Museum of Russian Icons Annual Report 2016 V2 Annual Report 2017 | Page 7

Programming
In 2016, Programs Manager
Randi Kelly developed a new
educational programming
initiative. The Framing Cultures
series, launched in March, aims
to explore different aspects of
contemporary Russian culture
in a participatory setting,
focusing on discussion and other
interactive activities. The first
program in the series, “Growing
Up in the Soviet Union,” featured
a panel discussion with Soviet/
Russian immigrants Lev Abidor,
Sima Kustanovich, Maria Trout,
and Alexander Volfovich. The
program was very well received.
On the program survey, one
audience member noted: “No
textbook history could compare
to hearing the personal stories
and struggles of people who
actually lived through the
changes in Russia and emigrated
to the USA.” The second program
in the series, “Animation as
Artifact: the Cultural Significance
of Russian Cartoons” looked at
the multi-faceted role the art of
animation has played in Russian
society since the beginning of
the 20th century.
Spearheaded by volunteers
Nancy Fiske and Liudmila
Subottina, the Contemporary
Russian Literature Book Group
was established in April. The
group meets at the Museum
every other month on Sunday
afternoons. Book selections for
2016 included The Queue by
Vladimir Sorokin; Homo Zapiens
by Victor Pelevin; Daniel Stein,
Interpreter by Ludmilla Ulitskaya;
The Loss: A Novella and Two
Short Stories by Vladimir
Makanin; and Laurus by Eugene
Vodolazkin.
On Mother’s Day, the Museum
collaborated with the Russian
Matryoshka Club, the Russian
American Cultural Center, and
the From Russia with Art Gallery
to launch the MA-MAtroyshka
Festival. Directed by Larissa Dyan
and Oleysa Koenig, the Festival
was presented at Clinton Town
Hall and featured performances,
food, vendors, crafts, and more.
The Festival was a fantastic
success, with 600 attendees,
400 of whom also visited the
Museum.
In the fall semester, a class
from Fitchburg State University
used the Museum as the setting
for its its projects. Teams
of game design and history
students worked together to
use augmented reality mobile
technology to create apps that
can virtually overlay imagery,
sound, and information to
enhance the visitor experience
of key icons in the Museum’s
collection. The teams were co-
taught by Professor Jonathan
Amakawa of the Communications
Media department and Joseph
Wachtel of the Economics,
History, and Political Science
department. While the projects
were d eveloped in beta, the
Museum hopes to pilot them in
the galleries in 2017.
The Museum hosted its eighth
annual intensive icon writing
workshop by The Prosopon
School of Iconology in August,
taught by world renowned
iconographer and instructor
Vladislav Andrejev. As it has
in past years, The St. Benedict
Abbey in Harvard, Massachusetts
assisted by making rooms
available for the instructors and
students.
TEN YEARS AND
COUNTING
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