It began to develop from the 1920s. Exhibits arrived from the Leningrad State Museum Fund, from the M.A. Vrubel Artistic-Industrial Technical School, the Western-Siberian branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The earliest arrivals include samples of the gold and silver lace of the 17th century, dippers-skobkars, and samples of enamel art of the 17th century.

         In 1980 the collection of folk art was separated into independent fund. And since that time its updating was conducted more purposefully and intensively. Central museums have assisted in formation of collection, transferring to the Omsk Museum exhibits from the duplicate fund. So, in 1981, by order of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, from the State Hermitage arrived samples of print fabrics of the 17th-19th centuries, golden embroidery of the 18th-19th centuries (124 exhibits altogether).

         As a result of scientific ethnographic expeditions carried out by museum in the areas of the Omsk Region, the collection has replenished with collections of ceramics, weaving (multi harness frame, martial, pledge, linen interlacing), embroidery, carved and painted wooden works (distaffs, details of weaver's loom, utensils) made by the Russian population of the Omsk Region living on the banks of the river Irtysh in the end of the 19th - first third of the 20th century.

         Traditional artistic handicrafts are represented by Khokhloma and Polkhov Maydan paintings, lacquer miniatures from Palekh and Mstera, Kasly artistic castings, Rostov enamel, Tuva stone, numerous and various collection of folk playthings, artistic carved bone, Zhostovo and Nizhny Tagil decorative painting.
         The collection of enamels includes samples of enameling art of the 17th century (inkwells executed in taking-out enamel technique), picturesque miniatures depicting saints of the 19th century and modern Rostov enamel. Especially for the Omsk museum enamel artist B.M. Mikhailenko has made a panel with portraits of M.A. Vrubel and V.I. Surikov.

         One of the most full and interesting is the Tobolsk bone carving craft collection. The earliest items are works by T.S. Peskov, V.N. Lopatin, S.I. Tregubov, P. Bizin, A.I. Maksimov, and others. In recent years a collection has replenished with works by modern leading masters of craft: G.G. Krivoshein, V.A. Rusaev, M.V. Timergazeev.

         The collection of folk ceramics consists of several sections:

        1. Potter's ceramics of the Omsk Irtysh river area of the first third of the 20th century. Collected by the museum expeditions mainly in the 1980s, it gives an idea about local potter's craft, about a variety of forms, volumes, execution techniques.

        2. Traditional clay toys from the various art centers: Dymkovo, Filimonovo, Kargopolovo, Abashevo, Zhbannikovo, Ryazan, Kursk, Kaluga, Velsk, Skopino, Lipetsk, Romanovo, Tavolog, Omsk, Uzbek, and Tajik. Most full in collection is presented the Dymkovo toy. The earliest works were created in the 1960s by the glorified skilled workers: E.I. Koss-Denshina, E.Z. Koshkina, Z.V. Penkina and others.

        3. Russian ornamented tiles of the 18th-19th centuries.

        4. Ceramics of autonomous republics, territories and regions: Dagestan, Guzul ceramics, works of Baltic masters.