In 2019, a pilot project “Art Geography of Moscow” was held, which became the winner of the Grant Contest of the Moscow Mayor for socially oriented NPOs held by the Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy of the city of Moscow. The project was supported by the Moscow Mayor and the Russian Academy of Arts. More than 5,000 people participated in the competition for the right to publish their works in the catalogue. The result of the great work on collection of local history information and illustrations was the release of a gift catalogue-encyclopedia in hard binding.

Based on the results of the Art Geography of Moscow project, the Russian branch of the World Arts Fund, with the support of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Eurasian Art Union, decided to expand the project to the scale of whole Russia and create an illustrated encyclopedia of large and small cities throughout the country in 85 volumes, in which all subjects of the Russian Federation will be fully represented.

Illustrated Encyclopedia and Local History Project "Art Geography of Russia"

The purpose of the launch of the international project Art Geography of Russia is to publish an 85-volume illustrated encyclopedia of Russia. Each volume is dedicated to one province, republic, region or district. The encyclopedia includes artistic works that visualize the cultural heritage of the region - its historical events, significant achievements, the identity of the way of life and the unique beauty of nature and architecture. Each illustration is accompanied by a local history reference, which will allow readers from other regions and foreign countries to become more familiar with the multifaceted culture and great history of peoples living in the Russian Federation.

For the organizers, important tasks are to revive the interest of the general public in the unique cultural heritage of the country, to show the amazing diversity and richness of the spiritual and material values of each individual region, to invite people from a different angle to explore their native area, relive significant events and historical moments.
“Art-Geography of Russia” is a call to contemporary art to preserve the rapidly departing historical nature for future generations, to reveal, along with aesthetic beauty, the cultural and historical value of both famous and little-known, unexpected and unobvious corners of Russia.