Museum of Russian Icons Winter Newsletter 2019 MoRI_WINTER_2019_newsletter web | Page 2

From the
Curator’s Desk
Dear Friends,
Since the Museum was established in
2006 by Gordon Lankton, we have
gradually moved from a small founder’s
museum to a full-fledged nonprofit orga-
nization. We have entered our second
decade, and I can report that the Museum
is transitioning very smoothly.
Over the next few years, we will see sig-
nificant changes and developments that
build sustainability and connect us ever
closer to our numerous constituencies.
These include--and it should be said that
they are all equally important--our local
community, our members and supporters,
our extended academic family and schools
in our region, icon and Russian art col-
lectors, foundations and grant-making
organizations, area museums and cultural
associations, governmental agencies,
businesses, and civic groups. The list is
long, but underscores the full range of
existing connections which we have com-
mitted to strengthen and build.
EXHIBITION
Jacques’ Menagerie: Hnizdovsky Prints from the
Christina and George Gamota Collection
March 16 - July 7, 2019
Born in Ukraine, trained in Poland and
Croatia, a refugee to the US who was
embraced by American viewers and
collectors, Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915-
1985) traveled a difficult road through
life. His art, however, expressed his
capacity for joy, humor and hope, most
often in black and white. His boldly
graphic and playful images, most
famously a series of ‘portraits’ of ani-
mals from the Bronx Zoo, have been
widely recognized and beloved for over
half a century.
Jacques Hnizdovsky, Loon, 1985
This exhibition presents a single collection of Hnizdovsky prints (woodcuts, lin-
ocuts and etchings), as well as one of his paintings, which are rarely seen. The
collection was assembled by the Gamotas, a Ukrainian-American family who
shared Hnizdovsky’s experience of displacement, hardship and adaptation in the
course and aftermath of World War II, passing through the same refugee camps
and fostering a personal connection with the artist. The works, mostly images of
animals and plants, as well as an occasional portrait or still-life, acquired very
personal symbolism for different members of the family. 
This show tells the story of both Hnizdovsky and the Gamotas in the intimate
setting of the Museum’s Contemporary Exhibition Gallery.
You as readers of this newsletter are
among our most important supporters,
and we extend an invitation to you to visit
frequently and to maintain your member-
ship. This is not only a vital means of
financial support for us but also a reliable
indicator of the level of engagement we
can claim to leverage broader resources
from foundations and grant agencies.
I hope you have a happy and peaceful
2019 and that we see you often at the
Museum.
Best regards,
Kent Russell, CEO/Curator
2 | WINTER 2019
A Star (or two) is Born
In November, the PBS program Open Studio with Jared Bowen filmed a segment
on the exhibition Corncobs to Cosmonauts: Redefining the Holidays During the
Soviet Era. (On view until January 27.)
CEO Kent Russell and Registrar Laura Garrity-Arquitt were interviewed
about the exhibition and Soviet New Year traditions. The program airs on
December 21st and can also be viewed on the WGBH website: www.wgbh.org/
open-studio-with-jared-bowen.