On December 4, 2024 at 15.00 in the Exhibition Hall of Federal Archives in Moscow will be held the opening of the historical and documentary exhibition «Heritage and heirs», timed to the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany. This is an exhibition of works by participants of the XX International Children's Art Contest «The Beauty of God's World: A Thread of Time» dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The exhibition was prepared by the Federal Archives Agency, the Center for Educational and Cultural Initiatives «CONNECTION», Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis. Project coordinator — State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF).
War is not a child's face, but the Great Patriotic War made millions of Soviet boys and girls grow up overnight, on whose shoulders the responsibility for the fate of the country fell. The exhibition «Heritage and heirs» is based on the view of the war through the prism of children's consciousness, revealed in two aspects — through archival documents on the fate of children during the war years and the exhibition «Heritage and heirs» is based on the view of the war through the prism of children's consciousness. modern children's drawings dedicated to the war.
The main part of the exposition was made up of children's and youth drawings submitted to the State Archive of the Russian Federation in 2024, created within the framework of the International Children's Art Contest «The Beauty of God's World». Simple and touching, childlike sincere, naive, colorful drawings draw attention to the important task — preservation of historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. All the drawings are divided into thematic sections covering different aspects of children's life in wartime. The events of the war depicted with pencils and paints — the most important battles, evacuation, partisan struggle, labor in the rear — acquire a historical context in the presented archival documents and photographs.
The first section tells about the tragedy of the first days of the war, the beginning of evacuation and frontline everyday life. The second section of the exhibition is dedicated to young heroes guerrillas and underground fighters who fought behind enemy lines: Vala Kotik, Marat Kazey, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Zina Portnova, members of the Young Guard. The section «Everything for the front, everything for Victory» is devoted to the labor feat of children during the Great Patriotic War. The slogan «Everything for the front! All for Victory! » was responded by children and teenagers in the rear, who, sparing no effort and health, replaced their fathers who had gone to the front: They worked at machines in war factories, forged weapons of victory, participated in agricultural work, took care of wounded Red Army soldiers in hospitals and collected gifts for them at the front. A separate section «Faith helped to win» will tell about the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church during the war, aimed at supporting the Red Army.
Sections «Prisoners of Nazism» and «If Tomorrow Comes…» are related to the fate of children in the occupied territories. One of the most tragic pages of the Great Patriotic War — the siege of Leningrad — is devoted to a separate section «Children of the blockade». Pain, fear, despair, loss of parents and shelter are depicted in children's drawings, and documents testify to the truth about the crimes of the Nazi invaders.
The exposition is completed by the section «Endured and won». The image of the Great Victory in children's drawings is represented in different ways: for some it is a military triumph, festive parade and fireworks on Red Square, for others it is mourning for the fallen for the freedom of the Motherland and hope for a peaceful future.
The exhibition «Heritage and heirs» intertwines art and documentary materials, which creates a non-standard approach to the study of the history of the Great Patriotic War. The exhibition is designed for representatives of the general public, students of schools, colleges and art schools. In total, more than 180 exhibits are presented in the exposition.
The exhibition is open to the public from December 5, 2024 to March 2, 2025. Address: Bolshaya Pirogovskaya Street, 17, pp. 1. Weekends — Monday, Tuesday, January 1, 2, 2025. The exhibition is open from 12.00 to 18.00 (entrance until 17.15). Entrance is free on presentation of an ID document. Contact phone number for ordering free tours: 8 (495) 580-88-25, e-mail vzal_fa@mail.ru.
.Organizers: Federal Archives Agency; Center for Educational and Cultural Initiatives «Generation»; Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis. The project is supported by the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. Project Coordinator — State Archives of the Russian Federation.
Participants
- Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents
- Russian State Archive of Social and Political History
- Russian State Archive of Contemporary History
- Russian State Archive of Economics
- Russian State Military Archive
- Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense
- Archive of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Russian Federation for the Moscow region
«Orthodox Education»/Patriarchy.ru
