Who needs children to draw?

On December 2, from 11.30 to 13.00, on Prechistenskie Vorota Square (Kropotkinskaya metro station), near the Engels monument, an authorized picket of Khamovniki residents will take place in defense of their rights. A member of the political council, head of the executive committee of the local branch of United Russia, Dmitry Basharov, and officials from the Khamovniki district are expelling two of the oldest children's art studios - "The Birth of a Thing" and "Mother's School" - from the basement in house 12 on 3rd Frunzenskaya. The first one has been working here for 12 years, the second one just turned 44 years old.

These are the only two studios in the area with their own creative person, with a rich history and unique experience of many years of successful work in the field of artistic and aesthetic development of children, with practice-tested methods and promising programs. Free classes are taught here by highly professional specialists - artists and architects. During the classes, children not only gain skills in drawing, painting, and working with various materials, but they are also instilled with an interest and love for Russian culture and art. The “Birth of a Thing” studio also provides a platform for performances of the unique puppet theater “Silly Horse,” which, if the studios are evicted, will be left without a permanent stage.

The story of the eviction began in early 2011, when they tried to kick out the studios, threatening to seal the premises. Then, with the help of the police and with the support of the city authorities, they managed to repel this attack.

But, as reported on the website of the Collective Action Institute, a new attack on the studios was organized in the fall. Two months ago the premises were put up for competition. Based on the results of the competition, the commission decided to give the studio space to the Youth Center organization, which had been working with young people for only four years, and with children for less than 2 years.

Parents of children attending the studios and teachers believe that the competition was held unlawfully, that there were serious violations during its conduct, a conflict of interest and a corruption scheme. They do not intend to leave the studio premises; appeals have already been submitted to the prosecutor's office of the Central District and the investigative committee in connection with abuse of official position by officials, as well as in connection with a conflict of interest between the director of the Municipal Institution "Leisure and Sports Center "Khamovniki" and the director of the ANO " Youth Center".

It turned out that the director of the “Youth Center” is Dmitry Basharov, who also holds the position of head of the Khamovniki Youth Council, and the director of the MU “CDiS “Khamovniki” A. Bryzgalova is his deputy on the board, and until last year was the director of the “Youth Center” . Parents and studio teachers believe that Basharov and Bryzgalova abused their official and public positions.

More than 250 residents of the area signed an appeal in support of the “Birth of a Thing” and “Mother’s School” studio program, but the municipality did not want to hear them. “We believe that our rights were cynically violated on the eve of the elections, and the United Russia deputy, Mr. Basharov, before the elections, discredited the party from which he acts as a defender of the interests of the residents of Khamovniki. The main objective of the competition for premises is to search and identify a program that is actually implemented and formed on the principles of the Department of Family and Youth Policy, capable of reaching residents of different ages. We consider the decision of the VMO Khamovniki competition commission to be incompetent and will prove our position in court. We also hope for a careful investigation by the District Prosecutor’s Office of the circumstances of this case,” say parents and teachers.