The collection of the Pottery Library of Ukraine of the National Ukrainian Pottery Museum-Preserve in Opishne (Poltava oblast), specialized in Ukrainian and world pottery, was enlarged thanks to the donations from the personal library of professor Leonid Smorzh (1927-2009), the author of numerous publications on ceramics and aesthetics. He is also the author of the monographs The World of Ten Muses: Art and Reality, Orpheus in the Age of Starships (Art in the spiritual life of the modern person), A Person and Society: Philosophical and Psychological Aspects, She-Potter: Obsessed with Ceramics; textbooks Philosophy and Aesthetics, and publications on ceramics in periodicals and collections of works. In one of his articles, the scholar prophetically stated, “Opishne has to become a peculiar preserve of national achievements — not only in ceramics but also in embroidery and carpet making.” Between 1960 and 1990 he supported the Opishne potters in many ways. Without his efforts, the national center of preserving and studying pottery heritage of Ukraine probably would never be created. He wrote in his memoirs: “Long years of communication with potters […] convinced me that some of them, with their cultural level and stand on life and values, according to which they live and gain a foothold, are higher than those of people with better education and academic degrees.” An admiration of Opishne ceramics encouraged Leonid Smorzh to create his own collection. It was presented to the National Ukrainian Pottery Museum-Preserve in Opishne.
Over 3,000 books enriched the Pottery Library. Among them are ones on the history of art, traditional crafts and trades, religion, works of Ukrainian and world classics, reference books… Also, works on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics and pedagogy make up a significant part of the collection. Many unique publications are signed by the authors — leading figures in culture, science, litterature and art.
In order to preserve the scholar’s memory the Opishne ceramics memorial house museum was opened in the house of his parents, in the village of Miski Mlyny in Poltava oblast. It is now a department of the National Ukrainian Pottery Museum-Preserve in Opishne. By the way, it was launched in July, during the second Week of National Potters’ Fest Zdvyh-2010. That is where the unique ceramics and books from the famous scholar’s collection are stored.
