Patriot of his work, or Museum employee who kept oath inviolate

Today we will tell about the man who can split 100 cubic metres of firewood alone for the museum, paint 600 square metres of the floor overnight, help a custodian to heat a couple of stoves in the morning, write plenty of scientific papers, organize dozens of conferences and combine dozens of positions holding one job! Do you think it is impossible? The fate of Ilya Alexeevich Smirnov, advisor to the director general of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve, will prove the contrary.

He has celebrated the 35th anniversary of his museum work in Kirillov this December. Starting his career at the museum as the head of the Department of History of Prerevolutionary Period in 1978, he was appointed deputy director of science several years later and sometimes held concurrently this position with the position of the head of the History Department. I.A. Smirnov served in the army and retired at the rank of the lieutenant of the reserve, got married and became a father twice within this time. Somebody will probably surprise, but Ilya Alexeevich was a foreman in the Kirillov’s branch of the Optical and Mechanical Works for some time. And he succeeded in this activity! And he had a high salary! Even after the school in the Gryazovets district where the 21-year-old headmaster and teacher of history got about 200 rubles per month… But it wasn’t interesting there… His heart wanted creative activity, scientific work, research!

“But we were enthusiasts! Real enthusiasts! The wage rate at the museum wasn’t so important for us. We earned in addition in different ways: shoveled the roofs of the monuments, cut and chopped firewood, wrote articles for newspapers… And there was a huge space for various activities at the museum: exhibition, storage, research, economic and publishing! When I was a head of the department, I had to build permanent and temporary exhibitions, to choose exhibits and to do paperwork.  I could disassemble and assemble a showcase in my sleep and mount any exhibit. Be sure – we even learnt to bend Plexiglas! We had only one designer and one joiner on the staff at that time. They couldn’t be everywhere at once. But we renewed the permanent exhibitions on the occasion of every anniversary of the museum establishment; we even painted floors. We couldn’t ask anybody for help and invite somebody – a question of security of valuable exhibits arose at once. For example, in 1984, we had to paint 600 square metres of the floor in the main permanent museum exhibition overnight and the renewed displays were opened there the next day”, said I.A. Smirnov.

Work at the museum in the 1980s was interesting, but low-paid because of the status of the institution that was financed from the district budget for a long time. The material conditions also left much to be desired. Sometimes those who could neglect their duties worked as stove makers, coal-heavers and street cleaners whose salary was rather low. Therefore the heads of the departments and research officers of the museum had to constantly check such employees and sometimes did their job instead of them to keep the heating system of the museum…

“When the museum became a regional one, it was easier. And when it got the status of a federal museum in 1998, work there became more promising and well-paid (in comparison with some other organizations of the district). And if women aged 60 to 80 used to work as custodians before, this position “rejuvenated” after all those changes”, explained the advisor to the director general of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve.

“I never thought that I would have been doing an administrative job for such a long time. Galina Ivanova, one of the museum directors with whom I happened to work, always asked to work a short while… When you like what you are doing, you don’t notice how days fly. For example, I don’t divide time into working and non-working hours. I can come home and write an article, think over a topic, search for solutions of a certain problem… There is a lot of creative activity in my work and it is very pleasing. We have been holding the scientific conferences “Kirillov’s Readings” for 16 years. Research officers and experts introduce the results of their work during the year. I make up programs, write academic papers…”

The historian and local lore specialist has written and published several books, albums and guide books, over 100 scientific and popular science articles and over 70 newspaper articles within the years of his work at the museum. I.A. Smirnov has been preparing for publication and issuing the local history almanac “Kirillov” since 1994. Seven volumes of it contain 147 articles on history, local lore, folk art, archeology, nature and literary life of the region; 15 of them were written by him. He published over 30 articles telling about the history of the monasteries, museum affairs and local study within the last five years. His materials are issued on the pages of the almanac “Kirillov” and in the collected works: “Relics of Science and Technology”, “Bells. History and Present”, “Culture of the Russian North”, “Works of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg”, “Fortifications. Preservation, Study and Use”, “Ferapontovo Readings”. “Guidebook of the Archive and Manuscript Department in the Kirillo-Belozersky Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve” was published under his direction in 2000. I.A. Smirnov prepared for publication the album “District Town of Kirillov and Its Outskirts in the Postcards of the Early 20th Century” in 2002, the booklet “Kirillov and Its Outskirts” in 2006 (this booklet has been reissued seven times within 10 years) and the guidebook “Kirillov” in 2008.  

During ten years, I.A. Smirnov was a member of the Regional Intermuseum Council, took an active part in the discussion and solution of some problems facing the museums of the Vologda region, and rendered them research and practical assistance. He got a valuable gift from the Department of Culture of the Vologda region in May 2003 for his active help to the municipal museums.

In the Kirillov district, I.A. Smirnov is known not only as a professional museum employee, but also as a socially active person. Everybody knows that he is a member of the urban council for many years, was a deputy of three town councils, was a chairman of the Council of Deputies of Kirillov within two years, and was again elected deputy of the town council and the representative assembly of the Kirillov municipal district in autumn 2015. Ilya Smirnov was a string correspondent of the district newspaper “Novaya Zhizn” during a quarter of the century. He was awarded the diplomas of the newspaper for his active creative activity. At present he is a member of the supervisory board of the newspaper editorial office “Novaya Zhizn”. I.A. Smirnov wrote a foreword to the book “Red Carnation” published by this newspaper two years ago.

Ilya Smirnov actively cooperates with colleagues from other museums, research institutions, archives, libraries and publishing houses. He enjoys authority with the professionals and local community as a senior and longtime museum employee. He is a dedicated professional and stills remembers the museum worker’s oath taken several dozens of years ago on the book of the Russian painter, restorer, art critic, art theorists, educator, museum employee and teacher I.E. Grabar in the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve – to remain for ever a real museum worker preserving our heritage for the future generations under any conditions and the most difficult circumstances.

I.A. Smirnov was awarded the Diplomas of the Department of Culture and Tourism in the Vologda Region and the Vologda Region Governor for success in work. He was given the badge “For Achievements in Culture” in 1998 and the Diploma of the Ministry of Culture of the RF and the commemorative medal “Patriot of Russia” in 2013.

On the occasion of his labour anniversary, the advisor to the director general of the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve was recommended for a decoration of the Ministry of Culture of the RF “For Contribution to the Russian Culture” that I.A. Smirnov has really deserved with his work and achievements.