The 'Prikaznaya Izba' Museum Reveals the Riches of Vyatka Crafts

On June 26, the 'Prikaznaya Izba' Museum (a department of the Kirov Regional Museum of Local Lore named after P.V. Alabin) opened the exhibition 'Guberniya Masterovaya' (0+). For residents of Kirov and city visitors, the museum presented a rich palette of Vyatka folk crafts.

Visitors will see the most striking examples from the museum's collection of folk crafts, many of which have not been displayed before. These are about 200 unique items by Vyatka artisans from the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century.

Among them is Vyatka's pride — Dymkovo toys: more than 100 toys and compositions, including pieces by the oldest craftswomen of the trade — Anna Afanasyevna Mezrina, Elizaveta Alexandrovna Koshkina, Elizaveta Ivanovna Penkina — as well as works by well-known masters of the mid-20th century.

The famous Vyatka lace is represented by works of the lace-makers of the Vyatka provincial zemstvo and the artisans of the artel named for March 8. About 50 masterpieces of the lace craft — doilies, capes and shawls, trimming and measured lace — have adorned the museum halls. For the first time, visitors will see a large lacemaking tambour. On it is lace that the craftswoman began to make almost a hundred years ago!

Particular interest is shown by unique items made from pine root, a material first used in the Vyatka land. Also in the exhibition are plaster works by the legendary Vyatka masters I.P. Karavaev and K.N. Isupov, items made of straw and birch bark, burl boxes and much more.

"Our goal was not simply to show a collection of exhibits, but to show through them the life of our ancestors, historical events reflected in Dymkovo toys, lace and ceramics. After all, before becoming museum rarities, they all served people and accompanied them in various spheres of life," said Nadezhda Oskolkova, deputy director of the local history museum.

During a tour of the exhibition, visitors will learn many interesting facts about the history of Vyatka folk arts and their masters. While the exhibition is open, there will be master classes in various branches of decorative and applied arts, meetings with artisans and quizzes.

The exhibition project is aimed at drawing attention to the cultural heritage of the Vyatka region, preserving historical memory and the traditions of folk art. It will be of interest to both adults and children.