The Museum of Russian Icons Will Host a Virtual Conference on Collecting Orthodoxy in the West

The online gallery Russian Icon Collection is pleased to share the news that the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA, will host a virtual conference titled “Collecting Orthodoxy: A History and a Look Towards the Future” on June 11-12, 2021. The conference will feature an impressive lineup of speakers from all over the world, including academics, dealers, curators, and collectors, who will discuss the aspects of collecting Orthodox icons and artifacts in the West. The online event will be curated by Dr. Lana Sloutsky, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the Museum of Russian Icons.

The Museum of Russian Icons (MoRI) in Clinton, MA, is a non-profit art museum aimed at collecting and displaying Orthodox icons and sacred artifacts dating from the 15th century to the present day. Its impressive collection features over 1,000 Russian icons and related objects, making it one of the largest collections outside of Russia and the largest one in the United States. In addition to displaying a permanent collection of icons, the Museum of Russian Icons hosts special exhibitions ranging from Orthodox icons coming from different cultures to contemporary Russian art. It also offers a variety of interactive educational and cultural programs that include icon painting workshops, virtual classes, concerts, lectures, poetry readings, and more.

One of this year’s most important events hosted by the Museum of Russian Icons is the upcoming virtual conference titled “Collecting Orthodoxy: A History and a Look Towards the Future.” As the name suggests, it will focus on the history of collecting Orthodox objects in the West from the 19th century to the present. What is the relationship between the original purpose of Orthodox icons and the newfound one? How and by whom is their monetary and symbolic value determined? How are Orthodox icons classified, displayed, conserved, and described? Where are they acquired? These and many other questions will be covered during the upcoming online conference that is scheduled for June 11-12, 2021.

The list of speakers participating in the conference includes Dr. Robert S. Nelson, Professor of the History of Art at Yale University, Dr. Ray Silverman, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, African Studies and Museum Studies at the University of Michigan, and Dr. Roann Barris, Professor of Art History at Radford University, among others.

The Museum of Russian Icons invites everyone to join them for a wide range of papers, discussions, and events dedicated to collecting Orthodoxy. The registration for the virtual conference is already open on the Museum’s official website.