Have you ever been to the old northern town Kargopol? It is situated in the south-west of Arkhangelsk region. Picturesque nature, whitestone and wood architecture of bygone centuries, friendly people, traditional handicrafts attract a lot of guests to this place. Here you may find peace and harmony that are easily lost in the bustle of big cities.
In one of Kargopol’s narrow streets there is an old wooden house, a private museum of the Shevelev family and the Kargopol clay toy. It got the status of the museum only in 2003, but it can already boast of two thousand visitors. Love for pottery trade runs in the Shevelev family: Dmitry Vasilievich (1907-2000) and Klavdiya Petrovna (1913-1974) were toy masters, their children Valentina, Vitaly, Vasily –artists. The childhood passion for clay modelling made the grandchildren become an archeologist , a modelling instructor, and an art critic.
The museum keeps the history of the family in photographs, relics and of course clay toys.The subjects of the toys are traditional: domestic and wild animals, people (dancing couples, mushroom gatherers, accordeon players). Besides a visitor can get acquainted with earthenware of old Russia: pots, dishes, wash-stands and so on.
Being surrounded by the world of folk art you cannot but try your hand at clay modeling and take same hand-made article from here as a souvenir. Any souvenir is particularly valuable when it is bought at the place of its creation. In the museum there is a special room where grown-ups and children can participate in the mysterious process of clay objects creation.
The exhibitions of the museum provide visitors with the opportunity to see rich collections of wood and birch bark objects and examples of traditional textile.
Numerous excursions, conducted free of charge, take place at any convenient for tourists time. Due to the special internet site www.kargopol.ru , opened with the support of the local businessman Sergey Belyaev, the number of people coming to Kargopol to visit our museum are constantly increasing. The students of several Moscow colleges do their practical work here under the supervision of Vsevolod Tobotras, a photograher. Such plainairs are useful both for the students and the masters, because communication is a mode of life for a creative person .
The family museum of the Shevelevs set the following objectives for the nearest future: to acquire the status of the juridicial person that will enable the organizers to apply for various grants; to continue scientific and publishing work; to reconstruct the building of the museum.
In short there is always something new and fascinating that can attract people of different professions and interests. Welcome to our museum!
