(Revised) Experience Moscow: Guide to Knowing the City without Knowing the Language
American Women’s Organization holds charity art auction
Proceeds to help children suffering from cancer
By: Julia Vail
The American Women’s Organization of Moscow (AWO) will hold its Charity Art Auction on Sunday, Nov. 25, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The auction will take place at the Leonid Shishkin Art Gallery at 29 Neglinnaya St. close to the Tsvetnoi Bulvar metro station. (View map.)
The proceeds from the event will go to the Nastenka Foundation, which was founded to improve the lives of children at the Moscow Institute of Pediatric Oncology.
The auction is open to the public, but reservations must be made because of limited space within the gallery. Participants will enjoy wine and cheese during the auction, which will feature Soviet-era paintings. Debbie Leturno, president of AWO, said she expects 50 to 75 people to participate.
“It seems that fantastic things happen sometimes by luck, sometimes because you’re in the right place at the right time and sometimes by pure hard work,” Leturno said in the November newsletter. “In the case of our upcoming AWO Art Auction, it seems to be a combination of the three.”
AWO has held an annual craft fair for the last 14 years, and for the last six years the proceeds of the fair have gone to the Nastenka Foundation. When AWO members stopped by the Shishkin Art Gallery to pick up some paintings for this year’s fair, Leonid Shishkin, owner of the gallery, generously offered to donate 40 to 50 paintings for an auction to raise money for the charity.
The organization was also instrumental in creating the Nastenka Foundation in 2001.
“AWO members worked with Jamila Aliyeva [chairwoman of the Nastenka Foundation] to … help children suffering with cancer and provide support to their families during this difficult time,” Leturno said.
History of the Organization
AWO is a nonprofit organization founded over 15 years ago to help North American expatriates adapt to their new environment, provide social and cultural contacts in the community and keep members informed about issues that affect them as Americans living abroad. It currently has over 200 members.
Leturno became involved in the organization when she moved to Moscow four years ago. She said she was already familiar with AWO when she arrived, since the organization is part of a worldwide network of American women’s clubs. She said she joined the organization “as a means of meeting other Americans and finding fulfilling activities to fill [her] time while in Moscow.”
Other Events
Aside from the craft fair and auction, AWO members enjoy regular meetings at the Hard Rock Café, holiday parties at the Spaso House, the residence of the United States ambassador, and many workshops on culture, sewing, reading and travel.
Though Leturno said she would love to hold a similar event next year, it all depends on the generosity of gallery owners like Shishkin.
“I would like to extend sincere thanks to Mr. Shishkin for his generosity and compassion for the children supported by Nastenka,” Leturno said.
The artworks that will be auctioned off on Sunday can be viewed at the Shishkin Gallery website.
Contact Information
Reservations for the auction can be made by calling Cresa Pruitt at 241-32-53 or Deb Christian at 730-39-83.
To become involved in AWO or request more information, send an e-mail to awomoscow@yahoo.com.
