#Exhibit of the Month

The Chișinău Diocesan Girls' School opened its doors on May 3, 1864, addressing a pressing need: in Bessarabia there were no institutions dedicated to the education of clergy's daughters. According to the 1864 circular, teaching was conducted in the Romanian language, a provision applied throughout the diocese. The school's first headmistress was Anastasia Rizo, of noble origin, invited by Archbishop Antonie.

The curriculum, approved by the Ministry of Public Education and the Chișinău Diocese, combined theoretical subjects with practical training. Students studied religion, reading and writing in Romanian, Slavonic, and Russian, arithmetic and exercises in calculation, world history and geography. The program was complemented by church singing and practical skills such as sewing, embroidery, knitting, as well as household management - baking bread and prosphora, preparing meals and preserves, caring for livestock, and cultivating gardens.

The composite, taken in 1911 at the studio of Z. N. Sumovski in Chișinău, depicts 29 graduates and 13 teachers. At the center are portraits of Bishop Serafim (Ciciagov), headmistress N. R. Mihelson, teacher V. E. Bejerian, and priests F. Ghiliarov and P. Jurikas. Among the teaching staff was Paraskovia Vasilievna Cuciurenko, a calligraphy teacher for 37 years, who in 1911 became senior educator and assistant headmistress. For her dedication, she was awarded the gold medal "For Long Service."

On the reverse of the vignette is a label from the store and workshop of frames, paintings, mirrors, and window glass owned by A. D. Kon'gova, Chișinău, Gogol Street no. 37, near the State Bank.

This graduation composite was donated at the end of 2025 to the National Museum of History of Moldova by the Dadiștian family from Drochia.

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Exhibitions

International Biennial of Decorative Art, 8th Edition

September 10–30, 2026

Between September 10-30, 2026, the National Museum of History of Moldova will host the International Biennial of Decorative Art, Chișinău - 2026, 8th Edition, an event dedicated to promoting and showcasing contemporary decorative art and the diversity of its forms of expression.

The exhibition opening will take place on September 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM, at the National Museum of History of Moldova, 31 August 1989 Street, No. 121 A, Chișinău.

Now in its 8th edition, the Biennial serves as a platform for meeting and dialogue among professional artists, young creators, specialized institutions, and the public, bringing together works that reflect current concerns, experiments, and trends in the field of decorative arts.

The exhibition offers the public a broad perspective on the diversity of contemporary practices, featuring tapestry, textile print and collage, mixed techniques, artistic forms and objects of fashion design and interior design, artistic processing of leather, metal, and wood, artistic glass, ceramics, jewelry, as well as other techniques and authorial forms of expression.

Through its international character, the Biennial aims to create a favorable space for the exchange of ideas and professional experiences, to stimulate interdisciplinary approaches and contemporary artistic research, and to strengthen the connection between artist and audience.

This year's edition brings together over 70 professional artists from Moldova and abroad, with works created in the past two years, offering a relevant perspective on current concerns, trends, and directions in decorative arts. The diversity of generations, techniques, and artistic languages outlines a complex image of contemporary decorative art and highlights the relationship between tradition, material, experiment, and individual expression.

The International Biennial of Decorative Art, Chișinău - 2026 thus seeks not only to present representative works, but also to affirm decorative art as a living and dynamic field, capable of integrating technical and cultural heritage into a contemporary artistic discourse.

Organizer: Decorative Applied Arts Section of the Union of Plastic Artists of the Republic of Moldova
Curator BIAD 2026: Elena Frunze