Last week an official representative and an esteemed curator of «The 4th Block» triennial — Olga Severina made a formal visit to the sister school of Kharkov Academy of Arts and Design — university of Fort Collins. A heartwarming summit included such events as walks, talks and close encounters of the personal kind with of the world-renowned graphic designer, a highly prized educator of Fort Collins university, and a person, who stands tall above the vast crowds of the designers’ world — professor Phil Risbek. The visit resulted in a comprehensive lecture on the topic of «The 4th Block» poster collection, which was given to an audience of 80 dudes — representatives of the student body, and a small group of another kind — those were member of the instructors’ guild. Thus, a term «The 4th Block» has reached the american masses, and is now living there, amongst them, just like the selected posters of the collection, which are staying in Fort Collins, awaiting the next Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition, to which they were honorably invited.

    Journey to festival…it was kind of a discovery for everyone. In fact, it’s not so important  whether you are a designer, actor, how old are you… All in same creative stream.
It was very important and very pleasant to appear far from the city and fuss. No hurry… Alone with nature you can let yourself more, you can rescue of frames and stereotypes. Only you and  the sea… And people…you don’t receipt them separately, they are combined with nature.
    Participants called this action «design-party». In fact, it  really was. Real paradise for designers. Nature gave materials  and prompted ideas, Very positive, the computer became only auxiliary expedient here.
    Grated to such closeness with nature, participants could let themselves free, express themselves for 100%.
It was great example of work in inhabited conditions, lesson for everybody that not all things we can do with help of technique stuff. Real inspire brings world that surrounds us. All works were made in ecology materials. That’s why they seem to be so alive and real. And there wasn’t even one person who stayed uninterested.
    Such practice must go on. «LIVE»!| Kate Pavlenko

Not a long time ago everybody were talking about «ozone hole» like something that is very far, somewhere over Antarctica and thought that these peril some kind of illusion. Nowadays the threat of Global warming became more and more real. Humanity, basically each one of us, has only two ways — change our point of view on local level or be indifference and leave everything like it is and let planet change into a «black hole».
About this problems talks poster exhibition that has just opened at Pavel Gudimov’s Art centre «YaGallery».
To this calm and strict exhibition were selected posters from all over the world.
Works of famous designers give intense to think about humanity’s destiny and also to compare personal feelings with global ecological problems.
July — it’s not an exhibition season, but it was a surprise that a lot of young people and presentatives of the mass media came to «YaGallery» at the opening. Exhibition will be open until 10th of August.
(55/57, Volojskaya str. Kyiv, 04070, phone. 044 537 33 51)

Presently, through the 25th of May, a festival of contemporary arts — «GOGOL-fest» is held at Kiev's Art Arsenal.  The participants of the event include Kharkiv Academy of Arts and Design and the graphic design association «The 4-th Block». Among the other expositions, the city of Kharkiv submitted to the festival an entire collection of posters dedicated to the significant figures of the Ukrainian culture (curator — Vladimir Lesnyak), picturesque canvases — works of students-monumentalists, and a project «The trinkets. Folk pixel-art» — introduced by Julia Alimova (curator — Olga Severina).
The festival is a continuous carnival of evens, so follow the fest's daily schedule at www.gogolfest.org.ua
More pictures and a place to voice your opinion can be found at: http://community.livejournal.com/4th_block/