News & Events

INRTU Students Studied Metal Artistry at Stieglitz Academy

INRTU students recently completed an internship at St. Petersburg state art and industrial Academy named after A. L. Stieglitz. Future jewelry designers mastered fundamental blacksmithing technique, metalworking, and enameling while visiting major museums in Russia's cultural capital.

Founded in the 19th century, the academy bears the name of its founder and patron, Alexander Stieglitz. It comprises two faculties, one of which trains students in metal, glass, and ceramic artistry.

Matvey Nalunin, a student from the INRTU Department of Jewelry Design and Technology:

“Our professors told us a lot about the workshops facilities, the educational approach, and the advanced training level. I wanted to witness everything firsthand and experience something unique. We interned at the Department of Artistic Metalwork”.

The program included workshops on metal raising (repoussé), forging, and enameling, as well as opportunities to observe thesis defenses.

“I experimented with various techniques. For instance, we created kitchen utensils, forged nails, enameled plate, and even a copper cup made through raising (repoussé). The workshops taught me optimal metalworking approaches and material behavior under different conditions. This is exceptionally valuable, rare expertise. The most rewarding part was connecting with skilled masters and teachers,” Matvey shared.

In his view, visual literacy is crucial for aspiring designers and jewelers. St. Petersburg offers countless artistic landmarks, so students dedicated their second week to exploring cultural sites in St. Petersburg, including the Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum, the Fabergé Museum, the Peterhof Palace, the Mineralogical Museum, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and Kazan Cathedral. They also toured to Pavlovsk and Vyborg.

“The internship inspired me to explore interior and exhibition design. I want to create pieces with deeper meaning, much like the thoughtful projects I saw during the academy’s thesis reviews,” Matvey noted.

This isn’t INRTU’s first collaboration with the Stieglitz Academy. As background, in 2023, INRTU faculty studied cutting-edge art practices there, and in 2016, the Department of Monumental and Decorative Painting and Design named after V.G. Smagin co-organized the “Colors of Fire and Light” exhibition in Irkutsk. Notable alumni of the academy include People's Artist of the Russian Federation Vitaly Smagin (an INRTU graduate), associate professor Olga Kopenkina, and enamel artist Sergey Andreiko.