Innovative museum displays hundreds of Russian artifacts

Clinton, MA. – Towards the end of last year, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Russian Icons located in Clinton, Massachusetts.  The museum, which was founded in October, 2006 by Gordon B. Lankton, is the only museum in the United States dedicated to Russian iconography.  The museum is also home to the largest collection of Russian icons in North America.

The museum is located at 203 Union Street adjacent to Clinton’s Central Park – the oldest public park in the United States.  Within the museums walls are over 500 Russian icons and artifacts spanning from the 15th century to the present.  Lankton selected a 19th century building as the location for the museum.  The building, which has 3 separate exhibit levels, was renovated and is equipped with advanced technological equipment.  
Lankton – an avid collector of Russian icons chose Clinton, Massachusetts as the location for the museum because of his longstanding relationship with the town.  He moved to Clinton in the 1960’s to work for Nypro, an international plastics injection molding company.  Lankton eventually became president of the company and on a business trip to Russia in 1989 he developed an interest in Russian iconography.
An icon is created by an iconographer who follows the teachings of the Orthodox Church.  Religious icons are images of a holy person or an event.  They serve as reminders of the sacrifices made by martyrs, prophets, and saints.  For centuries, icons were kept in nearly all Russian households.   In addition to serving as mementos, Russian icons tell the story of the intricate history of Eastern Europe and Asia and Byzantine and Roman cultures.   

Two banners displayed outside of the Museum of Russian Icons.
During my visit to the museum, I was able to gather some information.  One of the museum brochures describes how icons are created: “The icon’s front panel is covered with a smooth surface of gesso, a mixture of plaster and glue… The painting is executed directly on this prepared surface using egg tempera paint.  Finally, the artist adds a hard, top coat of clear lacquer to protect the finished work.”
The Museum of Russian Icons is one the newest museums in Massachusetts.  It is a spectacular place to visit for anyone interested in art, Asian and European history, or religious studies.  The museum website is: www.museumofrussianicons.org.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recovery Month supports addiction treatment programs and services

F or twenty-three years Americans have celebrated the month of September as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.   The purpose of Recovery month is to educate Americans about mental health services and addiction treatment programs that can help people struggling with substance abuse.   Recovery month also raises awareness about specific challenges that people in recovery face.   Although drug and alcohol addictions are complex problems with the correct treatment and support people who struggle with these addictions can recover. In a Presidential Proclamation On August 31, 2012, President Barack Obama declared September 2012 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.   In his proclamation Obama said: “Over the past 3 years, we have worked to strengthen substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, and to support Americans in recovery… Drug and alcohol abuse continue to take a tragic toll on millions of lives across our country.   Yet, while more remai
Read more

The Life and Art of Allan Rohan Crite

Image
The Boston Public Library was one of three locations in the city of Boston to display the art work of longtime Bostonian and artist Allan Rohan Crite. Beginning in the fall of 2007 until February 3, 2008, the BPL, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists exhibited collected works of art from Crite’s storied career in The Life and Art of Allan Rohan Crite: 1910-2007 . Funded in part by the Boston Public Library Foundation, the exhibit offered onlookers a view into Crite’s lengthy artistic career. When I visited the exhibit on January 19, 2008, over fifty collages, drawings, paintings, and sketches adorned the Wiggins Gallery in the McKim Building of The Boston Public Library. Crite was born on March 20, 1910, in Plainfield, New Jersey. In that same year, his family moved to Boston, Massachusetts. Crite would later make Boston his home as an adult. Over the course of his distinguished career he promoted visual art as a lecturer, p
Read more

Political legislation brings attention to US Dental Care Crisis

A ccording to a report created by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) there is a national crisis in American dental care.   On June 7, 2012 Cummings and Sanders – the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, introduced legislation to address the inefficiencies in the American dental care system.   Approximately 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance.   ¼ of American adults 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.   More than 75% of American adults over 30 have gum disease.   Additionally, about 17 million low-income children do not go to the dentist every year. On June 26, 2012, PBS aired a documentary about the U.S. dental care system on the investigative news program FRONTLINE .   The 50 minute documentary, Dollars and Dentists , analyzes current economic trends and patient access in the dental care industry.   The documentary is a joint investigative piece by FRONTLINE and the Center fo
Read more