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XXXVI Session of the Creative Problem Seminar of Literary Museums’ Directors

 From July 30 to August 2, 2020 at the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve there hosted a regular session of the Creative Problem Seminar of Directors of the Russian Literary Museums. The declared topic was "Social, cultural, educational and scientific functions of a modern museum: relationships and priorities". The geography of the participants covered representatives of literary museums, starting from the northern part of Russia - the Arkhangelsk Museum of Local Lore, - and ending with the south - the Crimean Literary and Art Memorial Museum-Reserve.

On July 30, the People’s House hosted the grand opening of the Creative Problem Seminar. Opening the seminar, Alexander Sholokhov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, President of ICOM Russia, drew attention to the fact that in the current conditions museums perform a deep social function. The ongoing active educational activities of museums in social networks have helped many people in the regime of self-isolation “just be human”. Museum creativity knows no boundaries. “We were given a new impetus, impulse for many undertakings. The experience of virtual projects deployed during the period of self-isolation will not stop. To exchange them, to highlight the most striking directions in this activity is equally useful for all of us". Dmitry Bak, director of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after Vladimir Dahl, thanked the staff of the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve for the efforts they made to organize the seminar. “Currently there are heated discussions about what a museum is? It is an organization that has social functions; it is an organization that serves entertainment (?!); it is a scientific institution; it is the center of educational programs. Everything is very acute. Unfortunately, there are many tendencies in the interpretation of this issue that try to blur the essence of the museum as a place where there is a collection, where there are genuine objects, treasures that connect us with the past. The role of the museum has increased dramatically during the pandemic. The museum is an island of authenticity. Social networks lead us to false democracy, falsely understood liberalism, freedom of discussion, which immediately turns into fake news and absolute unprovability of the truth. And the museum remains the place where everyone who comes, despite the complexity of the topics - the museum can be dedicated to the Holocaust, the Gulag, and other sick things - but this is the place where communication takes place. We are one of the last islands of firmness, stability and positive communication". Dmitry Bak spoke about the growth of the Association of Literary Museums. It currently includes 59 museums. The workshop was attended by 40 participants from 36 regions.

In his welcoming speech, Evgeny Bogatyryov, Director of the State Museum of Alexander Pushkin, noted that “our 36th seminar of directors of literary museums is not just a collection, but a fact of the history of Russian culture. There is nothing of the kind in the history of museums, the history of related fields of activity. We have gathered at a difficult, alarming time, but the seminar is taking place. We thank Olga Anistratenko and Alexander Sholokhov for this. Vyoshenskaya is the champion in the number of seminars held among all museums - we are gathering here for the fourth time. It hosted the presidiums of the Union of Russian Museums, meetings of the International Committee of Literary Museums ICOM, and meetings of the presidiums of our national committee ICOM. At every visit to Vyoshenskaya you see something new in the museum. The museum is constantly evolving. It is one of the youngest museums in Russia and today it is not just a museum, but a museum-empire, not accidentally called "an open-air novel". We will all feel this and let it pass through our hearts and souls".

Director of the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve Olga Anistratenko sent whole-hearted greetings to the participants of the seminar and made a presentation on the activities of the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve. Sholokhov Museum-reserve and the Creative Seminar of directors of literary museums are of the same age, celebrating 36 years of their existence. Over the years, the staff of the Museum managed to turn a small regional museum into the largest museum complex in the south of Russia, known far beyond the borders of our country. Research projects, numerous exhibitions; scientific conferences ("Sholokhov Readings", "Museum-Reserve: Ecology and Culture") testify to the extensive cultural, educational, research, scientific and fund museum activities. This activity is reflected in the publishing industry. Catalogs of museum collections and exhibitions are published annually; collection of scientific articles "Vyoshensky Vestnik", scientific and educational magazine "World of Sholokhov"; guidebooks, brochures, booklets, media programs.

On the same day, the participants of the seminar visited the main memorial site of the Sholokhov Museum-Reserve - the writer's estate, examined this cultural heritage site after restoration. The opinion about the work carried out was unanimous - the atmosphere of the writer's house was not disturbed. Great interest was also aroused by the expositions “Outhouse. Summer Kitchen of the Sholokhovs" and "Garage". The participants of the seminar also noted that the expositions “Nobel Triumph”, “On the Road”, “Matches of Mikhail Sholokhov”, brought after the memorialization of the Estate, surprisingly subtly blended into the memorial space.

On July 31, at an open meeting of the Association of Literary Museums, held at the People's House, the participants discussed a number of issues related to the Association's forum as part of the celebration of Nikolay Nekrasov in Karabikha in 2021; the possibility of exchanging exhibitions "Study and the World of a Writer", "Writer. Fashion and Style”, “The Writer and His Muse”; preparation of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after Vladimir Dahl; preparation of the celebration of the 125th birthday of Serghey Yesenin; creation and development of communities of museums, united by the name of one or several writers (Community of Pushkin Museums; Aksakov Community; Community of Museums of Writers of the 2nd half of the 20th century). On the same day, the participants exchanged views on what problems museums are currently facing at the round table "Social, cultural, educational and scientific functions of the museum: relationships and priorities".

On August 1, the Creative Seminar moved to Rostov-on-Don, where the participants got acquainted with the work experience of the Excursion and Exhibition Center "Sholokhov-Center", held a meeting on inter-museum interaction, summed up the XXI session of the Creative Problem Seminar of Directors of Literary Museums. The final day of the seminar, August 2, was held in the Taganrog State Literary and Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such events as the Creative Seminar of Directors of Literary Museums. They help to objectively understand the function of the museum, the essence of its work, consolidate efforts to create new projects, improve the structure of the museum. This is a great impetus for further fruitful activity and a certain degree of satisfaction with the achieved result. 

Lydia Slyusarenko