Club-studio of miniature “Doll’s House”

Both children and adults are really interested in the art doll. Everybody can get acquainted with this kind of art in the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve at present.

Work with clay has a good influence on mentality, promotes formation of qualities that are necessary for a person of any profession: spatial reasoning, visual memory, skills of analysis and synthesis, manual dexterity. The first principle of teaching within the framework of the project is to pay equal attention to everything that is included into the entire system of development of creative skills: development of perception and imagination, reproductive and productive activity, visuomotor coordination, spase relations, and ability to work from memory. The second principle is explanation and practical demonstration of work methods. Pupils won’t achieve much success without knowledge of technological peculiarities of the craft. The third principle is the use of every concrete task for the formation of general skills. The teacher helps pupils to acquire skills of two types: to see and to embody (ceramists tell the following about a good master – “his or her mind is in his or her hands”).

One more peculiarity of the doll making is a close connection with the game. Three-dimensionality of a created figure induces a person to play with it. Children begin to play with their handmade articles already at the lesson. Adults do it at home. Organization of lessons in the form of a game extends children’s interest in modeling, enlarges an opportunity of communication with adults and coevals.

Material determines the specific character of work at every stage, be it clay, leather, textile or wood. The lessons are arranged in block-to-block character. Every block is united with requirements of the used material. The sequence of lessons is based on continuous and complex study of every separate image. Pupils’ activity includes both reproductive (work on models) and productive creative (work according to ideas and imagination) components.

Work in the club-studio of miniature “Doll’s House” includes individual, group and collective modes of study. When organizing the educational process, the teacher uses learner-centered approach. The teacher helps pupils to fulfill their creative ideas, explaining rules of shaping and colour science to them; explaining and demonstrating methods of work; correcting softly and rendering assistance in making of articles; making and using visual aids (schemes, tables, samples of items); telling them about the best samples of Russian and foreign doll art.

Integration in the activity of the club-studio of miniature “Doll’s House” results in the creation of a unique author’s doll-character, a puppet, a jointed doll, and so on. The training process consists of lessons in separate subjects (sculpture, painting, colour science, artistic work with clay, leather, textile and so on). They have their own topics, but are subordinated to one goal and lead to one fascinating result – animation of the doll image.

Availability of the initial material – natural red clay – allow us not to buy expensive plastic and guarantees durability of the finished articles. Unsurpassed practical qualities and artistic merits of pottery made it necessary for people.

Mobility of the demonstrated material gives a chance to hold off-site events in the neighbouring settlements.

Application of the doll in the life of the museum continues work on its creation. Elaboration of theatricalized lectures with the use of puppets and making of miniature one-fifth scale everyday articles and tools helped the dolls to get a new “profession” – a teacher and a guide. The puppets became the main lecturers at such events as “Children’s Amusements” (about the Russian handmade toy), “History of a Potter’s Wheel”, “Russian Earthenware”, “Clay Miracle” (about the Russian clay toy). As is well-known, emotionally coloured information can be learnt easily. A phenomenon of the doll and small articles of doll everyday life consists of the fact that it makes any information bright and memorable. Short puppet performances are held during master-classes: they precede modeling of clay and creates magic creative atmosphere when working with children.

The main goal of work within the framework of the project “Doll’s House” is to fulfill creative potential of children and adults at the lessons of art pottery in the cultural and educational environment of the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve.

People’s Artist of Russia, museum employee Marina Vasilieva