The features in this issue have something in common. And it's not necessarily what you might expect.

It is a common trope that Russians never smile. Which of course is interpreted to mean they are unfriendly, gloomy, sullen – positively Dostoyevskian. This, of course, is a complete misreading of body language and cultural norms.

Soviet leader Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev would have been 110 on December 19. There are plenty of fun facts and surprising jokes behind the eyebrows.

The body of Joseph Stalin was removed from the mausoleum on Red Square on October 31, 1961. It may not be as spooky as Halloween, but the former leader still haunts Russia today.

America is a land built by immigrants. We researched famous Americans with Russian roots and offer this compilation.

A poem from the new volume Alcestis of the Underworld, by a regular translator of works published by Russian Life Books.

The Balalaika and Domra Association of America presents their Russian Festival Concert at the Bates Recital Hall, Butler School of Music, University of Texas on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 7:30 pm.

Enjoy free admission all day, courtesy of the Highland Street Foundation. The Museum opens one hour early at 10:00 am to kick off this special day. Explore the Museum's permanent collection, check out one of the special exhibitions, or do a craft in the auditorium. Docents are available to answer questions, and audio tours are available upon request. We hope you can join us for this fun and exciting day!

Enjoy free admission all day, courtesy of the Nypro Foundation.

Learn to paint icons with renowned instructor Vladislav Andrejev in this six-day intensive icon workshop. Registration deadline: July 12

This illustrated lecture will explore the tension between tradition and creativity in the process of designing and executing icons in the 21st century. Using recently completed icons – including one inspired by an icon in the Museum's collection – Maureen will discuss the myriad decisions, artistic and theological, that the iconographer must make, all the while remaining within the canon of a century's old sacred art.

The Body in Soviet Art examines the depictions of the human form in Soviet art, featuring more than fifty works created in the 1950s-1970s.  Representations of the human body have varied over time and across cultures.  Soviet art placed a unique emphasis on the working body as part of a Soviet collective.

The Virgin of Vladimir, also known as Virgin of Tenderness, a micro mosaic icon by Oksana Prokopenko is now on view at the Chapel of the Sheen Center.

Irina Nakhova: Museum on the Edge is the artist’s first museum retrospective in the United States. Nakhova stands apart both from the first generation of Moscow conceptualists and from her younger peers. Unlike many of her colleagues, in whose works the narrative or textual component plays a prominent role, Nakhova draws on the visual and cultural dimensions of her dialogue with art history for the conceptual content of her work.

A new mini-exhibition of trays and boxes painted in the traditional Zhostovo-style will be on view in the lobby at the Museum of Russian Icons through October 20.  These treasures are created by American decorative painter and teacher Tricia Joiner, and Zhostovo Master Painter Vyacheslav (Slava) Letkov.

Don't miss the Annual Russian Festival, marking more than 45 years in Baltimore. During this festive weekend, we invite you to savor the authentic foods, prepared by the parishioners, browse the import kiosk, visit the children's corner, and enjoy the dance groups and musical ensembles.

An exhibition of forty-six luminous contemporary icons by sixteen iconographers from the Prosopon School of Iconology and Iconography. Exploring the recent renaissance of this ancient tradition, the exhibition will feature icons by the founder of the Prosopon School, Vladislav Andrejev, along with works by master iconographers, instructors, and apprentices.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine performs an afternoon of some of Russia’s greatest works conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko and featuring the extraordinary pianist Olga Kern as guest soloist.