International Scientific and Public Conference "Culture and Civilization in the XXI Century in the Light of  Nicholas Roerich’s Ideas" took place on June, 30th –July,1st  in Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg, Russia. The conference was a continuation of previous meetings of the international cultural and scientific community  held in Estonia, Finland, Germany and Austria.

The Conference organizers were the St. Petersburg Branch of the International Center of the Roerichs (ICR) and the Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts, under the support of  the International Center of the Roerichs, the German Roerich Society, the Estonian Roerich Society, the European Association “EURASIM”, the Latvian Branch of the International Center of the Roerichs, the Austrian Society of the Roerichs – the National Committee of the Roerich Pact.

The Information Support of the Conference was by the Information Portal "Museums of Russia" and the Inter-regional Information-Analytical Center (IIAC).

The conference "Culture and Civilization of the XXI Century in the Light of the Ideas of N. Roerich" was attended by 59 representatives of public organizations and state institutions from 8 countries: Austria, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Finland, Estonia. Among the participants of the conference were 1 academician, 3 doctors of sciences, 4 candidates of sciences.

The intermission to the III act of the Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin”

sounded in the solemn atmosphere of the conference hall of the Scientific-research Museum of the Russian Academy of arts, it marked the start of International Scientific and Public Conference "Culture and Civilization of the XXI Century in the Light of the Ideas of Nicholas Roerich". M.Bondareva, the academic secretary of the Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts greeted the meeting,  reminded the participants about several important events from the Academy of Arts history and wished successful work to the conference.

Mr. Arun Kumar Sharma, the Consul General of India in St.Petersburg greeted the Conference participants. Mr. Arun Kumar Sharma told about great respect in India to Nicholas Roerich’s creative work. Nicholas Roerich lived long and died in India, he was creamated in India, Naggar according to the Indian tradition. Mr. Arun Kumar Sharma stressed the eternal significance of philosophical and peace-loving N.Roerich’s ideas for protection of culture.

Eduard Tomsha, the chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the ICR, read the greeting letter from Yuri Temirkanov, the President of the International Center of the Roerichs, artistic director of the St. Petersburg Academic Shostakovich Philharmonic, chief conductor of the Honoured Ensemble of Russian Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Philharmonic.

The Conference was greeted by: Stetsenko, Aleksandr – vice-president of the International Public Organization “The International Center of the Roerichs” (Moscow, Russia); Aleksandrova, Elena, сhairman of the Estonian Roerich Society - of the European Association “EURASIM” and of the Estonian Roerich Society (Estonia);  Leylya Strobl, the President of the Austrian Roerich Society – National Committee of the Roerich Pact (Austria); Schneider, Galina, chairman of the Board of the German Roerich Society (Germany); Monasypova , Lily, candidate of medical sciences, deputy chairman of the Tashkent Roerich Society (Uzbekistan); Glushkova, Ludmila, board  member of  the St.Petersburg Branch of the All-Russian Society of Protection of Monuments of History and Culture, corresponding member of Petrovskaya Academy of Science and Arts; Izotova, Margarita, deputy chairman of the section of art history and criticism of the St.Petersburg Artists Union, board member of the Artists Union, an academician of  the Petrovskaya Academy of Science and Arts, member of the Derzhavin Academy of Arts and Russian Literature (Russia).

There was a video message from Ozolinya, Marianna, the President of the Latvian branch of the International Center of the Roerichs.

The International Conference got the greetings from: Urozhenko, Olga, chairman of the International Council of Roerich Organizations; Kutsarova, Marga, chairman of the National Roerich Society (Bulgaria), member of the International Public Organization  the “International Center of the Roerichs” ; Liimatta, Paula and Yuri, head of the Finnish Society of the Moscow Roerich Museum Friends (Finland); Liimatainen, Mira-Valentina, the president of the Finland cultural and educational Roerich Society (Finland); Romanov, Sergei, the president of the St. Petersburg Architects Union; Kobak, Aleksandr, the deputy director of the Likhachev Fond (St.Petersburg, Russia).

In the Conference there was raised and discussed a wide range of issues: Culture and civilization in the XXI century; Nicholas Roerich’s principal concepts of  culture; The Roerich Pact and Banner of Peace significance towards the all-world unity; protection of the cultural heritage for the culture preservation; international and law protection of cultural values as a factor for preservation of cultural heritage in XXI century; modern model of public diplomacy and its application in the work of the Roerich movement; the role of scientific humanitarian research in the context of the culture and civilization of the XXI century; Russian and world science as part of human culture: principles and paradoxes; intangible cultural heritage as a source of moral education; culture as a planetary phenomenon, its role in the evolution of  mankind; N.Roerich’s and D.Likhachev’s ideas on the importance of public forms of culture, the role of active public position in the culture development and in the protection and preservation of cultural values; role of museums and libraries in  preservation and development of culture at the modern stage of civilization; practical experience in the education and creative development of the younger generation on the basis of N.Roerich’s humanistic philosophical ideas and artistic creativity of N.Roerich;

international cooperation  experience between public and state educational institutions in the field of cultural and creative development of children by organizing international competitions and festivals dedicated to the Nicholas Roerich creative heritage study;  Karl May gymnasium principles of education and training as basis for the development of traditions in the modern Russian pedagogy; culture public forms as an important resource for preservation and development of the Eurasian educational space (on the example of the Centre-Museum named after Nicholas Roerich).

A Round table  - “The Roerich Public Museum: Experience of a  Dialogue between the Society and the State during a Quarter of a Century" - was held. The Conference participants paid special attention to discussing the situation with the ongoing destruction of the Roerich Public Museum  of the International Center of the Roerichs in Moscow. The participants stressed the need to admit  the uniqueness of this Russia's largest public Museum and the value of 25 years of successful experience and its cultural and peacekeeping work for the development of social forms of culture in Russia. They analyzed the “Roerich Pact. History and modernity" international exhibition project experience, which started in 2012 in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and which has been continued up to the present; they also greatly appreciated and recognized the ICR present activity for N.Roerich’s peacekeeping ideas approval in the international level. The Conference participants condemned the destructive actions of the Ministry of culture and State Museum of the East administration against the ICR and its public Museum in Moscow and they expressed their willingness to continue defending the rights of N.Roerich public  museum in Moscow by  all available legal methods.

The Conference hold a panel discussion on the theme: "Social Form of Culture as an Integral Part of State Policy in the Field of Culture. Problems. Solutions" , where the participants from Austria, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Uzbekistan, Estonia and Finland spoke about  law peculiarities concerning public institutions cultural activity, as well as about present practice of interaction between public institutions and a state.

There were two excursions for the Conference participants: they visited the Scientific-research museum of the Russian Academy of Arts and Museum-flat of A. I. Kuindzhi.

 www.facebook.com/groups/838757082960428/