The Paraskeva Workshop of Nizhnii Novgorod

   The Paraskeva Workshop of Nizhnii Novgorod is a non-profit organization. Members of Paraskeva gather twice a week to discuss their work and plan future events. They participate in local, regional and nation-wide folk art exhibitions and festivals. Master teachers and artisans instruct other members in traditional skills such as weaving, quilting, doll-making and the creation of folk costumes.

   Natalia Volganova is the current leader of the NN Paraskeva Workshop. She is a member of the Union of Architects of Russia. Her email address is nkv-p@yandex.ru.

   Workshop members pursue a variety of professions, including teaching, medicine, social services, and work in factories. Students and retirees also participate in Paraskeva activities.

   In 2004 and 2006, members of Nizhnii Novgorod's Paraskeva Workshop won prizes in the All-Russia Festival "Russian Costume between Two Eras."

   In 2007, folk art dolls made by members of the Nizhnii Novgorod Paraskeva Workshop were selected for a juried competition in the United States. Olga Bocharova was awarded a scholarship to attend the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, representing her work and the work of her colleagues. The Santa Fe Market includes a UNESCO training session for 100 artists from countries around the world. For more information about Santa Fe and its International Folk Art Market, go to www.folkartmarket.org. The city of Santa Fe is known as a center of traditional and contemporary art, that preserves Native American art and handcraft, as well as Hispanic culture of the southwestern United States and Mexico.