Traditional Matryoshka Nested Doll Making: from Russia to New England

This beautifully illustrated interactive presentation by Russian Artist and lecture, Marina Forbes, will feature the history of Matryoshka nested doll making in Russia. Using a fully illustrated show and numerous exhibits, including examples of her own work and from her extensive collection, Forbes will examine the tapestry of the rich folk tradition and symbolism of the doll’s appearance and the interesting link between doll making and other traditional Russian art forms. There will be a quick stop at the 1900 World Fair in Paris that made Russian nested dolls and Fabergé eggs famous followed by an exciting illustrated tour of a working doll-making factory in rural Russia, depicting the various stages in the doll making process. The presentation will conclude with a glorious show of hundreds of examples of the finest Matryoshka artwork available in Russia.

Don't miss the Russian Matryoshkas, handcrafted and slimmed down, hand-painted and dressed up by the 30 world famous fashion designers like Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Gucci, Oscar De la Renta, Stella McCartney, Armani just to name a few... The Designer Matryoshka Dolls were glamorously auctioned off for Russian charities in Moscow.

Presenter Marina Forbes is a lecturer, historian and award-winning artist who has written extensively on Russian traditional arts, history and the rich tapestry of Russian culture. She is licensed with the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and is featured on the New Hampshire Humanities Council Roster as a speaker on Russian Arts, History and Culture as well as NH Council on the Arts Rosters for Arts in Education and Traditional Arts. Each year, Marina leads cultural tours to Russia where she regularly updates her scholarship, gathering photos and documents, visiting craft factories, GULAG sites and monasteries, and interviewing journalists, political figures and scholars on the current state of affairs in Russia. Marina has a distinctive ability to generate energy and enthusiasm in the audience and to bring the rich fabric of traditional Russian art and folklore to life for children of all ages through memorable and thought-provoking programs.

Marina’s talks are sometimes a little bit funny, sometimes a little bit sad…. but always unmistakably Russian.

This program is free and open to the public at the Woonsocket Harris Public Library on Saturday November 12th at 11am

For more info please call (401) 769-9044.