Scores of projects with remarkable spiritual content, hundreds of unique excursions and thousands of hearts warmed by the light of art – that is a huge achievement of a small sector in the Palace of Culture, usually called the virtual world of the Russian Museum. It celebrates its 15-th anniversary on the 28-th of October.

I'm going to a meeting regarding the upcoming anniversary. The head of the informational and educational center "The Russian Museum: the virtual branch" Natalia Sukhovyeva appears in the doorway of the Palace of Culture, beautiful and friendly as always: Is she here to meet me? No, she comes to meet a hand-spinning wheel brought from her Motherland, the Bryansk region, and a precious parcel with hand sewing items...

"Everyone brings from village potatoes, homemade preserves, and I can bring samovar, hand-spinning wheel, handmade lace and embroideries – Natalia Sukhovyeva smiles. – We collect such things all together - my mother, mother-in-law, our neighbors. Here is a smoother (a device for cloth ironing - author's note)- the same as at the painting "Who's there?" by Vasily Maksimov. It will be the artist's anniversary in January, and we are going to put his paintings into our working plan. The visitors will look at the picture, and then we will show them a real smoother…»

And there are a lot of such treasures in a small office of the center full of books and computer disks – all of them help the employees of the branch, Natalia Sukhovyeva and Anna Lazutina, to brighten the virtual tours with a real alive content. Everything here is filled with the Russian spirit and love for the national heritage. The names of events organized by the center's employees speak for themselves: "Let's keep family traditions", "In love with a national festivity", "Bright ceramic painted toy is a famous village joy", "The olden time is here itself"...

A great number of thematic painting presentments is being increased constantly, with special selection and demonstration of the material for each age group of the museum's visitors. It is generally believed that that the most difficult thing today is to get the young people interested, but even they did not stay indifferent.

"Natalia Sukhovyeva suggested an idea to hold joint events for our plant workers by the Russian Museum center and youth sector of the trade-union committee", Margarita Videnina, youth group's specialist, says.  - Then we’ve divided responsibilities: Natalia Sukhovyeva makes a presentation and a lecture, I am responsible for an entertaining part and Anna Lazutina prepares a thematic zone and workshop sessions.

We decided to perform the first trial event for the young activist group. It was dedicated to the traditions of the Maslenitsa festival with tea party. Everybody loved it!

Then we organized the festival dedicated to the 50-th anniversary of Kirishi, contest of the presentations "Congratulations to my plant" on the occasion of 50-th anniversary of the refinery and  "The Leningrad region journey or a weekend route".

Out last event, "Traditions of the Russian tea drinking" was met with a great interest – we have not expected so many people to come together with their children.

I like the whole process of working with Natalia Sukhovyeva and Anna Lazutina, starting from the event preparation stage. They are real Russian souls.  I come to them and immediately become eager to do something, to create. They are fully involved into each project and develop it to the last detail.

So, if you have not been to this place of goodness and beauty, be sure to come. Here everyone learn something new. The range of visitors is very wide, and the language of art is clear to everyone.

The virtual branch of the Russian Museum organizes many events in different forms for the refinery employees and veterans. For example, one of the last inovation is the virtual excursion performed directly in the refinery workshops during a lunch break.

"We timed this meeting to coincide with March 8 and chose the theme "Beauty of the Russian women", – says Svetlana Kozlyakova, Chairman of the Trade Union Committee of shop No.21. – At the most of these pictures the portly ladies were shown. At first, the audience laughed a little, but Natalia Sukhovyeva pointed out that back then thinness was a sign of illness, and women were considered beautiful if they were fleshy, ample-bodied, ruddy, fertile. She was very interesting and enthusiastic storyteller. Audience became thoughtfull and started to ask questions. No one has left. At the end of the lecture they applauded and invited to come again.

Also it was a brief report about the Russian Museum, its branches and exhibitions that caught our interest. Everyone liked the event."

"It was before Easter and the event had gathered a lot of people," says Oleg Petrov, Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union Committee of shop No.15, says. – The excursion was called "Russian festivals". We learned a lot about the Easter celebration in Russia, the origins of our well-known traditions and saw the patterns of Russian life in the paintings of famous artists.

By all accounts the event was highly appreciated by the attendees.  We are going to arrange new meetings with Natalia Sukhovyeva on some other subjects.

This form of event, in my opinion, is very successful: it is both informative and convenient for people."

"Visiting "The Russian Museum: the virtual branch" in the Palace of Culture became our good tradition, but it was the first time, when the Museum came to our work site, Valentina Novolotskaya, a Chairman of the Trade Union Committee of the Chief Instrumentation Engineer department, says. - Suggested theme of the excursion had attracted a lot of people and many of them would like to attend. Natalia Sukhovyeva told us a story behind the paintings and some interesting details about their authors. She managed to amaze even well-versed art amateurs with unusual and little-known facts about familiar pieces of art.

We would like to thank the employees of the virtual branch of the Russian Museum for such an interesting meeting.

Dear friends, We congratulate you on the anniversary of the center, on the 15-th anniversary of your excellent job. We wish you to be prosperous, improving your skills and methods of work! Get new ideas in your job which is so necessary for all Kirishi residents".

These are the good comments received in regards to the field virtual tours. But the traditional forms of working with the public are also very popular.

Kirishi citizens of all ages visit informational and educational center in the Palace of Culture. These are students of Sunday school, young and old, and visitors from the center for challenged person rehabilitation – they always come here with a great pleasure, whatever the weather. People from other cities are also welcomed here. For example, guests from Surgut liked the "virtual world of the Russian Museum" so much that they wished to have the same one.

And, of course, there is a large audience from primary school and pre-school groups of kindergartens. Thanks to the virtual branch, more than one young generation has grown up in friendship with the Russian Museum. In addition to the presentation of paintings, they also hold "Meetings in the family club", "International Museum day" and festive evenings.

"I don't remember how many years I've been taking my students to the branch of the Russian Museum. At least, 8" says Anna Nikolaeva, teacher of the fourth grade of the Kirishsky Lyceum. - Natalia Sukhovyeva and Anna Lazutina always keep events professionally and so heartfelt – children listen spellbound. Even those who were not interested in the first grade, now, in the fourth, raise their hands and give coherent and logical answers... It's so rewarding to see that children are developing.

Thanks for the wonderful festivals and workshop sessions that the center's employees organize for children and their parents. "Meeting in the family club" dedicated to the theme "Woman in the paintings of Russian artists" was unforgettable. Children often recall it and ask: "When will we go to the Museum next time?"

"General education program includes the themes "Visit to a Museum", and we have an opportunity to learn them not by the book, but take a real tour," says Tatyana Gerasimova, teacher of the second grade of the Kirishi gymnasium. – The virtual branch of the Russian Museum provides children with such a high-quality cultural program that is hardly could be prepared by teachers. Therefore since the opening of this informational and educational center all the junior school grades visit it.

Employees of the center make presentations on various topics and provide a lot of additional information. Kids are all ears. They are so exited. And then we can solidify our knowledge by visiting the real Russian Museum."

"No Museum can exist without its spiritual guide," Viktor Flotsky, Chairman of the Trade Union Committee,  says – "And we are very lucky that Natalia Sukhovyeva was invited to the position of the Kirishi virtual branch head. She is able to reveal the inner world of the picture in a remarkable manner, even to an uninitiated person.

The employees of our branch are unique in their love for this job. This, I would say, ecstatic love is the driving force that has been supporting the project for 15 years, but also helping it to develop: there are new forms of presentation and interaction with the audience, all topics are being updated with new interesting facts and visual material.

Children are encouraged to apply their knowledge and skills to creating something beautiful here - not for themselves, but for a wide range of people - just as the great Russian artists.

Natalia Sukhovyeva’s kindness and her soul breadth cannot be limited by her professional duties. She initiates many cultural and educational events even outside of her working hours. With all her love to art she manages to create an aura of admiration around material she gives."

"It's so wonderful that the residents of our small town have an opportunity to enjoy all the masterpieces from the Russian Museum collection", says Vasily Pozdyaev, Deputy General Director on social development. – It was a breakthrough, when information technologies have been used to help people in finding their way to the culture. And we can be proud of the fact that Kirishi was one of the first town in the country which hosted this informational and educational center.

Only two women work here. The first ten years Lyubov Maslova has been working together with Natalia Sukhovyeva, and five years ago she was followed by Anna Lazutina. Thanks to their efforts our branch of the Russian Museum has not become a blank, but has developed into one of the successful social projects of LLC «KINEF». We appreciate their hard work and reverential attitude to the mission assigned.

I would also like to thank teachers of Kirishi schools and the staff of the Education Committee for their embracing of our initiatives. They spend their free time bringing the students to exhibitions, helping them in contests organized by the plant and filling their lives with meaning, kindness and beauty."

Olesya ABAKOVA

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