Official actions
The magic of Vologda lace
25.07.2011 10:08
The Voice of Russiahttp://english.ruvr.ru
Jan 24, 2011
Vologda lace. Photo: RIA Novosti
This June Russia is to host the First International Festival of Lace organized by the National Museum of Lace, which was set up in the city of Vologda in November last year.
The lace-making city of Vologda has long been known as an arts and crafts brand of Russia. The popularity of tatted snow-white patterns from Vologda spread far beyond the borders of Russia in the 19th century. Often referred to as "the frozen colors of northern winter", Vologda lace does remind you of fancy patterns that form on windows on a frosty day.
The Museum of Lace, the youngest museum in Russia, was built over five years. Director Yulia Yevseeva has this to say.
"The museum occupies a large two-storey mansion which is an architectural monument protected by the state. Located in the city's historical center, it attracts swarms of tourists. More than 13 thousand guests have visited the museum in two months. But it would stay closed on certain days if we counted only on tourists. Local residents account for most of the visitor traffic. Requests for excursions keep flowing in. Naturally, we are aware that the current boom is bound to end one day, so we plan to throw in seasonal expositions to encourage people to drop in impromptu."
According to Yulia Yevseeva, the festival will cement the Museum of Lace's reputation among other museums and will boost its further development.
"The current exposition features lace from Vologda mainly," the director of the Vologda museum says. "Only a few stands display laceworks from Europe. Hopefully, the participants in the festival will share their experience with us. For our part, we are ready to buy some items from them."
The museum's current collection consists of five hundred exhibits, all placed in double-glazed showcases to protect them against light, dust or humidity exposure. A climate control system is at work too.
"Some of the exhibiting equipment is at the high-tech end of the market," Yulia Yevseeva says. Showcases with laceworks can easily shift from a vertical to horizontal position so that the items can "take a rest" from being in the same suspended state all the time.
Now that there is a lace museum in the city, the art of lace-making attracts more and more people who would like to master it.
"Young ladies often come up to us after excursions wanting to sign up for lace-making classes," the museum's director says. "We've started several groups, and I’m one of the students too. Though my level is elementary, I've attended enough classes to understand that this art requires patience and dexterity. But nothing is beyond our reach."
The International Bobbin and Needle Lace Organization, which unites lace-makers from more than forty countries, has issued a membership for the Vologda Museum of Lace and offered help in holding the lace festival in summer 2011.
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