Exhibition «Childhood Is a Serious Matter»

About exhibition

How did peasant children live 100 years ago? How did they work, study at school, and relate to their parents? How did they rest, and what games did they play? The new exhibition tells these stories. Visitors will find themselves in the space of a peasant house, in the forest, at haymaking, on fishing trips, and during fieldwork; they will hear lullabies and tales and play old-fashioned games. The main character is a peasant girl, Manyushka — her image will "come to life" and her voice will be heard at the exhibition. The project is based on the real life of Maria Stepanovna Prokina, whose childhood fell in the first quarter of the 20th century. The stories told by the heroine illustrate family relationships, the everyday routine of peasant life, school days and the leisure of children at the age of "coming to reason" (7–10 years). Together with Manyushka visitors will be able to travel back to the childhood of their great-great-great-grandmothers and "live through" part of their lives.