Museum of Russian Icons Summer 2018 Newsletter MoRI_Summer_2018 web

NEWS from the MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ICONS Summer 2018 A Glittering Gift The Franklin Sciacca Collection This spring the Museum received a remarkable gift of Russian folk objects and Soviet-era holiday ornaments from Franklin Sciacca, Associate Professor of Russian Languages and Literatures, Hamilton College, NY. The collection includes a variety of whimsical and imaginative toys: beautifully carved wooden toys with moving parts; brightly painted clay toys celebrating Russian and international folk culture; and wind-up toys such as monkeys performing flips and ducklings quacking as they waddle. More contemporary plastic toys depict characters from popular Russian cartoons or celebrate the Soviet State. These marvelous objects offer us a glimpse into the lives of Russian and Soviet children, an avenue not previously explored by the Museum. wonderful examples of the craft at its onset. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the gift is the collection of Soviet holiday ornaments that decorated New Year trees in Soviet Russia. There are no angels or religious themes among these ornaments. Rather, they depict a variety of objects that were important to both the average Russian citizen and the Soviet State. These include folk heroes and cartoon characters, funny clowns and chubby babies, state emblems and objects that celebrate the productivity of farms and factories. This spectacular collection will be debuted in an exhibition (opening in the fall of 2018) which will explore the Soviet revival of the Russian New Year holiday tradition. Mr. Sciacca’s gift also includes nesting dolls that fill gaps in the Museum’s matryoshka collection: several contemporary political nesting dolls t ­ hat provide an amusing abbreviated history of Soviet and Russian leadership; and a number of early 20th century dolls, at least one of which predates the Soviet Union. Such dolls are difficult to find in good condition, and offer 203 Union Street, Clinton, MA 01510