Sibyl 2011

For this year’s 32nd edition of the Sybilla Museum Event of the Year competition, 181 entries from museum institutions across Poland were submitted, with 9 awards given across 10 categories. Each category allowed only four nominations, from which a single winner was chosen.

This time, the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola received two nominations for three submitted exhibitions. In the Art category, the museum was nominated for the exhibition Stefan Norblin (1892-1952): A Versatile Artist (curated by Anna Szlązak), and in the Historical Exhibition category, for the project Two Perspectives on Women in the Era of Socialist Realism titled Mothers, Wives, and… Tractor Drivers: Polish Women in Socialist Realism vs. Letters from the Past (curated by Aneta Garanty).

Professor Jan Skuratowicz, the chairman of the jury, expressed particular appreciation for the Stalowa Wola Museum when commenting on this year’s results:

“I want to highlight two small museums that made it onto the list this year: Stalowa Wola and Stutthof. These are two small museums I have been observing for some time. You may know that this is my third term as the jury chair, and I have a perspective on this. It’s a very interesting and positive phenomenon. These museums want to make an impact—they develop engaging programs each year, despite having limited budgets. Directors could speak more about this, but it’s a serious issue we face: how to balance the large, well-funded museums, like the National Museum, Royal Castle, and Wilanów, with smaller institutions that often surprise us by winning with innovative projects, fascinating exhibitions, and full commitment. This, in my view, is a very encouraging trend in museum work. It’s worth noting that I am not a museologist; I am an art historian specializing in residential architecture. So this is an outside observation that brings me great satisfaction to see these smaller museums entering the arena and thriving.”

Since 2006, the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola has consistently won awards in the ministerial competition for the Sybilla Museum Event of the Year.

The competition aims to honor the most interesting projects in all areas of museum work, recognize the dedication of museum creators and practitioners, and promote innovative organizational solutions. The jury consists of distinguished figures from the fields of science and culture, appointed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

In the Art category, the nominated exhibition:

Stefan Norblin (1892-1952): A Versatile Artist

Curator: Anna Szlązak

This pioneering exhibition preserved the legacy of Stefan Norblin, a remarkable designer and painter known for his grand works in India. Norblin’s impressive body of work has often been overlooked in many academic sources, and even dictionaries; this exhibition has become a springboard for further research on his artistic legacy. The exhibition presented Norblin as a universal artist, creating in multiple cultures and contexts. The accompanying catalog opened up questions for future studies and suggested directions for exploring his creative profile.

The exhibition sparked interest in Polish heritage abroad. Reviving Norblin’s memory allowed for the preservation and restoration of some of his surviving pre-war and later American works. The exhibition’s presentation in India was part of a formal celebration marking the completion of the restoration of Norblin’s monumental paintings at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. It underscored the need to protect this unique Polish cultural legacy in Asia, highlighting specific conservation challenges (e.g., preserving works in Morvi).

Collaborations with the artist’s son, based in the USA; the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation in San Francisco; a German art historian who pioneered studies of Norblin’s work in India; the Maharaja of Jodhpur; and Indian museum professionals led to an unprecedented gathering and display of Norblin’s works from Poland, the USA, and India. This event marked a milestone for Art Deco researchers and those interested in Indian culture, reconnecting the international community around Norblin’s works as it once had in India’s royal palaces.