanov

7. ‘Font, Calligraphy, and Lettering’ by Vladimir Anosov

The school will be career oriented. Students will learn about various areas of modern design and visual art, and will then have an opportunity to continue their studies and attend offline classes in St Petersburg in the autumn of 2022.

Dmitry Kharshak, Head of the HSE Art and Design School in St Petersburg

The week-long summer intensive programme will help students to learn about various areas of the design industry and determine their personal preferences for participation in workshops. The second level, which involves project work and six workshops with curators, will take place in the autumn. Participants of the programme will gain in-depth knowledge and acquire project skills in their chosen field of study. The format of interaction between curators and students is similar to that between art directors and designers in a professional studio. Each participant will complete a creative project that they can proudly include in their design portfolio.

Cooperation between the HSE Art and Design School in St Petersburg and leading cultural institutions is an important part of the city's cultural life. In 2018–2022, the following major exhibition projects were implemented: the ’33 Signs’ project in partnership with the Manege Central Exhibition Hall, joint projects with the Russian Museum of Ethnography, exhibitions of posters and books by school students at various cultural venues, as well as exhibition design and identity for urban events. The activities of the HSE Art and Design School in St Petersburg are much discussed in the cultural and design industry, while guests and residents of the city appreciate such events as part of the St Petersburg cultural agenda.

Vladimir Knyaginin, Vice Governor of St Petersburg

The development of the design industry has wide-ranging prospects for St Petersburg. This is one of the important areas of the city’s economic development—the share of specialists employed in it should be about 10% of the population, and the city design support programme has been developed to achieve this. Training programmes aimed at unveiling the creative potential of St Petersburg residents is an important part of this support. The Open Summer School of Design is another important initiative from HSE University in St Petersburg, and participation in it will be useful and interesting to anyone who would like to gain new knowledge in this creative field.