The Work of Mykola Kovalskyi at the Lviv Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts (1959–1963)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight the period of scientific, educational, organizational activity of the famous Ukrainian historian, the founder of the modern source studies scientific school of Ukraine — Mykola Kovalskyi at the Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts, where he worked in the late 1950s — in the first third of the 1960s. Research methods: chronological, diachronic, classification, historical-genetic, comparative-historical. The main results: the article describes the excursion, exhibition, stock, popularization and other forms of museum work that M. Kovalskyi conducted at this time; also we can reproduce the intellectual environment at the museum through the prism of his memories; the activity of the scientist on the post of the head of the Department of Ethnography, which he occupied from the second half of 1961 to the middle of 1963, was highlighted, when he drew attention to such areas of work as reorganization of the exposition, expeditions, preparation and writing of collective monographs, concerned about the issue of scientific production, participation staff in forums, seminars, conferences, as well as staffing the department; the directions of scientific researches related to such topics as farm tools of Ukrainian peasants of the second half of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries were analyzed the culture and life of miners of the Lviv-Volyn coal basin; the methods of conducting a researcher of search work are revealed, which testified to the special attention to the collection of field materials and questionnaires; it is determined that during the period of work at the museum M. Kovalskyi began to develop such forms of scientific-organizational activity, which were aimed at conducting field conferences, which promoted the popularization of the best examples of Ukrainian folk art, household items, artistic crafts (for the participants were read reports about Ukrainian artistic fabrics, the use of elements of cut and folk embroidery in the clothes, thematic exhibitions were held); it is shown how contacts with foreign ethnographic institutions, in particular with the Institute of Ethnography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, developed. Summary conclusions: scientific, excursion, stock and popularization work in the field of ethnography and artistic crafts have considerably expanded the scientific horizons of the young scientist, gave him the opportunity to join the unique experience and traditions of the school of Lviv ethnographers. Practical value: the basic provisions and factual material can be used for research on the history of Ukrainian ethnographic science, the preparation of guides and the coverage of the history of the Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts of the Ethnology Institute National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Originality: the museum activity of M. Kovalskyi was covered against the backdrop of the Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts in the late 1950s — in the first third of the 1960s. Scientific novelty: for the first time an attempt was made to study the activity of M. Kovalskyi at the Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts in 1959 – 1963. Type of article: scientific.