Shumilino Historical and Local Lore Museum Recognized as the Best in the Vitebsk Region
The main criteria for awarding this status were the fulfillment of assigned plans and the implementation of new engaging projects initiated by the museum staff. In 2020, the institution's exhibitions, including its branch in the urban settlement of Obol, were visited by over 10,000 people.
Museum employees actively engaged with the media and adopted the open-air format. "Our museum is focused on local residents, as Shumilino does not receive a large flow of tourists. In 2020, we strived to create the most comfortable conditions for our visitors and bring art and history closer to a wide audience. To achieve this, we organized outdoor exhibitions during the warmer months. For example, photo exhibitions dedicated to the historical heritage of Shumilino region – ancient estates, natural landmarks, places of military glory, and war graves," said Svetlana Ivanova, the museum director.
Thanks to its convenient location in the central park of the urban settlement, museum staff were able to utilize this natural setting for setting up exhibitions and organizing quests and games. Furthermore, both young and adult residents of the district participated in events and contests initiated by the museum. Elderly individuals became regular visitors to various exhibitions and participants in quizzes.
The museum provided a platform for labor veterans to showcase their works, including paintings and crafts, in personal and group exhibitions. Residents of Shumilino learned much about their fellow countrymen who express their inner world through creativity.
Since large-scale events could not be held due to the pandemic, museum employees organized numerous online contests. "History Online," "Shumilino Remembers," "1100 Days and Nights to Victory" - these and other virtual projects helped expand the audience and resonate not only with the region's residents. Projects dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory attracted residents from all over Belarus, and Russians also responded to them. Thanks to this, the names of many Soviet soldiers, natives of the district and those who fought on this land during the Great Patriotic War, became known. Moreover, such projects significantly replenished the museum's collections: old photos of relatives and loved ones sent by people from different cities and countries became the most valuable acquisitions and exhibits for new exhibitions.
Some initiatives of the museum employees found resonance and continuation among educational institutions. This was the case with the "Victory Post" project. Museum researchers developed a postcard design based on samples of pre-war and wartime postcards. They reproduced them and presented them to every war veteran, as well as to those fellow countrymen who made a significant contribution to the development of the district. Later, children in kindergartens and schools throughout the district began creating such postcards and then presenting them to veterans.
Among the many areas of activity of the cultural institution, there is also work with people with disabilities. Inclusive projects, in which people with disabilities either participate or organize events, are one of the museum's highlights.
Speaking about the plans for this year, Svetlana Ivanova noted that the museum expects to move into a new, more spacious building, which is being reconstructed for the regional festival of agricultural workers "Dazhynki," which will be held in Shumilino. "We expect to expand the exhibition space in the new building and create an archaeology hall. We have a collection of historical artifacts and hope to receive new exhibits if the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, whose archaeologists conducted excavations in the agro-town of Kordon in our district, allocates them to us," the museum director noted.
There is also an idea to organize exhibitions of works by local artists. The museum's collections include about 400 works by Vladimir Belousov, a native of the district, who worked as a production designer at the "Belarusfilm" film studio. Among the works donated to the museum are his paintings, sketches, and storyboards for films. Another collection by Vladimir Ivanov, another son of Shumilino, is represented by a collection of watercolor paintings. It is also worthy of a separate exhibition, so it will be presented to the general public in the new museum.
"There are many ideas. We would also like to combine our mini-projects dedicated to contemporaries into global thematic projects. For example, dedicate one of them to the women of our region – mothers with many children, honored workers, public figures – to show the female face of Shumilino. And also to tell about the history of our district from ancient times to the present, supplementing the material with new information about the achievements of our fellow countrymen," Svetlana Ivanova shared her plans.