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Volkov Metal Arts of Cascade was commissioned to design, fabricate and install the entrance doors for the Ritchie History Museum, which is currently under development and scheduled to open in 2023.
The museum is housed in one of two buildings currently being renovated and is funded in part by grants from the State of Maryland. The building is located on the grounds of former US military base Fort Ritchie in Cascades, a rural community outside Hagerstown.
During World War II, approximately 20,000 “Ritchie Boys” (and 200 Ritchie Girls), many of whom were German-Jewish refugees, trained in top-secret military intelligence at “Camp Ritchie.” received.
Museum director Landon Grove says metal artist Dmitry Volkov was first contacted because he was part of the local community.
“Dmitry was obviously very interested in the history of the fort,” Grove said. It soon became clear that he wasn’t just building for the sake of building something. He has a real connection to his work. ”
Volkoff’s Ritchie Art Museum design combines creativity and authenticity, incorporating a mountainous artificial lake used by the Buena Vista Ice Company in the late 19th century and a waterfall (“cascade”) created by damming the heights of two lakes. I’m here. Volkoff also focuses on the architecture and construction methods of the stone buildings built when the Maryland National Guard purchased the property in the late 1920s.
“For example, the door should be associated with the building’s historic window frames,” he explained.
An award-winning designer, fabricator, and restorer of the decorative and applied arts of metal in both Russia and the United States, Volkov describes himself as an “artist and artist” because of his loyalty to traditional ironmaking methods and tools. It’s called a blacksmith shop. He creates metal joints by hand rather than by welding. He uses hand-held (sometimes hand-made) tools for forging, cutting, bending and texturing. And while his Reminders (which themselves are complex works of art) are done by hand, he admits to being adept at designing computers as well.
In his native St. Petersburg, he was active in restoring national heritage and producing works of art for the political and social elite, but in 2018 he, his wife and son decided to share what they consider I moved to the United States to pursue Easier and gentler life. They chose rural Maryland because of its easy access to major art centers and the tranquility and natural beauty that inspired much of his work.
