Head of the Department of Culture & Education

Vadim Baranov

Telephones: +375 17 517-31-46

The exposition of Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle includes both relics of folk architecture and other objects of tangible cultural heritage. Together they form information resource and special educational environment of the museum. Moreover a lot of theme exhibitions are organized in order to give a deeper understanding of what the exposition is about, to broaden the vision of the idea of the whole complex and to enrich museum’s information space.

The main function of the Department of Culture & Education is organizing cultural and educational processes in the museum. The department team consists of head of the department, scientists, junior research workers, guidance counselor, accompanist, administrator and cashier. All of them have higher education in the following areas: history, philology, performing arts and museology.

The museum puts its audience at the core of the communication strategy and has a full-fledged dialogue with its visitors. Such kind of strategy predetermines the forms of cultural and educational activities.

The department staff has already developed various types of museum products such as theme excursions, including theme excursion in English, interactive excursions, scenarios of ritual and festive events, educational programs, itineraries of horse-drawn carriage rides and etc.

All of the above services are provided on application as well as during various museum events, folk holidays and corporative parties held on the territory of the museum complex.

The Department of Culture & Education aims at:

• providing an education based on the best traditions of national culture;

• improving intelligence level and cultural standards of our visitors;

• implementing new forms and up-to-date methods in organizing cultural and educational activities;

• maintaining positive museum image.

The department works in the following areas: «Museum and family», «Museum and educational establishments», «Museum and recreation», «Museum and Mass Media».

When developing programs, scenarios of ritual and festive events and other types of services we use a differentiated approach to our visitors, paying special attention to family category.

Museum educational programs play a significant role in the museum activities. For example, the program “Pryvitannie, muziej” (“Hello museum”) designed for 1st – 2nd formers combines interactive excursion and educational program. We have already established contact with Education Committee under the Minsk City Executive Committee and with Minsk City Institute for the Development of Education. Annually more than 2000 boys and girls celebrate school-leaving party on the territory of the museum that is the initiative of the Education Committee.

Fascinating landscape and recreation zones of the Belarusian scansen also attract visitors. In recent times the museum complex is a popular place for organizing corporative parties which include cultural and educational programs. During corporative and mass cultural events (“Ma?lienica”, “Hukannie viasny”, “Vierbnaja niadzielia” and etc.) a lot of folk games, dancing and folklore performances as well as various trade exhibitions are organized. We also make celebration events devoted to International Day of Older Persons, Day of Culture Workers, Teachers’ Day, Doctors’ Day and other professional holidays.

The museum cooperates with several TV channels on making collaborative education projects managed by the museum researchers. The museum exposition often becomes a shooting area for many TV programs (“Dobraj Ranicy, Bielaru?”, “Studiya Khoroshego Nastroyeniya”, “Prostyye Uprazhneniya and etc.).