December 2, 2022: the children's art exhibition "Light of Art" opened at Taganrog Chekhov Public Library. The event was organized by Independent Non-Profit Organization "Luch Nadezhdy" ("Ray of Hope"), which provides educational activities, psychological services, and social integration of children and youth with special needs. Care recipients of "Luch Nadezhdy" were the ones who provided their own artworks for this exhibition.

The event brought together friends and partners of the organization. These included representatives of Taganrog Local Government and City Council, giving their speeches of approval and support to the children and "Luch Nadezhdy." headed by Senilga Barteneva


A welcome address from the German city of Gütersloh (North Rhine-Westphalia) had a special place in the ceremony. Chief Specialist of Taganrog Local Government's Foreign Relations Dept. Dmitry Koulitchev read aloud the Russian translation of the letter, signed by the president of "Forum Russische Kultur Gütersloh" Dr. Günter Bönig.

In particular, Dr. Bönig wrote: "Art knows no limits! Each of the drawings presented here is unique. It reflects the full spectrum of a child's personality. This exhibition makes a significant contribution to the communication between the children and visitors. The medium is art, which gives special children an opportunity to be fully involved in social life."

At the end of the event, care recipients of "Luch Nadezhdy" and singers of the voice band "Zhar-ptitsa" ("Firebird") from the Taganrog Center for Extracurricular Work gave their performance.


The history of Taganrog's cooperation with this NGO goes back to early meetings in 2009 and 2012. In April 2014, the Taganrog Municipal Chamber Orchestra directed by Alexander Gurevich was invited by the "Forum Russische Kultur Gütersloh" and gave concerts in Bielefeld-Senne, Steinhagen, Gütersloh and Bonn. In 2019 a delegation from Gütersloh presented an old Italian accordion to Taganrog Municipal Chamber Orchestra directed by Alexander Gurevich. About one year ago, "Forum Russische Kultur Gütersloh" held two video-conferences with Taganrog Vocational Technical School of Marine Engineering in May and in November 2021.