Museum of Russian Art: TMORA, Mpls. MN USA

The church’s first resident pastor, the Rev. Silas Meckel fell in love with the architecture of the Mission Trail on a trip south to the Mission Valley. Upon returning to Minnesota, he requested that the new church building reflect those Texas Missions.

The Spanish Mission style was neither Congregational nor Minnesotan. But it was a style that the Meckels were fond of – and the congregation was extremely fond of the Meckels – so it was built (from tmora.org; Mayflower Journey, p. 6-7).

The building style is Spanish Colonial-Revival, with architectural elements based on the Texas Mission in San Antonio. The facade silhouette resembles Mission San Antonio de Valero, also known as the Alamo. The pierced belfry, multiple arches, Romanesque windows, stucco walls, large wooden beams, and terra cotta tile roofs are all common to the Mission style.

The Rose window and stone carvings are adapted from Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, also in San Antonio.

Church to Memorial Chapel space

The Mayflower congregation moved into its new church across the street (1974). Enga Memorial Chapel purchased the building, saved it from demolition, and operated here for nearly 30 years.

Mezzanine/Balcony space

The space that was once the sanctuary is now main room of the museum. A mezzanine/balcony expands the viewing space while showcasing the original architecture.

Fireplace Room space

The cozy Fireplace Room is transformed to a wonderful space for smaller exhibits and meetings.

Gift Shop space

The Gift Shop on the 2nd floor just off of the mezzanine highlights the features of the building.

TMORA exhibit was created in collaboration with Audrey Feldshteyn who has worked for over 40 years in the the genre of political cartoons. At the beginning of the war, she approached a number of artists with an invitation to share their works for this exhibition. They sent their amazing works, now displayed at TMORA.

Audrey writes, “Wars destroy human relationship. But political cartoonists inhabit a country of their own governed by the law of that genre…I wanted to attract artists to a collaborative project exposing the aggressor, pointing to the perpetrator, and uniting artists against their common enemy, Putin’s regime waging a war of aggression on Ukraine.” (TMORA exhibit placard)

The international cartoonist community response for the project was overwhelmingly positive. Works by Ukrainian and Russian cartoonists living in Ukraine, Russian, USA, France and other countries are included in this exhibit.

Religious symbolism is seen in this political cartoon which uses the Ukrainian national flower symbolically nailed to a cross.

Political Cartoons: A Sampling

It was difficult to select a couple cartoons to post from so many great options. I encourage everyone to visit the exhibit and check them out on their own – either in person or online.

Political cartoons by Denis Lopatin were especially provocative. Raised and educated in Belarus (b. 1977), he resided in Russian Far East, moved to France in 2018 to flee persecution for a cartoon featuring a member of the State Duma. He has published more than 1500 cartoons, 250 comics and articles.

The cartoons blasting Putin seemed to be of most interest to me! Maybe because they were so straight-forward and easy to understand!

The cartoons of Victor Holub were also intriguing. He lived and worked in Ukraine since 1978. Hundreds of his cartoons have appeared in more than 30 Soviet-era and post-Soviet Ukrainian publications. He is a winner in the 13th International Contest of Caricature and Cartoons, 2020 Luxembourg.

“Motherland Greets a Hero” (1961) – Yuri Gagarin is honored in this HUGE painting! It covered a whole wall! The first human in outer space, Gagarin orbited the Earth in the Russian spacecraft Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. “Motherland” is represented by inclusion of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and General Secretary Brezhnev and other Soviet leaders.

“Milkmaids, Novella” (1962) – captures the joy of a shared joke during a midday break on a collective Russian farm. One of the most popular artworks exhibited in TMORA, it is currently on display in the Gift Shop. Nikolai Baskalov draws on his life growing up in a large Russian peasant family.

“Thirst” (1964) – is a portrayal of the Civil War of 1918-22. In this spirited depiction of Soviet youth, Bozhil emphasizes the heroism and humanity of revolutionary soldiers. He espoused the style of Revolutionary Romanticism within the larger Socialist Realist framework.

“Old Woman” (1958) – represents the acceptable and appropriate style of Russian art of this time. Born in Ukraine, Egidis studied in the USSR’s best art school, becoming a professional artist within the Soviet Artists’ Union.

“Among the Birch Trees” (1962) is one of my favorites. I enjoy this painting as the young lady seems to be “one” with the trees! Birch trees are Russia’s most common deciduous tree. A symbol of Russia, it has been exalted in folklore, poetry, songs and visual art. Kitaev portrays majestic birches with botanical precision, as well as with loving admiration for the trees natural beauty.

My Exhibit Favs

“Fall Portrait, Kira” (1980). I found this portrait interesting, but the artist’s story even more-so. Oleg Vassilev was one of the celebrated canon of unofficial artists of the Soviet 1960-1980s (Khrushchev/Brezhnev era) whose creative impulses ran counter to the accepted and acceptable principles of official Soviet art.

Vassilev and members of the artistic underground created their pioneering works in the seclusion of their apartments and studios, having little hope of every exhibiting or selling their paintings in their home country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they began exhibiting. He moved to the USA in the 1990s, and lived in New York and Minnesota.

“Self Portraits of Shimon Okshteyn [A Set of Six]” (2012). This colorful, captivating work was self-explanatory and unavoidable as it emerges immediately into one’s path when entering the main gallery! Born in Ukraine, Okshteyn lived and worked in the USA from 1980.

“Recalcitrant” and “Trail of Revolutionaries” (2009). I found these two paintings by contemporary Russian-American artist, Yalery Yershow, to be intriguing! The TMORA info was uncharacteristically absent on Yershow and his work. Online research was little help. Interestingly, it seems that is what the artist wants. “Valery does not impose his own readings on his art; instead, he plays on the ambivalence of meaning, encouraging discussion of his work.” (Natalia Kolodzei, valery-yershov.herokuapp.com/ )

“Lenin and Giacometti” (1989). Putting these two individuals together in a work of art seemed unlikely. Leonid Sokov is associated with a notable development in Moscow’s unofficial art scene in the 1970s called the Sots Art movement. Similar to American pop art, they playfully used – or misused – Soviet ideological codes, transforming them from fearsome symbols of power to amusing playthings. Sokov was born in the Tver region, studied at some of Russian’s best art schools. In 1980, he immigrated to the USA and settled in New York.

“Employees of the American Hotel” Photo of maids in Holschuh’s apartment.

“Mr. Glenn in his droski” Each apartment had a droski – sled or buggy-like vehicle pulled by a small horse – furnished by the Russian government, to take Holschuh and family where-ever they cared to go.

“Family in front of Sod House” Local Russian families lived in sod houses. I loved Holschuh’s description of them: “… a well-scrubbed board floor, a table, stools, curtains at the small paned windows, a brick stove covered with plaster and whitewashed…” And, I love this part “an icon or picture of Lenin in the corner.” (Icon OR Lenin?!)

“Residents of Kuznetsk” is my favorite photo of this collection!

Alek Buzhaker: The Art of Still Life

TMORA Fireplace Room Gallery showcased still life paintings by Russian born, Minnesota artist Alek Buzhaker. Painted during the recent decade, these works express his passion and admiration for this time-honored genre.

Born in Crimea (1947), Buzhaker’s family lived in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia.

He received professional training at the Mukhina College of Art & Design (now St. Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art & Design).

Buzhaker’s family emigrated to the USA (1971). He currently lives in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.