Alexander Vladimirovich Fishev was born on August 28, 1875, in the village of Bogorodskaya, Vyatka province, now the urban-type settlement of Kumeny, in a poor peasant family.

Sasha was the youngest son in the family, and his childhood ended early. By the age of 6-7, he began helping adults with peasant work. The family lived in extreme poverty and had to work on the fields of wealthy neighbors. Despite this, his parents tried to provide Alexander with an education and supported his passion for drawing and his first steps in painting.

At the age of 10, after finishing the Kumensky male primary school, Sasha was left without a father. A more than ten-year period of his work “for others” began. He did any hard work: he was a dishwasher in a tavern, a worker in a brick shed, a carpenter and a joiner, served a “gentleman, artist,” worked as a coin engraver and an apprentice in an icon painting workshop.

Only at 25 did Alexander manage to fulfill his dream and receive an education. He was admitted to the Kazan Art School. Coming from the lowest peasant layers, he not only obtained a secondary specialized education but also graduated brilliantly from the Imperial Academy of Arts, became a painter, and completed his studies at the Imperial Archaeological Institute, earning the title of scholar and archaeologist. Additionally, he received higher pedagogical education by completing advanced ministerial pedagogical courses.

In 1918, the first secondary educational institution was opened in Kumeny, with M.N. Bobylev as the director. He invited Alexander Vladimirovich to work at the school, where he taught graphics, history, and geography. Drawing became one of the favorite subjects for students. Alexander Vladimirovich organized drawing and local history circles, where children collected ethnographic material: recorded songs, ditties, fairy tales, and searched for ancient objects.

Alexander Vladimirovich sought to open a real art studio in Kumeny. He made great efforts to enlighten the local population from which he himself came. As the head of the department of public education and chairman of the volost theatrical commission, he actively worked on opening school clubs, libraries, and shelters, as well as eliminating illiteracy among adults. He personally conducted a census of literate and illiterate people in the village of Bogorodskaya.

In 1921, courses for illiteracy eradication were organized in Kumeny, where Fishev served as a lecturer. He surveyed the families of Red Army soldiers in the villages of Yuferevskaya, Bogorodskaya, and Spasskaya, checking whether the needy received the necessary assistance. Alexander Vladimirovich held discussions, gave lectures, and settled disputes. He also collected ethnographic information and made sketches.

Once he learned that archival materials were stored in the Kumensky church. He sorted them out and traced his family lineage through church books back to the mid-18th century. All his ancestors were peasants from the village of Bogorodskaya and had large families.

Later, a dramatic circle was organized in Kumeny, which revived the people's house. Alexander Vladimirovich took on the roles of director, actor, decorator, and makeup artist, working without weekends or vacations.

During the difficult years of 1918 and 1922, the Fishev family experienced hard times in Kumeny. Food prices were high, and money depreciated. They had to engage in subsistence farming, raising goats, cows, pigs, and chickens. Alexander Vladimirovich mowed grass for the cow himself. They lived in an old church house, planting vegetables and tobacco, which they exchanged for flour.

Especially hard was it for Alexander's wife, Maria Dmitrievna, who had never lived in a village. She had four children on her hands and also worked as a singing and drawing teacher at the Kumensky orphanage.

During his time in Kumeny, Alexander Vladimirovich had almost no time to engage in art. He understood that his artistic skills were not needed by anyone but realized that his presence was necessary for the local population as an educated person.

Cultural and educational work brought him moral satisfaction. However, in 1921, the Fishev family experienced terrible grief: on June 16, under mysterious circumstances, their eight-year-old daughter Tanya drowned in the bay near the orphanage. Alexander Vladimirovich painted the last portrait of his daughter lying in the coffin. In July 1922, their seven-month-old son Viktor died of measles. Staying in Kumeny became unbearable, and the family decided to move to Vyatka.

The work of Alexander Vladimirovich Fishev was not in vain: a library he dreamed of and contributed much effort to is now operating in Kumeny. A district historical and local history museum has been established, where works and photo reproductions of his works are kept.

To immortalize the memory of Alexander Vladimirovich Fishev, by the order of the administration of the Kumensky district dated March 27, 2001, the Kumensky Central Library was named after him. This decision was made in connection with the 110th anniversary of the library and considering his contribution to the development of culture.

The library has collected a large amount of material about Alexander Vladimirovich Fishev, and maintains contact with his son Mikhail. A living room and book exhibitions have been arranged, and there are personal books from the artist's archive and photographs of his paintings.

A telefilm titled “In the Native Land” was made for the artist's anniversary with the participation of the culture and cinema department, the central library, and the museum.