The Tsar and the President: Alexander II and Abraham Lincoln An online lecture by Marilyn Swezey Tsar Alexander II and President Lincoln both profoundly influenced the destinies of their respective nations. What were relations like between the autocratic ruler of a centuries-old empire and the [...]
The Afterlife of Fabergé: Fauxbergé and More An online lecture by Dr. Karen Kettering Over a century after the firm of Fabergé was forced to shutter its business, its name is known worldwide and continues to attract thousands of visitors to museum exhibitions, auctions, and [...]
Russian Folklore: Words Transformed Over Centuries An online lecture by Dr. Sibelan Forrester Russian folklore is naturally intertwined with the environment, history, and politics of Russia and the Soviet Union, and then Russia again, beginning as shared oral stories and wisdom of all layers of [...]
Forgotten Tales of California: The Russian-American Company and Fort Ross An online lecture by Robin Joy Wellman Chartered under Emperor Paul I, the Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored fur trading venture that established colonies in Alaska and California. In 1812, a company outpost called Colony [...]
Declensions of the Sublime: 200 Years of Russian Art - and Its Incessant Vagaries An online lecture by Dr. Joachim Pissarro Essays on Russian art tend to focus either on the 19th century and the pre-revolutionary period, or on the revolutionary Russian Avant-Garde. Very seldom [...]
Sergei Rachmaninoff Re-Envisioned for the Twenty-First Century An online lecture by Dr. Valeria Z. Nollan Professor Valeria Z. Nollan will present a lecture based on Sergei Rachmaninoff: Cross Rhythms of the Soul (Lexington Books / Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), her recently published biography of the [...]
Ivan Turgenev: Russian Turmoil, Russian Nature An online lecture by Dr. Thomas P. Hodge Ivan Turgenev, revered for his skill with fictionalized depictions of ideological strife and unhappy love, was also one of Russia's finest nature writers. In his short stories, essays, and novels, he [...]
Mysteries and Odysseys: Stories of Unlikely Journeys and Unexpected Discoveries An online lecture by Michael Perekrestov Discover the intriguing stories behind select artifacts displayed in the Russian History Museum’s new exhibition “Mysteries and Odysseys.” Michael Perekrestov, the museum’s Executive Director and exhibition’s curator, will share [...]
Rise and Fall of an Ideology: From Utopia to Dissent An online lecture by Dr. Joachim Pissarro NOTE: This lecture was originally scheduled for August 12th, but was cut short by unexpected technical issues. It has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 7. By popular demand, [...]
Restoring a Forgotten Russian Masterpiece: Konstantin Paustovsky’s Story of a Life An online lecture by Douglas Smith In 1943, the Soviet author Konstantin Paustovsky started out on what would prove a masterwork, The Story of a Life, a grand novelistic memoir of a life spent on [...]