«Provintsiya» is a Nizhny Novgorod regional photography club founded in September 2005; its core was formed by members of the Poisk studio[1]. In March 2008, the club was admitted as a collective member of the Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique (FIAP), becoming Russia's representative within it[1]. In 2007, «Provintsiya» was twice named the world's best photography club — at the Trierenberg Super Circuit salon in Linz and the Sicilian Photo Circuit in Sicily[1]. The club's website was created by Semyon Orlov, who signed it with his online handle — «Made by Shtorkin»[2].

Purpose

The club framed its goals around the city: the creative development of its members and the promotion of photography in the Nizhny Novgorod Region[1].

…a city with a rich photographic history, which is, in essence, the cradle of Russian pictorial photography

— from the «Club History» section of the Provintsiya website[1]

We now think more globally, and our primary goal at this point is to restore Russia's former status as a photographic power on the international stage

Members and Titles

By the early 2010s, the club had 27 photographers: 22 of them were members of the Union of Art Photographers of Russia, eight held the AFIAP distinction, and Yuriy Klekovkin held the EFIAP distinction[1].

Twenty-four authors had personal pages on the website: Vyacheslav Baryshev, Elena Bogomolova, Valeriy Vanteev, Polina Vanteeva, Anvar Gallyamov, Sergey Dyomin, Vladimir Dubrovin, Yuriy Kashin, Yuriy Klekovkin, Ivan Kulikov, Olga Kulikova, Mariya Lutskaya, Fyodor Malyshev, Vyacheslav Maslov, Dmitriy Nikolaev, Yuliya Perelman, Mariya Perkunova, Natalya Plankina, Tamerlan Repekto, Nikolay Sereda, Anastasiya Skorodumova, Sergey Tuzov, Aleksandr Usov, Karina Khramova[2].

The club deliberately brought together photographers from beyond the regional capital: its members included residents of Pavlovo, Dzerzhinsk, Volodarsk, and Ryazan[1].

International Recognition

FIAP membership allowed the club to hold international photo salons under its patronage and enabled Russian photographers to join the federation without leaving the country[1].

Club members exhibited at more than sixty international exhibitions held under FIAP auspices: around 1,300 works were shown, more than fifty received awards, thirteen of them top honors[1].

The "Berega" Photo Salon

The club held the "Berega" ("Banks") exhibition together with like-minded partners from Ryazan. It began as a survey of cities in the Oka basin and later grew into an all-Russian and international event[1].

"Berega 2012" ran under FIAP patronage according to a "one collection of works — three independent competitions" format: juries convened separately in Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Dzerzhinsk, and a separate set of results was published for each city[2]. Authors were promised nine FIAP medals, nine competition medals, and special prizes[2]. The organizers were the photo club "Provintsiya," the Committee for Culture and Tourism of Ryazan Region, and the creative association "Berega."

Children's Photography

Club members ran children's photography studios in Dzerzhinsk, Pavlovo, and Vacha. At the all-Russian festival "Yunost Rossii" ("Youth of Russia"), their students took four awards, including first place in the twenty-to-twenty-five age category[1].

Website

The website province-nn.ru was organized into four sections: "About the Club" — history, member list, charter, and membership requirements; "Publications" — news and the club blog; "Gallery" — works by club members, works by prospective members, and virtual lessons; and a separate block for the "Berega" photo salon[2].

The updated version launched on 11 February 2012 — with the caveat that some sections were still being filled in[2]. The footer read "© 2008—2012 'Provintsiya'. Made by Shtorkin" — the online handle of Semyon Orlov, who during those same years ran his own photo club, "Fotogorky"[2].

The club lost its address: the domain province-nn.ru lapsed and was re-registered on 2 April 2021 by a new owner. No content has appeared there since, while the original site survives in the web archive — with snapshots from May 2009 through September 2015[2].

Sources

  1. web.archive.org — Web Archive — "Provintsiya", "Club History" page, snapshot 23 February 2012 (archive)
  2. web.archive.org — Web Archive — photo club "Provintsiya" website province-nn.ru, snapshot 23 February 2012 (archive)