The museum exhibits collections of ancient northern iconography and wooden sculpture from the 14th and 18th centuries, as well as a rich collection of northern folk art, including folk costume, embroidery and weaving, carving and painting on wood, artistic metal and ceramics. The museum also presents the collection of Russian art of the 18th and early 20th centuries including works of famous Russian artists. The museum has the country's best collection of modern Kholmogory bone carving - an art craft that has been living in the North for over four hundred years.