On the eve of International Children's Day, an exhibition of works by students of the  Children's Art School named after Bashim Nuraly was launched at the exhibition centre of fine arts of the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan. At the grand opening of the exhibition, among the guests of honor, Hero of Turkmenistan Gozel Shagulyyeva addressed the youth with a welcoming speech, and read one of her poems to the audience as a gift.

Visitors to the exhibition were greeted by nearly 400 exhibits, which densely occupied the second floor of the exhibition center. To the sounds of the string quartet of the Turkmen National Conservatory named after M. Kulyyeva, who performed classical works of national and foreign music, artists, art historians and lovers of fine art began to get acquainted with the work of young Nuralievites. The exhibition left no one indifferent; it delighted not only its scale, but also the talent of the children.

The children's art school named after Bashim Nuraly was opened in Ashgabat in 1958. At that time, there were 11 students studying in one painting department. After 12 years, the school was named after Bashim Nuraly.

Today, more than 300 gifted children study here in the painting, sculpture, jewellery and carpet departments. The director of the Children's Art School, Ovezgeldi Danatarovich Yazmyradov, noted in his speech:

- It is a great honour for the students of our school to exhibit their works in the exhibition center, which hosts exhibitions of works by famous Turkmen artists. The children prepared for this event throughout the school year, and teachers selected the best works of their students. National style, originality, any performance technique and unlimited themes were welcomed. The children's achievements, which we can certainly be proud of, are presented in all types of fine arts.

Visitors lingered for a long time near the still lifesof Sofiya Mammetseyidova, jewellery by Begench Saparov and Leyla Arslanova, small sculptures by  Ibragim Meredov and Rahim Begenjev, tapestries by Maysa Gurbanova and many other works.

Alitalvan Hudayberenov surprised visitors with an exhibition of portraits of prominent cultural figures. The undeniable similarity of the portrait to the original was striking. Particularly admired in this gallery of celebrities was the portrait of People's Artist of Turkmenistan Atageldi Garyagdyyev.

«I started painting portraits from preschool age», says Alitalvan. – My first teachers were my mother, father and brother: I was lucky enough to be born into a family of artists. My dream is to become a portrait painter like Durdy Bayramov, so that the works convey not only a recognizable similarity, but the inner world of a person.

It should be noted that there were many art school graduates from previous years at the exhibition. For them, acquaintance with the exhibited works was accompanied by pleasant meetings with classmates and teachers. Especially many graduates surrounded Lyudmila Pavlovna Ulakina, the oldest teacher who gave 49 years of her life to the art school. Each such meeting ended with a group photo as a souvenir.

Acquaintance with the works of the exhibition aroused pride in the creative youth of our country, who were provided with excellent opportunities to develop their abilities.