"The City of Masters" - an exhibition with the same name, telling about folk crafts and the history of rare and unusual professions, unfolded on September 29 at the Turkmen-Russian Pushkin School in Ashgabat. The workshops were located in conditionally divided five zones – here the best artists, designers, ceramists and representatives of other areas of folk and applied art shared the secrets of their success with the guys.

Almost 600 elementary school students visited the city of masters and were able to see how the most talented creative people of the country create their masterpieces. Perhaps bright life examples of finding a favorite craft of masters will attract children into the world of art and creativity, and they will also want to make the world more beautiful.

A real city of craftsmen is spread out in a cozy school courtyard. The children, visiting workshops, got acquainted with creative professions and communicated with people who create beauty with their own hands.

The pavilion of Turkmen carpet making beckoned with a bright overflow of colors of magnificent carpets. There is a muffled knock of a darak – a tool with which carpet-makers nail and align knots of woolen threads. At the loom, the craftswoman MaAlmjemal Durdyeva shows how the women of her village weave the world-famous Turkmen carpets. She and her colleague Maysa Ovezova came from the Lebap region and brought with them carpets and kilims - smooth lint-free carpets that are very popular.

Art critic Tajigul Kurbanova became the guide of the exposition. The children listened to her fascinating stories about the ancient directions of folk and applied art with bated breath. She literally "bewitched" children with her amazing tales and legends about ancient crafts that have come down to our days, and modern stories about how new and fashionable types of design skills appeared. The children asked a variety of questions and eagerly absorbed all the information they received from a great storyteller and guide.

In the next workshop there are pottery masters – ceramist Ruslan Rejepov from the city of Turkmenabad and masters of the Ashgabat studio "Ceramics". This tent has become, perhaps, the busiest. The children learned how clay is prepared for work, how it "comes to life" on the potter's wheel and unique ceramic works appear. "What a painstaking work it turns out to be to create a beautiful product from a piece of clay!" one of the schoolchildren shouted out on the tour, sharing his emotions.

The workshop "Wood Carving" is also "sold out". Many of the guys saw for the first time how the master works with wood and creates amazing works. Mentor Maksat Shihiev and his student Guvanch Hivaliev specially came to the exhibition from Karakal. They showed the children their unique works and told their story of coming to such a rare profession today.

Ajap Annamanova from Kyzyl-Arvat is located next door – she is also engaged in carving, but her material is a dry pumpkin. The pupils viewed the openwork masterpieces of the artist from the orange fruit with admiration and a sparkle in their eyes. Her colorful presentation did not leave anyone indifferent. Maybe some of the guys will want to master this wonderful craft in the future and also contribute to the "decoration of the world".

A guest from Turkmenabad, Leyla Seyidova, a designer of silver jewelry, is in the jewelry workshop. She presented her fascinating works in the ethnostile. Nearby jeweler Hemra Atashov from Dashaguz and a young copper master Oleg Preobrazhensky. Each of them has many interesting stories about choosing a profession and endless love for their work. They told the guys where they get ideas for creating unique jewelry and how unrestrained imagination "controls" the tool in the hands of the master, and the output turns out to be a luxurious piece of jewelry.

Another playground also "hooked" schoolchildren. Along with traditional areas of creativity, modern and very popular design hobbies were also presented at the exhibition. Maya Jeparova, the author of epoxy resin products, told about how she came to her profession – her unique jewelry and home decor products are distinguished by special sophistication. Another designer Aydzhemal Rejepova creates unusual jewelry made of polymer clay, stylish jewelry collections of which are in demand among young people with "advanced" taste.

The children were also impressed by the stained–glass clock by Jeren Kurbanova - the designer paints the glass base of the dial in the stained-glass technique with fine knitting, skillfully laying out patterns of Turkmen national embroidery with a brush.

The guys did not disperse for a long time even after the end of the exhibition. They returned again and again to the workshops that they liked and continued to communicate with artists and designers and admire their works. The "City of Masters" left unforgettable impressions in the hearts of children and, perhaps, helped some of them with the choice of a future profession.

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