Raubichi. The Museum of Belarusian Folk Art.

The idea of creating a Museum of Belarusian Folk Art within the walls of the destroyed former Krestogorsky Church belonged to I. N. Panshina, Deputy Director for Science of the State Art Museum of the BSSR, and T. I. Stepina, senior researcher at the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts. The concept of restoration and placement of the exhibition in the iconic building was supported by the director of the State Art Museum Elena Vasilyevna Aladova. Initially, it was decided to demolish the remaining foundation and walls, since at that time the building's losses amounted to over 80%. Only a letter from E. V. Aladova addressed to P. M. Masherov, as well as the personal intervention of the head of the BSSR, prevented the complete destruction of the Krestogorsky Church.

Architect L. V. Pavlova became the head of the group of restorers. According to the project of the honored architect of the BSSR V. N. Aladov, a rectangular volume was added to the main volume of the church building from the side of the apse, where additional exhibition areas and household premises were located.

Over the years, the Museum of Belarusian Folk Art in Raubichi was headed by Tatyana Ivanovna Stepina, Valentina Grigoryevna Pisarenko, Svetlana Vasilyevna Krel, Olga Leonidovna Zalutskaya.

The museum's exposition introduces the traditional folk art of the XVI – early XX century and the works of modern masters working in the most common types of folk art: weaving, pottery, wood carving and painting, weaving from straw and vines.

Weaving is one of the oldest forms of folk art. Age-old methods of processing linen and wool, weaving techniques, types of clothing and rituals with homespun tablecloths, towels, shirts, belts are presented at the exhibition. Traditional costumes of the late XIX – early XX centuries, towels and decorative fabrics of the twentieth century from various regions of Belarus are included.

The uniqueness of folk clothing is determined by its purpose and regional traditions. In Belarus, the use of linen fabric with red embroidered or woven patterns is typical. The weavers, possessing all known techniques, created a rich variety of decor using a combination of bleached and unbleached linen with red cotton threads.

Products made of woolen fabrics – bedspreads and skirts – are multicolored, made with simple techniques of weaving threads with variation due to a combination of multicolored weft and warp threads. The appearance of factory fabrics and artificial dyes in the 80s of the nineteenth century changed the color of woven products and the nature of clothing. The old headdress is being replaced with multicolored silk, calico and wool shawls. Sleeveless jackets are sewn from factory fabric, decorating them with braid and metal buttons.

The ornament and color of the products evolved in the first half of the twentieth century. The exposition also presents the royal gates of the late XVIII – early XX century, made in the technique of weaving straw with bright fabric inserts imitating precious stones.

Belarusian craftsmen made a significant contribution to the art of woodcarving, mentioned in documents of the XVII century. They worked in the Moscow state, decorating iconostases with carvings and performing other carved works. The exhibition includes works by rural craftsmen who created carved royal gates and sculptures. These works combine common features and knowledge of the plastic properties of the material.

The works of rural craftsmen presented in the exhibition are of great interest. They carried out orders from fellow villagers from the villages of Negnevichi, Zabolotye, Mezhevichi and created carved royal gates and sculptures of the XVIII — early twentieth century. Despite the variety of creative manners, all the works share common features inherent in the works of folk masters, and knowledge of the plastic properties of the material. By the end of the nineteenth century, only a few craftsmen continued to preserve the ancient art of woodcarving, creating sculptures for rural chapels and dolls for the national battle theater.

The modern art of wood carving is represented by the works of well-known self–taught craftsmen in the republic - A. F. Pupko, V. V. Olshevsky, K. K. Kozelko, who continue the glorious traditions of Belarusian carving.

The pottery of the museum's collection dates back to the twentieth century. Pots and ladles for cooking, bowls for food, jugs and crinkles for milk, "glyaks" and "layers" for storing food, whistles and clay toys are decorated in simple ways known to all potters of the world: welding, languishing, painting on a terracotta surface, coating with glaze. Household pottery of Belarusians has almost no painting. Decorative effect is achieved by elementary methods.

An innate sense of form and professional mastery of the material help the master to choose the best decor option. Black-flattened ceramics from Pruzhany, light terracotta vessels from Gorodnaya with red paintings in the form of concentric circles and "commas", Gorodok utensils covered with multicolored glaze, impress with their functionality and simplicity of decor.

A special group of monuments in the exposition consists of the products of the Ivenetsky factory, which has turned from a small artel into a leading center of artistic pottery in Belarus. The museum presents the works of one of the creators of the artel in Ivenets — V. F. Kulikovsky, as well as I. M. Molchanovich, M. M. Zverko, A.V. Prokopovich, who work in the traditions of old Ivenets ceramics and revive the forgotten art of making figured vessels in the form of sheep, bears, bison.

The folk art of Belarusians is unique. It is characterized by softness and lyricism in creating images, delicacy of color solutions, thoroughness of execution and the ability to create masterpieces from the simplest and most accessible materials.