Social challenge and reasons for project’s initiation

Immediacy of the social problem

General reasons. Shortage or absence of the infrastructure in the so called mono towns (single-industry towns).

Corporate reasons. In Revda town (Sverdlovsk region),  whose population is about 60 thousand inhabitants, at the beginning of 2000 in fact, there was not a single museum and cultural center aimed for creating a new social urban culture to promote the active participation of citizens in the life of the local community and new formats for influencing the surrounding reality, including participation in volunteer and charity events.

External reasons for project’s initiation

Modern, technologically advanced industry needs diversified cultural environment: a variety of this kind is one of the conditions for motivating the consolidation of workers, engineering and technology, and scientific personnel in the territories where companies are present. Revda urban district is included in the list of single-industry municipalities of the Russian Federation (single-industry towns), finalized by the Resolution of the Government of Russia dated July 29, 2014 No. 1398-r., Respectively, the tasks of improving the quality of the urban environment and the development of culture are of priority importance.

Internal reasons for project’s initiation

NLMK Group’s desire to improve the quality of the urban environment and develop culture in the areas of presence.

Project description

Demidov Center is the exposition gives an idea of ​​the philanthropic activities of 5 generations of owners of the Revdinsky plant, the Demidovs family. It is a regional cultural center operating in the form of an NGO, a museum and cultural complex that stores the memory of Demidov’s industries development in Revda. The museum exposition consists of 9 halls dedicated to the Demidovs, their contribution to the development of the Ural region, philanthropy, the history of the  Revdinsky Plant (now NLMK-Ural), metal and art casting, military glory and wooden architecture. The museum is awarded a prize O.E. Claire and a diploma from the International Demidov Fund.

NLMK-Ural (an enterprise of the NLMK Group) has been supporting avtivity and development of the Demidov Center  since its creation, directing managerial and financial resources to develop the concept of the Center, replenish expositions, publish books and organize events.

For the activities of the Demidov Center, a form of non-profit organization was chosen due to the fact that the strategic course was set for the creation of an independent sustainable organization. Registration in the form of NPOs also allows diversifying funding sources by attracting resources from both individuals and legal entities, participating in grant competitions, etc. 

Stages of implementation:

The history of the Center’s creation began in 1996, when Galina Chukhlantseva, the local historian, came up with the idea to establish the local museum. This idea was supported by the management of the Nizhneserginsky Metallurgical Plant. The reconstruction of the building began in 2003 and lasted 1670 days. At this stage, the Center developed as a volunteer project of the employees, they actively participated in excavations at the site of the Demidov Manor in accordance with the plan of the Manor found in archival materials.

The Demidov Center was opened on August 31, 2007. Over the next 10 years, various formats have been worked out to work with target audiences: interactive thematic excursions, master classes, performances, special events, including for socially vulnerable people.

At this stage, the main directions of the Center’s work have developed:

Career guidance – career guidance tours for students of specialized educational institutions.

Local history – the study of history in the areas of presence.

Research work – the study, search, the process of developing new scientific knowledge.

Education – the transfer, dissemination of knowledge and culture, a system of educational and educational activities.

Stock work – acquisition and storage of exhibits.

Systematization – streamlining and organizing the storage of received materials, documents, photographs.

During 2017 – 2018: summing up the work of the first 10 years of the Center, determining a strategy for further development/

On August 26, 2017 the Demidov Center in Revda celebrated its 10th anniversary. The celebration of the anniversary was done in the format of a family festival with possibility to participate in workshops, for example  in forge a horseshoe with the help of the blacksmiths of the studio “Ural Workshop”.  The On the basis of the Center, a community of volunteers, experts, students, citizens who are directly involved in the discussion of the further development of the Center.

In order to preserve and study the historical and cultural heritage, the Center employees provide systematic consultations for schoolchildren, teachers, residents of the city on studying the documents of the Demidov Center’s archive.

Since 2018, the Center has regularly being participated in the All-Russian action “Night of Museums”. In 2018, at the Night of Museums, visitors had to uncover the secrets of bygone years by writing letters about the history of Revda and NLMK-Ural. Taking part in a quest, the participants learned the secrets of the Demidov estate, the secrets of artistic casting in Revda, the features of a multi-day rafting , etc.

In 2018, with the support of experts from NLMK Group, a program for the further development of the Center was developed, including:

– further development of the exposition space with the active use of interactive technologies;

– events’ expansion: thematic lectures for schoolchildren and students, career guidance quests and metallurgical games, weekend master classes, science shows, multimedia exhibitions.

To develop the program, ideas were used that were received by the Center’s employees during a museum trip held with the support of the NLMK Group in October 2018. The Center’s employees visited the thematic conference “Factory of Spaces” in Moscow (organized by the Blagosphere Center) and the best public spaces of the country and industry: Polytechnic Museum, ZIL Cultural Center (Moscow), Center for the Metallurgical Industry (Cherepovets), Manor Industrial the Batashevs – Shepelevs complex (Vyksa), the “Zhelezno!” Exhibition Center (Stary Oskol). The knowledge and new experience gained during the museum trip confirmed the strategic trend of the Center’s further development towards creating a new type of public space, creating an urban environment, promoting an open knowledge exchange, actively working with volunteers and promoting the ideas of charity and volunteering.

Team and partners 

Museum director: Irina Kutsepalova, employees of the museum (10 people), volonteers

Derectorate on the personnel and general issies of NLMK -SORT

Resources

Financial resources

In 2018  – 5,7 Mil.Rubles, in 2017 – 4,5 Mil. Rubles; in 2016 – 3,0 Mil.Rubles

Human resources

At the initial stage of excavation at the site of the Demidov Manor, about 20 volunteers participated. On average, the number of permanent volunteers is from 5 to 10 people.

Achieved results

Immediate results:

• About 6,500 visitors got acquainted with the exposition of the Center in 2018, including more than 2,500 students
• In 2018, 400 events were held;
• In 2018, the Center’s funds were replenished by 280 units;
• In just 11 years of the Center’s activity, more than 65 thousand people visited it.

Social results:

• Improving of life quality in a small mono-specialized town as a result of the activities of the museum and cultural center, developing a culture of philanthropy and volunteering;

• Changing the behavioral model of target audiences: a unique museum and cultural center has been created, on the basis of which a community of volunteers, experts, students, citizens has been formed, who are directly involved in further development of the Center, the city and the region as a whole, in the formation of the Center’s exposition.

Internal project assessment:

• Quantitative indicators (the number of events, the number of representatives of target groups reached by category (schoolchildren, students, representatives of socially disadvantaged groups of people), the number of volunteers involved, etc.),

• Quality indicators (degree of satisfaction with the Center’s services, raising awareness of target groups in the field of metallurgy, local history, history of philanthropy),

• Analysis of the economic activities of the Center (income from activities, involved resources, etc.).

External project assessment:

None

Project’s distinctive features and know – how

A distinctive feature of the project is the process of constant transformation: from a volunteer project into a museum, from a traditional museum of a small industrial city into a modern public space. Participation in all-Russian actions – “Night at the Museum”, “Christmas Readings”, as well as holding events that unite the whole town, such as “Museum’s Birthday”.

Challenges and solutions

The main challenge of the project was to change people’s behavioral habits and their attitude to the Museum Center, to make the Demidov Center a real center of attraction, a place for leisure. The most difficult thing was to “accustom” people in a small industrial town to the idea that the Demidov Center is a place where you can and should come with your whole family, and not just once on an excursion. The answer to this challenge and the solutions found are to constantly propose new formats, programs and events, expand the boundaries of the museum space.

Plans of further development   

Study of the Center’s partnership with leading regional technical museums and universities.

Recommendations

 It is necessary to define the values and ideas of the project to unite people around.  For example, the value of a small museum center in a small industrial town is that this museum is close and valuable to every resident.  This is the museum that has a soul; the memory of several generations whose descendants continue to live and work in the town.