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Adirondack Siberia Exchange: Arts and Economic Development 
July 12, 2004 - Naj Wikoff, co-founder of the Adirondack Film Society-Lake Placid Film Festival and president of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, recently returned from spending two weeks in the Republic of Buryatia, Siberia, Russia as part of an ongoing series of exchanges launched by the Totem Peoples Project to foster understanding and collaboration between the people of the Adirondacks and Siberia. This exchange, made possible by a private grant obtained by the Adirondack North Country Association, focused on the use of the arts for economic development, cultural tourism, health initiatives and protecting the environment. While in Siberia, Naj Wikoff toured hospitals and met with representatives of economic development agencies, government officials, heads of colleges and faculty, religious leaders, arts administrators and artists. “We have many challenges in common,” he said. “The people of Siberia face issues of trying to make a living in a protected wilderness while attempting to protect their natural resources from outside industrial pressures that pollute the environment combined with the rapid growth of second-home ownership. They have to address social, economic and health issues that are, in part, based on isolation and, for a growing number, poor diet. They are rich in cultural resources and live in a stunning environment – the Adirondacks on a grand scale. Image Lake Champlain as an outlet to get a sense of Lake Baikal, their central lake which contains one fifth of the world’s fresh water.” Wykoff saw parallels to his experience in Siberia to craft enterprise initiatives in the Adirondack North Country and stated, “Their crafts industry is much like ours was about 20 years ago before ANCA and the Adirondack Museum led the effort to generate awareness of our craft heritage and help build an audience and, in so doing, save many dying art forms, such as how to create guideboats, rustic furniture and packbaskets, and fostering an important industry that now enables many individual craftspeople and businesses to make a living. I found examples of rustic furniture in their museums, and just a few 80 year-old masters still plying the trade, not surprising as the roots of rustic furniture go back to China and that region.” He also noted the quality of his experiences in the arts. Wikoff attended a packed concert hall to witness five glorious tenors sing Verdi, Donizetti and Puccini amongst others. Some of the greatest Opera singers in all Russia hail from Buryatia and its capital, is often referred to Milan Ude. The local art center in Goose Lake was jammed with high school students taking ballet, classes in painting and sculpture, jazz, rock, and classical music. “It’s a place of amazing contrasts,” Wikoff stated. Part of the trip included presenting the gift of a microscope (photo attached), donated by the Union College Biology Department, to help an environmental club monitor water quality and other indicators of potential environmental degradation. Future plans include shared information on very specific issues to help agencies on both sides gain from the experiences of the other. “We are very pleased to have helped make this exchange possible, said Terry Martino, Executive Director of ANCA. “Our goal is to gain information from these exchanges that can help us improve the quality of life for the residents of the Adirondacks while sharing our experiences with others who face similar challenges.” Those wishing further information or wish to arrange community presentations on the exchanges may email Naj Wikoff at naj@kvvi.net. FOR MORE INFORMATION Terry Martino 518-891-6200 Naj Wikoff 518-576-2063 |
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