Last week, in a solemn ceremony at the regional administration, Governor N. K. Maksyuta presented commemorative medals “Patriot of Russia” to 28 representatives of state and public organizations for their major contribution to the development of the system of patriotic education within federal target programs and for their active public work. Among the awardees was our fellow countrywoman Elena Vladimirovna ORLOVA.
Allow me to introduce her to you. Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, Head of the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts at the Volgograd Institute of Arts and Culture, professor, director of the Regional Children’s Art Gallery she created and of the only Museum of Children’s Creativity in the country.
Her creative specialization is graphics. At the end of last year, especially for her anniversary exhibition, a catalogue of Orlova’s works was published for the first time. It presented about one hundred wonderful works — graphics, watercolor, painting. And all of them were created at home. Elena Vladimirovna has no creative studio. There is simply not enough time for that.
But she considers work with children to be the main cause of her life. She is convinced that creativity introduces a person to culture and art, and that, broadly speaking, is the education of the human being — but only if children’s creativity is treated seriously.
Anyone who has visited the Regional Children’s Gallery at least once has understood what an ideal institution for nurturing young talents should be like. There is an eternal celebration of the soul there. And one can probably find such remarkable, intelligent teachers nowhere else.
Her students adore her. With Elena Vladimirovna one can talk about everything in the world — about life, art, the secrets of craft, and much else. She has a rare gift for communicating with students. She is their friend, sincere and reliable; at the same time, she is strict and demanding. She treats children’s drawings with great care. Today the gallery holds 22 thousand masterpieces from 36 countries.
The unique Volgograd Museum of Children’s Creativity has been included in the international reference book “Children’s Museums of the World,” published by the Japanese. Gold and silver medals from Germany, India, France, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, and other countries are beyond counting. There is also a UNESCO diploma confirming the achievements of our young artists. Little Volgograd geniuses have repeatedly been accepted for internships in Holland, France, Poland…
Elena Orlova is a recognized master of watercolor, a well-known artist. Her name was included in the encyclopedia “Best People of Russia,” published in 2005, with an account of her work and creativity. Several solo exhibitions have taken place not only in Russia, but also in the United States, Belgium, and France. Some of her works have entered private collections of lovers of graphics.
And I called Elena Vladimirovna our fellow countrywoman at the beginning of this article for a reason. She was born and grew up in our city, and studied at Secondary School No. 1. Her love of drawing awakened very early. When she was six years old, Lena managed to take part in the competition “I Live on the Land of Volgograd,” held by the newspaper Volgogradskaya Pravda. There she won a prize.
Then came more. When the first art school opened in Volzhsky, Lena began studying there and successfully graduated as part of its first class. She then fruitfully continued her studies at the art studio of the Volgogradgidrostroy Palace of Culture, led by S. T. Podchainov. Lena was his favorite student; he had great hopes for her and advised her to enter the Lviv Polygraphic Institute. Lena listened to his advice, entered, graduated, received her diploma, and became a professional artist.
Incidentally, this year Elena Vladimirovna was awarded the medal and diploma “Best Manager of the Year.” The ceremony took place in Moscow, where she had her photograph taken with Senator Yegor Stroyev and academician Leonid Abalkin as a keepsake of this important event in her life.
Elena Vladimirovna, in addition to everything else, also adores poetry. She reads it and has written it herself since her youth. During her school years her poetic works were regularly published in Volzhskaya Pravda and Molodoy Leninets.
And a small secret: Elena is the younger daughter of Nelli Pavlovna Orlova, a well-known person in our city — the very woman who spent her life heading the famous scientific and technical library of Volgogradgidrostroy and was chair of the Volzhsky City Committee for the Defense of Peace. And, as we can see, she raised a remarkable daughter.
Nelli Pavlovna has another daughter, Irina, a talented and intelligent person, but that is another topic.
Elena Vladimirovna herself has two sons. Both the elder, Sergey, and the younger, Anton, draw beautifully and have more than once received Grand Prix awards, medals, and diplomas at art exhibitions. Sergey chose the profession of translator — he has an excellent command of English and German — while Anton became interested in computers. He is in the ninth grade.
Volzhskaya Pravda, June 2007
