From January 17 to 19, the State Museum-Reserve “Tsaritsyno” in Moscow hosted the project “Embroidery Workshop: Tambour Stitch”. This initiative is part of the exhibition “City and Craft: A Meeting in Kazan. Traditional Art of the Volga Tatars”.

Opened on December 11, 2024, the exhibition highlights Tatar arts and crafts and their evolution in urban environments. Over 400 items are on display, including 12th-century Bulgar gold, silver artifacts from the Golden Horde era, leather mosaics, embroidery, jewelry, late 19th-century household items, and the iconic shamail, a phenomenon of Tatar culture.

This exhibition is part of a series of Tsaritsyno projects celebrating the culture and traditional art of Russia’s Muslim regions. It explores the history of Tatar folk art from the Middle Ages to the present day and was created in partnership with the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Moscow Department of Culture.

The “Embroidery Workshop: Tambour Stitch” project included several events. On January 17, Dr. Guzel Fuadovna Valeeva-Suleymanova, a renowned Doctor of Arts, delivered an online lecture titled “Traditional Tatar Tambour Embroidery – Elme”. On January 18-19, Kazan-based artisan Albina Stoyanova conducted hands-on workshops, during which participants learned to embroider Tatar ornaments onto fabric. Each attendee created their own embroidered piece to take home. A guided tour of the exhibition was also held during the workshops.

The exhibition “City and Craft: A Meeting in Kazan. Traditional Art of the Volga Tatars” will run until March 30, 2025. Future workshops at Tsaritsyno include the “Arabic Calligraphy Workshop” on February 8-9, where participants will explore calligraphy tools, learn the basics of Arabic script styles, and practice the ancient Kufic style under the guidance of artist Gulnaz Ismagilova. From March 21 to 23, the “Embroidery Workshop: Ushkova Applique” will invite participants to study a unique Tatar decorative technique, create a brooch, and decorate it with beads and sequins, led by artisan Albina Stoyanova.

Source: mincult.tatarstan.ru