The traditions of Vyatka’s artisans successfully withstood the test of time.

The formation of Russia’s cultural centers for different types of handicrafts took many years and even centuries. The mastery of craftsmen, the uniqueness of each particular style, and the cumulative artistic talent developed over a long period of time. One such unique cultural craft center is Vyatka.

While there was no gold or precious stones in Vyatka, the area around the city of Kirov (new name of Vyatka) was rich in metals, limestone, gypsum, and high-quality clay. The villager sewed flax, rye, got wool from domestic animals, and hunted for furs, skins, as well as horns. The greatest wealth was derived from the forest, where the locals could take wood, birch wood, bark, and various health-giving roots.

In October of 1999, the Center of Folk Arts and Crafts Vyatka was registered as a company in the city of Kirov with the chief purpose of preserving the work of cultural researchers that have been trying to restore ancient artistic traditions since pre-revolutionary times.  The center’s first members were the best regional craftsmen specializing in birch, rod, and straw weaving. Today, the variety of weaved items available at Vyatka has expanded substantially. The company continues to search for new ideas, shapes, and combinations of natural materials, all the while striving to preserve traditions and maintain originality. The products are of highest quality and carry special certificates. At the first session of the Arts Council of the Governor’s Administration of Kirov region in 2000, the products of Vyatka received a high mark for their quality, new designs, and composition. This is how the Vyatka center got started.

In the first days of Vyatka’s work, several highly-skilled Dymovskaya toy craftsmen joined the center. The Dymovskaya toy is a hand-crafted piece of art. Each one is a unique creation of a particular master. The process of making the toy – from shaping it from red clay to coloring it – is a creative undertaking that cannot be repeated. Each piece is unique and singular.

Already for 10 years the Vyatka company has been taking part in shows and exhibits. The company has won 4 gold medals and has collected more than 60 diplomas. Vyatka’s craftsmen have participated multiple times in the “Cities of Craftsmen” sections at Russian and international shows.

The company has many agreements with art salons and boutiques in Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, Perm, Vologda, Yakutsk, Vladivostok, and other cities of Russia. The company does well against its competitors. The Kirov masters faithfully preserve all of the stylistic peculiarities of the Vyatka craft.

The craft items are in high demand. Everything that the craftsmen of Old Vyatka did over the course of centuries proved to be appealing to the tastes of people today. The traditions of Vyatka’s artisans successfully withstood the test of time.  

In 2009, OOO Center of Folk Arts and Crafts Vyatka was nationally honored with the “Creators of Russia” award.

The company would like to broaden its client base in other countries, and invites all dealers and retailers of Russian crafts in the United States to get acquainted with its product line closer.

Contact information:

610007, Kirov, 166 Lenin Street office 40

Tel.: (8332) 35-28-28,

Tel./fax: (8332 35-61-68

artel@pleteshok.kirov.ru

www.vyatskoeremeslo.ru

Director: Koposova Nadezhda Petrovna

8-912-820-56-52