On December 6, 2019, O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum hosted traditional events on the occasion of the awarding of the laureates of the Regional Award in Fine Art and Study of Art named after Oleksandr Osmerkin in 2019, dedicated to the 127th anniversary of the outstanding artist and pedagogue O.O.Osmerkin.
    Awards – diplomas, pecuniary reward, the honorary prize of Regional Council and Regional State Administration – a statuette of "Steppe Eagle" were awarded for the 15th time. The award was established by the Regional Council in 2005 on the application of Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine in the three nominations: "national tradition", "modern tendencies", "study and history of arts". It is awarded annually for significant achievements in fine arts, the creation of bright art works, and for the significant historical researches of the development of fine art of the Kirovohrad region.
    This year laureates of the award became: in the nomination “national tradition” – Merited Artist of Ukraine Anatolii Kravchenko from Odesa for unique graphic works from the series “Kirovohrad Region”, “Kirovohrad”, “Kropyvnytskyi”, and “My Ukraine”, in the nomination “modern tendencies” – a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine Fedir Lahno from Oleksandrivka for his illustrations to the series of children books by a journalist and writer from Kropyvnytskyi Petro Melnyk “Miraculous Travels of Sonia and Asia to Scandinavia” (2016), “Miraculous Travels of Sonia and Asia to ancient Egypt” (2017), “Miraculous Travels of Sonia and Asia to the Zaporozhian Sich” (2019), in the nomination “study and history of arts” – the team of authors: Merited Artist of Ukraine Andrii Nadezhdin, Merited Journalist of Ukraine Ihor Demchuk, the director of the publishing house TOV “Imeks-LTD” Tamara Samiliak for creation of art edition – Photo album. “The city of five names. At the crossroads of styles and epochs. Architectural images of the city of Kropyvnytskyi captured by Ihor Demchuk” Compiler – Andrii Nadiezhdin. Photo- Ihor Demchuk. Editor-in-chief – Tamara Samyliak. – Kropyvnytskyi: “Imeks-LTD”, 2018. – 72 p. : ill. – text in Ukr. and Eng. languages, which presents Kropyvnytskyi in color artistic photographs with art history characteristics of historical, architectural, and town planning monuments of the historic city center.
    The director of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Cultural Heritage of Kirovohrad Regional State Administration Valentyna Zhyvotovska awarded the laureates. Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the City Council of Kropyvnytskyi Nelia Chorna delivered the congratulatory speech. She thanked Merited Artist of Ukraine Anatolii Kravchenko for his art gift to the museum collection of O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum – the author’s graphic works made by him and his wife Halyna, also Merited Artist of Ukraine. The works were recently presented at the exhibition “Watercolor Ukraine: Odesa – Kropyvnytskyi”. The deputy head also noted the professional level and creativeness of Merited Artist of Ukraine Andrii Nadezhdin and Merited Journalist of Ukraine Ihor Demchuk in the realization of the photo album. The publication of which was possible thanks to the support of the City Council of Kropyvnytskyi within the program of the development of culture and tourism. The photo album was officially presented last year before the Town Day.
    The creative work of the laureates was highly valued by the heads of Odesa and Kirovohrad Regional Organizations of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine – People’s Artist of Ukraine Anatolii Horbenko and Andrii Hvorost.
    The laureates were congratulated by the representatives of the Regional Art Museum staff – Chief Custodian of the Funds Valentyna Nozhenko and head of the museum department Art Gallery of Petro Ossovskyi “Worlds and Motherland” Anatolii Kimnatmyi. They presented flowers to the applicant for the award in two nominations “national tradition” and “study and history of art”, young artists, with a degree in architecture, Nataliia Soloviova. Yevheniia Maliavkina, the director of Music School No.1 named after Heinrich Neuhaus, also congratulated the laureates.
    All the award laureates thanked for the high praise of their creative works. Merited Artist of Ukraine Anatolii Kravchenko emphasized that he is very honored to receive the award of the world-known artist - Oleksandr Osmerkin.
    The museum staff also was congratulated on the 25th anniversary of the museum opening to the visitors. It received flowers from the director of the Department of Culture, Tourism, and Cultural Heritage of Kirovohrad Regional State Administration Valentyna Zhyvotovska and the author’s work by the famous artist, a member of the National Unions of Artists and Folk Art Artists of Ukraine, laureate of the Regional Award named after Yakiv Pauchenko in the nomination “decorative and applied art” Olha Kolomiiets. She reproduced the original look of the architect Yakiv Pauchenko’s house in vytynanka. Oleksandr Osmerkin spent his childhood in this house and started a challenging journey as an artist. Nowadays, the museum of O. Osmerkin is located in the building.
    The jam of the event was the musical greeting from the teachers of Music School No.1 named after Heinrich Neuhaus Tetiana Pavlova and Olha Nikolaieva, who created a festive mood for everybody present, including pupils of Regional Comprehensive Educational Complex of Academical and Aesthetic Specialization.
     The finale of the art event was the photoshoot of the laureates in the memorial hall by the portrait of the Professor of Painting Oleksandr Osmerkin.