Report from the dolls and costume exhibition in Livadia (Republic of Crimea)

On November 24, 2021 the grand opening ceremony of the National Festival-competition of national costumes Grandmother's Chest was held in the Crimean Ethnographic Museum in Simferopol. The halls of the museum hosted a rich collection of Crimean craftsmen, featuring over two hundred exhibits reflecting national colors of the peoples of Crimea. The creative project was implemented by the Folk Art Centre with the support of the Crimean Ministry of Culture.

Masters from thirteen municipalities of Crimea, the Lipetsk region, the Chuvash Republic, the cities of Voronezh, Volgograd and Sevastopol took part in the competition. The works were assessed by an expert council, professionals in the field of folk crafts and costumes, and prominent cultural and artistic figures of Crimea.

One of the winners of the competition was Irina Nikitina, г. Sevastopol (the dolls "Lyubava" and "Michiye").  

Author of the article, exhibitor Irina Nikitina

The Tree of Life amulet, the osclet on Lyubava's head and the Chukchi tambourine with a mallet in Michiye's hands are important costume elements that add depth to the images. A doll in national attire provides a glimpse into the past of the people's traditions. It is an expression of knowledge about the world and man's place in it.

Lubava

Michiye

A panel of experts identified the winners of the project:

In the national costume category the winners were:

Lyudmila Budaeva (Chistenkoe village), Lyudmila Frolova (Stary Krym), Irina Nikitina (Sevastopol)

In the National Embroidery category:

Olga Budaeva (Chistenkoe village), Dilyara Suleymanova (Stary Krym), Irina Morozova (Stary Krym)

In the National Accessories category:

Natalia Ilyina (Simferopol), Lidia Biryukova (Krasnoperekopsk), Svetozar Uslov (Dzhankoy).

In the category "Themed stylised costume": Tatiana Paraschevina (Kerch), Alexandra Sherstobitova (Sevastopol) and Tatiana Matyushkina (Simferopol)

Winner Grand Prix is recognised as a master of national costume and embroidery Rimma Yefimova (Krasnoperekopsk)

A workshop on arts and crafts "Revival of a traditional craft and its transformation into a design technology" was organised for Crimean craftsmen as part of the national costume festival-competition "Granny's Chest".

The event was held at the Livadia Palace Museum and was aimed at drawing attention to the master craftsman and the preservation of cultural, material and spiritual heritage.

The workshop included master classes in arts and crafts: "Free and Stencil Painting of Clothes" led by Tetiana Matyushkina (Simferopol), "Vyatka Knot Doll" by Svetlana Uslova (Dzhankoy), a master class on dry felting by Irina Ershova (Kerch) and weaving by Svetlana Sergeyeva (Simferopol).

The Grandmother's Chest open republican festival-competition of dolls and national costumes is a project aimed at preserving arts and crafts traditions and the richest diversity of inter-ethnic folk ethnos.

Contributor to the exhibition Irina Nikitina.