The Icon Museum and Study Center facts for kids
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The Icon Museum and Study Center, Clinton, Massachusetts
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| Established | October 2006 |
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| Type | museum |
The Icon Museum and Study Center is a special art museum in Clinton, Massachusetts, USA. It used to be called the Museum of Russian Icons. This museum has over 1,000 Russian icons and other related items. It's one of the biggest collections of Russian icons outside of Russia. It is also the largest collection in North America.
The icons in the museum are very old, some from the 15th century. They show many different Russian icon styles and symbols. The museum's collection has also grown to include icons from Greece and Ethiopia.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum first opened in October 2006. Back then, it was known as the Museum of Russian Icons. It started with the private collection of Gordon B. Lankton (1931–2021). He was an engineer and a business leader.
Gordon Lankton loved to travel. He even took a motorcycle trip around the world in the 1950s. He visited many countries, but he could not visit Russia at that time. This was during the Cold War.
In 1989, Lankton finally traveled to Russia for his business. There, he learned about icons and started his collection. His first icon was a small one he found at a flea market in Moscow.
Over the next 30 years, Lankton collected hundreds of icons. He showed them at his home and at his company. Sometimes, he loaned them to other museums. As his collection grew, he decided to open his own museum.
The museum was officially created in 2004. Lankton bought the building in early 2006. The museum opened its doors to the public on October 15, 2006. Since then, the museum has grown even more. In 2008, a research library and a new gallery were added. In 2010, Lankton bought the building next door. The two buildings were joined together. This added more gallery space, a museum shop, a tea room, and an auditorium.
The Museum Building
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The two buildings that make up the museum were once part of the Bigelow Carpet Mill. The second building also used to be the Clinton District Court and Police Station. Both buildings were completely updated inside.
Some old details were kept and fixed up. This includes the old jail cells from when it was a courthouse. The original window frames in the West Gallery were also saved. Today, the museum has over 16,000 square feet of gallery space. This space is spread across three floors.
What You Can See: The Collection
The museum has more than 1,000 Russian icons and other related items. The icons date from 1450 to today. They are grouped by themes, not by age.
The museum is very proud of its rare Royal Doors. These doors once led to the main altar of an Orthodox Church in Russia. They are from the 17th century. These Royal Doors are considered the "finest pair in the United States."
Special Exhibitions
The museum creates its own exhibitions using its permanent collection. It also hosts special shows from other museums. In 2008 and 2010, the museum worked with famous Russian museums to show icons.
Since 2011, it has been harder to borrow art from Russia. So, the museum now focuses on showing exhibitions that come from within the United States.
The Study Center
The Study Center is the research part of the museum. It helps people learn about icons and Eastern Christian art. It supports research into how icons are made, their history, and their meaning. This includes looking at their religious and spiritual importance.
The Study Center publishes an online magazine called Journal of Icon Studies. This magazine is the only one of its kind. It is reviewed by experts and focuses only on Russian icons. Leading scholars from around the world help review the articles. These scholars are experts in icon studies.
- Amy Singleton Adams, College of the Holy Cross
- Elena Boeck, DePaul University
- Robin Cormack, Cambridge University
- Michael Flier, Harvard University
- Nancy Patterson-Ševčenko, International Center of Medieval Art
- Sarah Pratt, University of Southern California
- Wendy Salmond, Editor, Chapman University
- Vera Shevzov, Smith College
- Engelina Smirnova, Moscow State Lomonosov University and Institute of Art Studies, Moscow
- Oksana Smirnova, Andrey Rublev Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art
- Raoul N. Smith, Northeastern University
- Oleg Tarasov, Russian Academy of Sciences
New Name for the Museum
In October 2023, the Museum of Russian Icons changed its name. It is now called The Icon Museum and Study Center. This new name honors the museum's past. It also shows that the collection has grown to include Orthodox Christian art from all over the world. The new name points to the museum's future plans.
The museum's new goal is: "The Icon Museum and Study Center helps people around the world understand the art of the sacred icon. It is a main place for talking about icons as a diverse and living tradition. It helps people learn through new exhibitions, programs, and research."
