November
2, 2003 to April 4th, 2004 NOW EXTENDED TO
JULY 11th, 2004!
Experience
nearly a thousand years of Russian culture and history in a first-of-its-kind
exhibit that features a remarkable display
of artifacts from the State Russian Museum.
Dr.
Yevgenia Petrova, deputy director of the State Russian Museum says: "Things
have changed now and Russia is a free country -- free to choose its
own partners and its own themes for exhibitions and other forms of cultural
contact. We regard St. Petersburg in Florida as our twin city -- not
only because we share the same name, but also because it too was founded
by
a Russian native who once lived in St. Petersburg (Russia). The aim
of
this exhibition is to show the treasures of the State Russian Museum
to the American public, taking viewers on a journey through 800
years
of Russian history and culture. We hope that Americans enjoy this journey,
making them want to visit the other St. Petersburg -- Russia's cultural
capitol, which marked its three-hundreth anniversary in 2003."
The exhibit is housed in ten galleries, with
settings which mirror the architecture and flavor of each era. Featured
themes include religious
culture, the life of the Czars, a comparison of the life of noblemen
and peasants and cultural elements such as ballet and literature. The
entire
exhibit covers over 10,000 square feet.
Russian Odyssey has been years in the making with community leaders from the sister cities negotiating an exchange of cultural and educational information. There is a ten year working agreement to display Russian art and historical objects in St. Petersburg, Florida, some of which will travel to different venues across the United States.
Take a tour of the highlights of each of the ten galleries.
Russian Odyssey is open through
April 4th 2004NOW EXTENDED TILL JULY 11TH, 2004.
