On the activities of the Siberian Association of Prehistoric Art Researchers

The article is devoted to the Siberian Association of Prehistoric Art Researchers (SAPAR), member of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO), active participant in the preservation and popularization of the unique archaeological source - petroglyphs, in Russia and beyond. It covers the main areas of activities, the current state and prospects of development. Ideas to establish an organization uniting researchers involved in rock art began to appear in the early 1990s. Thus, the conference "Topical Problems of the Study of Rock Art in the USSR", organized at the initiative of M.A. Devlet, saw the formation of a new independent scientific direction engaged in the study of rock art. In early 1997, SAPAR was established. The Association management mechanism was developed. The main body, the General Meeting of the Association Members, was approved. Between Meetings the management of the organization was entrusted to the Board of Directors, consisting of the President, Vice-Presidents, Academic Secretary and Treasurer. The first president of SAPAR was Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Ya.A. Sher. The interest of SAPAR researchers is in all aspects of the monuments of primitive art: the study of their scientific, historical, cultural and aesthetic value; cultural and chronological attribution and semantics; documenting and cataloging, conservation and preservation; museumi-fication, exposition and exhibition activities; publication, introduction of monuments in the scientific use, promotion, cultural tourism. One of the productive directions of the Association is its publishing activities. SAPAR Bulletin and Occasional SAPAR publications publish works of prominent scientists and young researchers related to the study of petroglyphs, museumification and conservation of rock art sites. For the purpose of promoting of petroglyphic art, members of the organization developed the concept of creating the Virtual Museum of Prehistoric Art in 1998. It was a rather interesting attempt of connection of exhibits which are at a distance from each other in the virtual space. Unfortunately, this works has been suspended for the financial reasons. For almost twenty years of history, the members of the Association have carried out various expeditions to such monuments of rock art as Tepsei, Kunya, Oglakhty and others, and also a number of field seminars devoted to the most significant questions of a petroglyph studies. SAPAR has come a long way of formation and development. This dynamic organization implements the ideas of conservation, restoration and promotion of rock art in the territory of the Russian Federation. The confirmation of the above is the fact that SAPAR, with the assistance of Kemerovo State University, the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the museum-reserve "Tomskaya Pisanitsa" plans an international conference "The Archaeological Heritage of Siberia and Central Asia" in October 2016.

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