Regional Center of Folk Art

The Regional Center of Folk Art in Vladimir (director – Ye.N. Maslova, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation) has been uniting skillful and talented people for many decades. For 75 years, it has been carrying out a mission to preserve the invaluable heritage of the traditional culture of the Vladimir region.

RCFA began its history in September 1944, when the Regional House of Folk Art was created, according to the decision of the Vladimir Regional Executive Committee. Despite the hardships and priorities of wartime, the administration of the region decided to continue the development of national traditions, as folk wisdom and embedded in traditional culture had been saving Russia in the midst of difficult trials for centuries. Its position was quite clear: to help people, exhausted by the war, to preserve the human principle of spirituality and beauty. 

Over many decades, the Regional Center of Folk Art (RCFA) had been exercising methodological leadership over the activity of rural clubs and district houses of culture (the organization of amateur theaters, campaigning and artistic brigades, the development of choral art, etc. Nowadays, its aim is also to study folklore of the Vladimir region, to revive folk holidays, to develop vocal and dance traditions, and to conduct contests in all types of amateur art.

RCFA has constantly been looking for new forms of work. It unites talented people of the Vladimir region, and besides attracts to Vladimir land creative forces from all over Russia. For a long time it had been one of the organizers of All-Russian festivals and competitions. Since 1987, the center has been organizing T.A. Ustinova Prize All-Russian Falk Dance Festival "Round Dances are performed All Over Russia".  RCFA deals with other genres of amateur creativity. It held All- Russian festival of pop singers "Shlyager" ("Hit"), All-Russian competition of young pop singers "Voices of the 21st Century" and All-Russian festival of children's brass bands "Silver Trumpets". Since 2011, Golden Ring International Festival of Folk Art has been holding in Vladimir under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the State Russian House of Folk Art, as well as the Russian Committee of the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Russian Federation Commission of UNESCO. RCFA has always been among its organizers.        

The Regional Center of Folk Art is engaged in research work on restoration and systematization of archival audio materials of traditional folklore of the Vladimir region and the formation of the folklore fund. The ensemble "Vladimir Rozhechniki" and the children's studio "Rus" exist at RCFA. These art groups revive and develop the traditional musical and song culture.  

One of the leading directions of RCFA activity is the preservation, development and popularization of folk crafts and trades. The regional center conducts this work in close cooperation with the regional houses of folk art. Folk craftsmen and handymen of the region (there are more than 20 thousand of them on Vladimir land) get great organizational and methodological support from the Center and houses of folk art.  

RCFA has gained long experience at schools and studios of arts and crafts such as "World of Beauty", "Folk Russian Costume" and others. The Center organizes regional training seminars and creative laboratories on traditional culture and crafts.  

The House of Folklore and the House of Folk Masters, structural units of the Regional Center of Folk Art, have created excellent conditions for this work. The  House of Folklore is, in fact, a creative laboratory for masters of decorative and applied art and artists of the region. In the halls of the House of Folklore author's and thematic exhibitions are held monthly. Leading masters of the Vladimir region participate in All-Russian competitions and festivals of artistic, decorative and applied art. In the House of Folk Masters, the Regional Exhibition of Decorative and Applied Art "Masters of Vladimir Land" has been launched. Interactive programs always attract tourist groups and schoolchildren. Numerous master classes by leading masters of the region are also held there.

Achievements and innovations of the Regional Center of Folk Art were noted at the All-Russian level. Thus, Vladimir RCFA participated in the All-Russian competition of the activity of the Houses (Centers) of Folk Art and was awarded the Diploma of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. In 2017, the State Russian House of Folk Art became the winner in the nomination "Preservation and development of amateur art genres, intangible cultural heritage". 

From year to year, in spite of the ideological and socio-economic situation in the country, the Regional Center of Folk Art makes attempts to preserve Russian folk heritage. It stores and popularizes folk crafts and trades, rare, almost forgotten, Russian rites, celebrations and musical folklore. The Center unites people who strive for creative self-expression on the secure basis of folk traditions and culture.