School № 28 Kirov, Russia [email protected] Students: Denis

School № 28 Kirov, Russia [email protected] Students: Denis Rylov, Oxana Astrakhantseva, Valeria Karatova,Maria Katkova, Daria Khlybova, Marina Perminova, Stanislav Smirnov, Gavriil Lekhmak. Teachers: Tatyana Khodyreva, Tatyana Palkina

The purpose to show the beauty and importance of folk crafts as the cultural heritage of our small Motherland and inseperable part of our history - to try to explain why such famous folk crafts aren’t developed and are unclaimed nowadays.

Objectives and Targets for Project 1. to study theoretical material about the history of our city and region and development of folk crafts 2. to meet people who go in for folk crafts or are connected with them 3. to analyze why people aren’t interested in the cultural heritage of their small Motherland , to make a conclusion about folk crafts and their connection with the problems of sustainable development 4. to organize the excursion for pupils of our school and to offer this problem to young people for analysis 5. to meet representatives of Department of Culture and Department of Development of Free Enterprise and Small Business at the Government of Kirov region and citizens of our town to find ways of solving the problem

Kirov Region

Folk Crafts What is it? - It’s a form of folk arts in the country. There is a great diversity in arts in our land. Our folk crafts have their own features inherent only to the Vyatka land, arising from the national character of Vyatichi, the way of life and natural materials available .

Folk Crafts in the XIX and XXI Centuries Nature and climate made Vyatski people handy. Vyatskaya province was the third in the development of folk crafts in the second half of XIX century after Moscow and Nizhni Novgorod. In 1910 our land had the first place in the number of handicraftsmen. The numerous fairs and exhibitions were held in Vyatka, Moscow, Nihzni, Kazan, St Petersburg, Omsk and even abroad from Paris to Chicago to glorify skillful Vyatski handicraftsmen. XIX XXI

Kirov Region

Vyatka Folk crafts Articles of leaf-bearing root excrescences * Matryoshka Doll * Hand –made lace * Wood –carving * Weaving and embroidering * Birch bark, straw and osier articles * Dymkovo Toy * XIX century – 70 kinds of folk crafts XXI century – 14

Matryoshka–doll, a symbol of Russian Folk art Matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll. Its name is a diminutive form of the Russian female name "Matryona". The idea of a matryoshka-doll was brought to Vyatka by two monks from the town of Zagorsk at the beginning of the XX th century. At first at-home masters started to make matryoshka-toys for their little kids.

Vyatka craftsmen have developed 20 types of matryoshkas. The virtuoso turners can make a matryoshka of any size, from a miniature one-centimeter doll to enormous ones that can hold 11, 15, 20 or even 38 figurines. The factory in the town of Nolinsk is a traditional one, and it produces Matryoshka dolls in folk traditions. They are blue-eyed girls with fair hair in red and yellow kerchiefs with beautiful flowers and bright aprons. A particular feature of the Vyatka matryoshkas is the rye straw inlay incombination with painting based on the motives of old works of Vyatka folk arts. Although the shape of the toy is traditional, the unique hand-painting and straw incrustation make each matrioshka original and inimitable. Now Vyatka matryoshkas are exported to the USA, Italy, France, the FRG, the Netherlands and other countries.

Modern Matryoshkas

Kukarka Hand-Made Lace Vyatka has been known as one of the centres of embroidery and lace –making for a long time. In the reign of Peter I a skilled lace –maker exiled to Vyatka province founded a workshop in Kukarka. Vyatka women turned out to be gifted and patient and brought fame to this craft. Using white and coloured thread and bobbins they make designs of unbelievable beauty. The traditions have been kept till nowadays.

Kukarka lace differs from Vologda and Ryazan lace. In making Vyatka laces craftsmen use a multitude of open-work patterns. A particular element of the ornament are splendid rosettes. The ornaments are very picturesque and look beautiful.

Root-Excrescence Souvenirs The production of root-excrescence souvenirs is one of the widespread crafts of Vyatka Region. The excrescence has unique qualities: it doesn’t warp or crack, and it is very good for grinding and varnishing. It is of beautiful colour shading from light-golden to dark-brown. The art of processing root excrescences in Vyatka dates back to the 16th century. Then articles were made for everyday use. The glory of the craftsmenship of the Vyatka masters spread throughout Russia, and after a number of foreign exhibitions their articles began to be highly valued in many countries.

Wood carving Vyatka people also made and make articles of wood. The plasticity of lime-tree and aspen-tree is used by craftsmen in carving fashion boxes, panels, napkin- and pen–holders. The designs on them are made of grooves and cuts in the form of flowers, leaves, snowflakes and geometrical figures. Some items are skillfully inlaid with straw.

Straw Articles Straw is the dry stalk of a cereal plant after the nutrient grain or seed has been removed. Straw can be used for decoration. People of Vyatka Land use straw to make dolls, flowers, containers for sweets, souvenir boxes and many other pretty things.

Birch-Bark Articles Birch bark - a cortex of the birch, which is a unique natural material. It is ecologically clean, strangely gentle, beautiful, soft and velvety, easy to work with. Vyatka birch bark souvenirs are: Containers for food (bread, milk, salt, pepper, etc.) Boxes for jewelry Icons Souvenir medals depicting Vyatka cathedrals Plates for bread and other food Vases for flowers Cups, and much more.

Willow Osier Weaving Flexibility of willow branches and osier is widely used for home items. Craftsmen weave bread- and sweet-plates, boxes, baskets and furniture. In old times these objects were used in household , nowadays it’s a decoration or fashion in dachas or summer houses.

Isn’t It Interesting? But young people don’t pay much attention to it. We made a questionnaire on this problem of 75 students of 10-11 grades. 65 answered that folk crafts are part of our history and culture, traditions of our ancestors; they differentiate our region from other regions of the country. Almost all folk crafts are known, but nobody wants to work in this field, because it’s not prestigious and doesn’t bring much money. Besides, to make it popular there must be advertising everywhere : in mass media, in the streets , during fairs and town celebrations. 25 respondents suggested conducting special lessons at school from the first grade. 6 consider it important to put information on a web-site.

Conservation and Development of Folk Crafts The Museum of Folk Crafts “Prikaznaya Izba” is opened for visitors. It holds excursions and master-classes for people. Now only 9 enterprises of folk crafts work in Kirov region. But some of them returned to at-home job, because it’s unprofitable to open factories and shops and too expensive to organize mass production. They need help from the state. Folk crafts are important not only for art and culture but also for economy of our region. 2000 people work in this field. Kirov Region takes the 3d place in Russia in the volume of production. Our goods are delivered in 40 regions of the country and shops are opened in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Help of Regional Government

Problems: There is no external advertising in the city There is little information about folk crafts in mass media Folk crafts are not popularized among children Young people are not interested in folk crafts There are only few places where craftsmen are taught Tourism is not developed in our region that’s why few people know our folk crafts outside our region

We Suggest At school during the course of history students should be acquainted with folk crafts as our cultural heritage. Optional courses, field-work and master-classes should be offered to junior students During fairs and celebrations organizers should decorate the place with elements of folk crafts More advertising banners should be put in the city and at the entrances to it for travellers to learn more about our land More attention should be given to park sculpture, walk streets, to folk crafts shops Thank you for attention

Thank you for attention The literature we used Local newspapers T.U. Kostousova Sights of Kirov, 2007 V. Golovin Electronic Encyclopedia of Vyatka Land 2006 Folk Crafts of Kirov Region. Electronic Catalogue 2011