From the Curator ’ s Desk
St . Petersburg Men ’ s Ensemble Returns
Migration + Memory Events
From the Curator ’ s Desk
The Museum of Russian Icons is always expanding programs and exploring new ways to engage our supporters and visitors .
In the summer of 2017 the Museum sponsored a trip to Croatia , Slovenia , Montenegro , and Bosnia . Six of us from the Museum spent ten days exploring this fascinating part of the Balkans , a cradle of early civilizations and a crossroads of Christian and Muslim worlds .
In 2018 we travel to the Holy Land to explore the actual sites that are depicted in many of our icons . These trips offer the deepest hands-on experience of the worlds that are connected to our collection , so please think of joining us on our next trip .
We have also been busy exploring new ways to partner with other institutions that share some part of our mission . We will be working with the Fitchburg Art Museum to present a series of contemporary artist exhibitions , in which artists explore their relationship to icons and the influence that traditional icons have had on their work . The Foundation of Russian History museum , at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville , NY , will be curating a groundbreaking exhibition of previously unseen material related to the last days of the Imperial family before they were murdered in 1918 .
Stay tuned for these exciting new partnerships and exhibitions !
Kent Russell , CEO / Curator
Photo : Kalman Zabarsky
St . Petersburg Men ’ s Ensemble Returns
Saturday , December 16 , 5:00pm Members $ 20 , Nonmembers $ 25 , Order tickets by calling the Museum , 978.598.5000 x121 , or visit our website , museumofrussianicons . org / stpete .
After a 3-year hiatus , the powerhouse a capella quartet from St . Petersburg is returning to the Museum with an all new program !
Since 2003 , the St . Petersburg Men ’ s Ensemble has shared their musical gifts , warmth , and humor with audiences around the globe . Their repertoire encompasses various musical periods and styles , from ancient Russian chants to chorales of Western and Eastern European masters to modern and contemporary . The group ’ s four previous concerts at the Museum have all sold out , so make sure to get your tickets early for this engaging and memorable event .
Migration + Memory Events
Exhibition Opening Reception and talk by Curator Anna Winestein : Russian Art of the Jewish Century
Thursday , October 12 , 6:30-8:30pm Members free , Nonmembers $ 15 Please RSVP by October 10 by calling 978.598.5000 x121 .
Join us as we open our fall exhibition , Migration + Memory : Jewish Artists of the Russian and Soviet Empires .
Curator Anna Winestein will speak about the creative legacy and expressive responses of artists of Jewish heritage who were variously connected with the Russian and Soviet empires in the 20th century . The talk will cover select artists from the Torchilin collection , as well as other figures of note who taught , influenced , or inspired them , and will also explore the impact of the October Revolution on Jewish creativity .
A Conversation with the Collectors
Saturday , November 18 , 3:00-5:00pm Members $ 10 , Nonmembers $ 15 . Please RSVP by November 15 by calling 978.598.5000 x121 .
Collectors Vladimir and Vera Torchilin , in conversation with curator Anna Winestein , will discuss the evolution of art-making , collecting , and patronage among Jews in the Soviet Union and in emigration . They will share personal stories and historical perspectives on the cultural and creative capital of Russophone Jews in Moscow , Leningrad , and elsewhere in the USSR . They will also explore how the wave of Jewish emigration of the 1970s and 1980s dispersed many of these artists and collectors ( including all three speakers ) to the US , Canada , Israel , and Europe , and how this migration impacted their host nations as well as the country they left behind .
A reception with wine and light hors d ’ oeuvres will follow the program .
2 | FALL 2017