Zlatoust needs wider market, Governor says

Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Mikhail Yurevitch visited the local town of Zlatoust on May 25, 2010 and looked at the place’s most remarkable landmarks.

For one, the Governor could see a church under reconstruction, a monument dedicated to P. Anosov (an outstanding Russian engineer and director of Zlatoust armory), and Bulat plant’s exhibition center.

Mikhail Yurevitch also visited the town museum and had a look at the cold steel arms exhibition; all of the objects on display were produced by Zlatoust craftsmen. According to the spokesperson for the Governor, Yurevitch was greatly impressed with the exhibits and said the arts and crafts were extremely important to the town of Zlatoust, as they created jobs for the same number of people as were currently employed at Zlatoust Metallurgical Plant (the town’s key enterprise).

‘The arts and crafts were not affected by the recession; quite on the contrary, they keep developing and offering more jobs to the locals. The quality of these objects of art is a proof of the local dweller’s great craftsmanship. These products enjoy a global demand, especially in the form of a souvenir. Our task is to create an even wider market for these goods,’ the Governor said.

Following a visit to the museum, the Governor held a meeting with the heads of big and small workshops and studios at the town hall. Mikhail Yurevitch considered the heads’ proposals and asked the town mayor to set up a special guild that will take all of the respectable local workshops as members. The guild membership will give these workshops the advantage of a single brand (Zlatoust Products) and of a single logo that will complement each workshop’s unique seal and will serve as a guarantee of quality and good reputation. Yurevitch also promised that the regional authorities would help the local artisans to travel abroad and take part in international exhibitions.

Besides this, the workshops representatives informed the Governor that Chelyabinsk division of Rosokhrankultura (the state cultural heritage watchdog) did not render any expert examination or artistic value assessment services. This means that to sell their products abroad, the craftspeople have to go to Yekaterinburg to get all the certificates they need. Mikhail Yurevitch therefore asked the Culture Ministry to find a way to invest Rosokhrankultura’s Chelyabinsk division with the necessary powers, the spokesperson for the Governor reports.

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