Workshop

In accordance with the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, the Atelier team makes extensive use of creative provocations — non-verbal techniques that involve children in the creative process. For example, it could be a story about the Playground or an interesting piece of work displayed prominently.

Please be aware that from 1 March 2024, visiting the Workshop will only be possible following prior registration for a chosen time slot:

13:00–15:00
15:30–17:30
18:00–20:00

Registration

Mon—Fri, 13:00–20:00

The Workshop is closed on the first and third Monday of every month to allow us to tidy up and making the space even more comfortable.

atelier@v-a-c.org

Atelier schedule 

Why the Workshop is designed this way 

You can register in advance or just before visiting the Atelier. A registration is required for each visitor (for example, for both a child and their adult chaperone).

Registration slots for the week ahead are published on the website on Wednesdays.

The Workshop has several visiting formats

Drop-in attendance

Visiting families decide for themselves what to do today. All the materials you find on the shelves are at your disposal. Creative provocations prepared by the Atelier staff and special instructions created by our experts will help you come up with an idea and bring it to life. This format helps children and adults learn new things faster and get to know each other better.

When: Mon-Fri,
13:00–15:00
15:30–17:30
18:00–20:00

Pre-registration: required

Work with a guest master

Each of the four workshop areas (Wood, Paper, Clay, Fabric) is supervised by a guest craftsman from whom you can learn craft techniques and get advice and support. They will help get to grips with complex equipment such as an electric jigsaw, etching machine, sewing machine, and potter’s wheel. This is a great option for those who want to learn something new and acquire practical skills.

When: Fri, Sat, Sun,
13:00–15:00
15:30–17:30
18:00–20:00

You can arrive at the beginning or join in at any time (provided there are free slots).

Pre-registration: required

Workshops with artists

Twice a month we invite contemporary artists who invent journey scenarios involving several workshop zones and using a variety of materials.

In the course of these workshops, children develop their visual imagination, and the classes result in the children completing a small art project.

Each workshop runs twice, so if you missed the first one you can always attend the next one.

When: Twice a month on Sundays.

Pre-registration: required, number of participants is limited.

Auxilary cards for parents

These cards help adults interact with their children at the Atelier and further support the kids’ creative endeavours at home and elsewhere. Each describes an interesting situation, contains advice for adults and a few questions and phrases for the child to help build a creative dialogue.

Our guidelines are based on the Reggio Emilia approach and the principles of humanistic pedagogy. You can read more about them here.

Download 

Workshop areas

The idea of the Atelier was inspired by the principles of the pedagogical approach adopted in Reggio Emilia, which holds that all children are endowed with a certain creative potential. They naturally possess “a hundred languages” (a myriad of ways to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings), and the task of adults is not to hinder the child from mastering these languages, but rather to help them gain courage and confidence in exploring the world.

Together with experts, we have created four interconnected zones for working with clay, paper, wood and fabric. They are all located in the same space, which helps the child become aware of the relationship between the skills they are learning and the phenomena they are experiencing.

Each area of the Workshop has a Guest Master, who is a professional in his or her field. He or she can tell about the subtleties of the craft and different techniques of working with the material, as well as suggest interesting projects.

It’s easy to meet the Master: choose a convenient day and time in the calendar, register for admission to GES-2 House of Culture and come to the Atelier. We are waiting for you!

For their invaluable expertise in setting up the Workshop, the project team would like to thank:
Daria Chapkovskaya, Sergei Dobrydnev, Alexandra Grach, Alfiya Guseva, Viktor Krutelev, Dina Leonova, Sergei Tsarev, Dmitry Vakulin

Atelier guest masters

Discover hand printing, learn how to use an etching press and find out what a stencil is. You can also draw on a wide range of paper sizes. How about making a life-sized self-portrait using twigs, potatoes or your own fingers? We’re always happy to experiment!

Paper

Guest master

Sasha Tsimbalyuk

Hi, I’m Sasha—a designer, illustrator, and teacher. I’m constantly travelling and creating travel sketches, which often grow into big creative projects.

How long have you been working with paper?

I have been friends with paper since childhood. It started with drawings on wallpaper during a house renovation and making postcards for all family members. Then it gradually grew into a serious hobby. Six months ago I finished my BA in illustration in London: paper has become my main tool for storytelling and experimentation.

What do you want to accomplish at the Atelier?

I want to create a space of freedom, play, and self-expression, where everyone can feel the joy of the process and come up with something of their own.

What is your favourite dinosaur?

The one that can fly—I’m a little jealous of it.

Wood

We have saws, sanders, drills, electric jigsaws, different types of wood and more to create all kinds of objects, from chairs to decorations. You can drill, saw, sand or paint on wood or use it in other areas of the Workshop. The choice is yours!

Guest Master

Ilay Jipov

Hi! I am an artist Ilay Jipov. I work with wood, create furniture and interiors of public spaces. I believe that it is much easier to live and find inspiration in a comfortable environment.

How long have you been working with wood?

Almost two years. I started by making furniture for my workshop, then furniture for friends, and gradually moved on to large art objects.

What do you want to accomplish at the Atelier?

I want to convey the idea that wood is a wonderful material: warm, natural and strong, but at the same time very yielding. You can make anything out of it.

What is your favourite dinosaur?

Tyrannosaurus, because he has really cute front paws. I can imagine him making a stool with them.

Clay

We have different types of clay, a potter’s wheel and rolling table so you can implement any idea you want — make a monster that lives in the forest, or a teacup to give to your grandmother. You can either take your creation home immediately, or you can have it fired and take it back in its finished form in a few weeks.

Guest Master

Nastia Pavlova

Hi! I am an artist. I work with ceramics, painting and sound. My art is a personal system of mythological patterns that I dig out through intuitive interaction with materials and tools.

How long have you been working with clay?

I started working with clay about six years ago. At that time I was studying to be an architect and I didn’t think it would become one of my main activities.

What do you want to accomplish at the Atelier?

I want to give people the opportunity to feel the magic of clay, which once fascinated me, to feel how an image from your head ends up in your hands, and after baking is captured in the real world.

What is your favourite dinosaur?

I lived next to the Darwin Museum for six months, and from my courtyard through an archway I could see a sculpture of an Amurosaurus. So let that be my favourite.

Fabric

Everything from felting to beading, sewing, embroidery and much more. Make yourself a crown, a magic wand, funny paws or glasses, sew a dream toy on a machine — and go play with them at the Playground ! in this area, you can also decorate your clothes in this area.

Guest Master

Misha Ilyin

Hi! I’m Mickey, but my friends just call me Misha. I ride a bike, run a business and love hiking.

How long have you been working with fabric?

Since 2017. Initially re-sewing handbags from jeans, and then I went to study and got a degree in textiles.

What do you want to accomplish at the Atelier?

To pass on knowledge to people, to make them fall in love with the textile field, to develop and grow together creatively.

What is your favourite dinosaur?

Nanuqsaurus.

We invite visitors of all ages. If you have not turned 14 yet, be sure to bring an adult with you.

Please note: the number of visitors that can stay in the Workshop at one time is limited.

Please help us keep the Workshop clean: do not bring food and drinks with you.

Before you start, we will ask you to sign the Rules of Attendance.

Official regulations for attending the Atelier playground  

Photos by:
Gleb Leonov, Mark Seriy, Anastasia Soboleva, Anya Todich, Demyan Lisment (jelsanaves)