Where Can Students Study Outside of University?

Places in Moscow where you can attend lectures and discussions or participate in practical classes.

Photo by Bertellifotografia from Pexels

If you are looking for additional ways to learn outside of university, you can visit a variety of public lecture halls in Moscow: museums, libraries, and cultural centers. In this article, I will share my top picks for places to attend lectures.

New Tretyakov Gallery

Address: Krymsky Val, 10

The New Tretyakov Gallery is a wing of the Tretyakov Gallery dedicated to the 20th and 21st centuries. It houses one of the largest permanent exhibitions of Russian 20th-century art: avant-garde, socialist realism, and the latest trends.

In addition to exhibitions, the gallery also offers an ongoing educational program, including creative workshops and lectures on art.

What events are available:

• "We Are from VKHUTEMAS: Moscow Graphic Artists in the 'Era of Change'" (December 18th) - a lecture on post-revolutionary art and the artists of that time. Tickets are available with the Pushkin Card.
• "Olga Rozanova" (December 20th) - a lecture on a key figure of the Russian avant-garde, an outstanding artist who sought in her work lyrical expressiveness through the language of new, contemporary forms.
• "Fyodor Tolstoy" (December 21st) – a lecture about Count Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy, a master of the golden age of Russian art.

Tickets for the lectures are available on the website. Many lectures are free to attend, simply by registering in advance.

The Voznesensky Center (Andrei Voznesensky Cultural Center)

Address: Bolshaya Ordynka Street, 46, building 3

This literary and artistic center, housed in a 19th-century estate on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, is named after the poet Andrei Voznesensky. It is an independent institution that studies contemporary culture through texts: "from experimental poetry to the existence of words in art, theater, and cinema".

It hosts exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, book readings and presentations, events dedicated to design and poetry, and also houses the "Theater vs. Text" theater laboratory (studying the interaction between text and theater). The center also organizes meetings with authors, where you can directly ask questions.

The idea for the center belongs to Voznesensky's widow, Zoya Boguslavskaya, and her son, Leonid.

Who is Andrei Voznesensky?

Andrei Voznesensky was a renowned poet of the 1960s, a true innovator, and an architect by training. He is renowned for his nonconformist poetry. In his work, he embodied the Thaw's ideas of free artistic thought.

What events are available:

• "An Evening of One Poem: Vladimir Lugovskoy" (December 22nd). A lecture about the talented poet Vladimir Lugovskoy. The discussion will focus on his difficult life and poetry. The lecture will be moderated by Alexander Berlin, an economist and lover of Russian poetry.
• "Who are the Prometheuses today, and do science, technology, and art function in the same relationships as in the second half of the 20th century?" (December 24th). A lecture and discussion about the Prometheus Research Institute. Key questions of the meeting:

- How did artists and engineers work in the same laboratory at the Prometheus Research Institute?

- Why was technological art (1960s-1980s) utilitarian, while contemporary art is more temporary and symbolic?

- Is there a chance to create an institution of similar scale today?

- Does technological art even need a "returned utilitarianism" today?

- What are the responsibilities of "modern Prometheuses"?

• "Form and Consciousness: Russian Symbolism and the Synthesis of the Arts" (January 13th). A lecture on Russian Symbolism in poetry, painting, music, and theater. You will learn how Symbolist ideas influenced 20th-century art.

Many events are free; simply register online.

Svoye Pole

Address: Bersenevskaya Embankment, 6, bldg. 3

An "intellectual loft space" in the historic factory workshops, this atmospheric space is located on the top floor of the Red October building.

Two separate rooms: the first is a place for meeting guests and holding receptions, while the second is for concerts, lectures, and film screenings. A corridor between them features interesting photographs and paintings.

Svoye Pole hosts lectures, chamber evenings, and master classes. Topics include art, literature, philosophy, music, and Asian studies. Svoye Pole also hosts lots of unusual events: evenings with writers, vinyl listening sessions, artistic breakfasts...

What events are available:

• "Christmas in the House of Romanov" (December 16th) - lecture by historian Angelina Dronova. Learn the history of the holiday: when the tradition of New Year celebrating started in Russia, what gifts were given in the imperial family, what balls were held in honor of the New Year, and much more. Christmas, Christmastide, and Epiphany will all be discussed.
• "Christmas in Painting and Music" (December 20th) - a concert and lecture by Natalia Lavrenova and Anna Paklina. This is a warm Christmas evening where you can enjoy music and gain intellectual enlightenment. You will learn about the history of Christmas. The lecturers will discuss Renaissance and Baroque masters, as well as the 19th century (including the works of Franz Liszt), and the program will conclude with a discussion of Russian Christmas rituals (composer Tchaikovsky, artists Makovsky and Kustodiev).
• You can also purchase the online lecture "How Wes Anderson's Cinema Works". A deep analysis of this beloved director work awaits you. Speaker: Elena Strogonova, film scholar and author of the blog kino_iskusstvo.

The space is small, so tickets are to be purchased in advance.

N. A. Nekrasov Library

A large, modern city library with modern reading rooms. However, these are more than just shelves of books but also a venue for a variety of interesting events. You can attend lectures, seminars, discussions, meetings with authors, language training, join a film club, and even take part in a master class (for example, knitting).

What events are available:

• "Light in the Metro" (December 16th) - a lecture by art historian Maria Nikitina about the lighting of Moscow metro stations. You will learn the role light plays in the perception of stained glass windows and sculptures, the previous technical requirements for station lighting, and how they have changed.
• Opera Club meetings. The program introduces you to masterpieces of 19th-century opera: Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Dargomyzhsky, and Borodin. At the meetings, excerpts from Russian operas are reviewed, followed by a discussion moderated by musicologist Daria Kovalevskaya. Participants are encouraged to play active roles and express their own thoughts.
• "Dialogues Are Fire!" - a writing workshop and lecture by Yulia Tupikina, a Russian playwright and screenwriter. She will describe how to write successful dialogue in a screenplay. You will experience both theory and practice: all visitors can write their own dialogue and receive feedback from Yulia.

Registration is required to attend library events.

Laboratory of Unnecessary Things

Address: Bolshoy Levshinsky Lane, 17

A non-profit humanities educational project that brings together researchers, students, and enthusiasts. Independent research is conducted here in the fields of religion, mythology, culture, anthropology, the Middle Ages, and more.

The main idea is to unite the humanities community, where you can find like-minded people. The project is open to both PhD holders and first-year students, as well as people without an academic background.

The core of the "Laboratory of Unnecessary Things" is research seminars. Lectures and reading groups also take place. Classes are held in a lively format. The organizers claim that participation in specialized seminars can turn someone into an expert in a specific field within a few years.

What seminars are available:

• "Early Greek Philosophy". This course explores the history of early Greek philosophy, key figures, and methods. The program aims to both familiarize oneself with the development of philosophical thought and apply theoretical knowledge in practice. Seminar leader - A. V. Lebedev, Professor at the University of Crete, author of "The Logos of Heraclitus" (a reconstruction of Heraclitus's work).

• "Beliefs of Ancient Ireland". The seminar examines ancient Irish texts (this year, the Siege of Edar saga) and creates a translation with commentary. The seminar's co-leaders are T. A. Mikhailova, Professor at the Institute of Oriental Cultures and Classics at the Russian State University for the Humanities, and N. Yu. Zhivlova, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Ancient Languages ​​at the Faculty of History at Moscow State University.
• "Syrian Mystics of the 7th-8th centuries". The seminar explores the East Syrian mystical tradition. You will examine leading representatives of this movement: Isaac the Syrian, John of Dalyat, and Joseph Khazzai. Seminar Leader: M.G. Kalinin, a philologist, translator, and curator of the master's program "Christian Sources" at the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Program.

Shared by

Maria Li