In keeping with school tradition, ILS students in grades 8-12 spent part of Knowledge Day at the Arseniev Museum and the Primorye Picture Gallery. At the gallery, the students learned about Russian art traditions in the XVI-XX centuries and saw an exhibition of works by Valentina Diffins-Chritsy, a Soviet-Russian artist from the Moscow Painting School, along with an exhibit of gold jewelry from the State Hermitage’s Roman collection.
“Women in Ancient Rome wore beautiful jewelry,” said 9th grader Margarita Belovodskaya. “It’s hard to believe that what we saw was created by master craftsmen so many centuries ago.”
At the Arseniev Museum, our students learned about the history of swords and knives used in battle by Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Russian warriors, as well as about the beliefs of native peoples of Primorye, and saw artifacts from the Bohai Kingdom.
“We prepared seven excursions for ILS students, covering the history of Primorye from its origins to Soviet times,” explained Aleksandra Osipova, who heads the museum’s Department of Cultural and Educational Programs. “The students also saw an exhibit of textiles from the collection of the Ivanov State Historical and Regional Studies Museum.”
“Knowledge Day was truly a day of learning for our students, who saw artificts from the history of our city and region with their own eyes, rather than in the Internet or in textbooks,” notes ILS Principal Olga Shevchenko. “Thanks to the thorough research done in a wide range of sources by museum staff, a great deal is known about the history of Primorye Region, and the students were keenly interested in the information they received.”
