Opening of the joint exhibition project «The Forgotten Expedition. 100 years»

On August 22, 2023, a joint exhibition project «The Forgotten Expedition. 100 years», dedicated to the expedition organized and carried out 100 years ago by the Institute of Belarusian Culture.

The partners of this project were the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus and the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow.

The expedition of 1923 cannot be called unknown, it is rather forgotten – remaining in archives, newspaper publications, museum collections. But she deserves wider fame, as she became a kind of pioneer in various areas of the social and cultural life of the then country. For Belarusian science, this is the first large ethnographic expedition in its history, which laid the foundations of academic ethnography. For national exhibition activities, this is the first successful attempt to represent the then Belarusian folk Belarusian culture, which took place at the 1st All-Union Exhibition in 1923 in Moscow and was then used in the preparation of other similar exhibitions. For the history of the country’s museum business – the first experience of creating a permanent ethnographic exposition in the Belarusian State Museum and the beginning of the formation of its ethnographic collection.

For the first time, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus presented archival documents on the participation of Belarus in the first agricultural and handicraft exhibition in Moscow: a letter from the inspector of the People’s Commissariat of Education on the purchase of the necessary items for display at the exhibition, a certificate from an employee of the Central State Archives sent to an ethnographic expedition, a meeting report Commission for evaluating the projects of the Belarusian pavilion at the agricultural exhibition in Moscow, a travel certificate for the opening of the exhibition, a list of exhibits sent by the Exhibition Bureau to the agricultural and handicraft and industrial exhibition.

Among the exhibits of the exhibition are the original expeditionary photographs of Lev Dashkevich, made by him during two trips – in May and June 1923, six installations of the then ethnographic objects with detailed comments – original material illustrations based on expeditionary photographs, as well as visual materials – photographs of the Belarusian pavilion, rare documents, museum artifacts-exhibits of the 1923 exhibition in Moscow.

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov speaks to the staff of the NARB

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov presents a Certificate of Honor to the head of the NARB Publications Department S.V.Kulinоk.

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov presents a Letter of Appreciation to the Deputy Director of the NARB E.A.Stukanova.

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov presents the Gratitude to the head of the Department of Automated Archival Technologies A.G. Shapoval-Konopatskaya.

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov presents the Letter of Appreciation to the leading archivist of the NARB Publications Department I.A.Shiroky.

NARB team at a general meeting