September/October 2013
In this issue
· Highlight of the Month
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Introducing "Highlight of the Month" Selections from the permanent collection Every month the Museum will highlight a different piece from its permanent collection. Selections will be made by Museum staff and board members as an introduction to the museum's rich and varied collections of fine art and folk art.
One of my favorite works of art is a recent addition to the Museum's permanent collection of fine art ‒ Ilona Sochynsky's Coney Island. It evokes powerful childhood memories of summer escapes from the hot city to Coney Island with my mother. The vivid blue sky in this painting and almost blinding reflections of sunlight on the surfaces echo the intensity of the sensations I felt as we walked through this mysterious and astonishing place with its overwhelming sights and sounds at every turn. Coney Island takes me back to a time of wonder and unfettered imagination.
Hanya Krill-Pyziur
Out of Tradition and Fashion Show on TV! The Museum's exhibition Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art, was profiled on NYC-ARTS, the local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) weekly arts roundup on Channels 13 and 21. The one-minute segment, which provided an excellent overview of the exhibition and the upcoming show "Fashion, Ukrainian Style," aired during four broadcasts of NYC-ARTS between September 5 and 8. If you missed the original air dates, watch the Museum's segment here; it runs from 2:35 to 3:30 on the following clip: Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art is on view at the Museum through October 6. [ Back to top ] Our khatka at the FAB! festival Saturday, September 28, 1-5 p.m. Everybody loves posing in the Museum's khatka (village house) photo booth. Look for it at the Fourth Arts Block's FAB! street festival, on east 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery (just two short blocks from the Museum). We'll take your picture and email you a digital copy. Check out the slideshow from last year's festival. [ Back to top ] Smithsonian magazine Museum Day Saturday, September 28 The Ukrainian Museum is once again taking part in Smithsonian magazine's annual Museum Day, when participating cultural institutions across the country emulate the Smithsonian's free admission policy. Click on the image to obtain a free admission ticket, good for two people in the same household. In addition to free admission, we will offer two complimentary docent-led tours on Museum Day. The tours will leave from the lobby promptly at noon and 2 p.m. [ Back to top ] "Fashion, Ukrainian Style" runway show
Sunday, September 29, 2:30 p.m.
Calling all fashionistas! Designers Oksana Karavanska and Katya Pshechenko from Ukraine and Elena Vasilevsky from New York (originally from Odesa) will showcase their wearable art ‒ couture apparel and jewelry ‒ at "Fashion, Ukrainian Style," which will also include jewelry by Masha Archer and Motria Holowinsky. Guests will get to meet the designers and models, bid on items in a silent auction, and enjoy tasty treats at the Viennese café reception. This sold out event is a benefit for the Museum organized in conjunction with our exhibition Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art. [ Back to top ] Gender, Politics, and Society in Ukraine Book presentation: Saturday, October 5, 7 p.m. Meet Professor Olena Hankivsky of the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University at the presentation of Gender, Politics, and Society in Ukraine, which she co-edited with Anastasia Salnykova, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. The book is the first to examine how political, social, and economic transitions in post-Communist Ukraine are transforming gender roles and relations within the country. It covers such topics as the breakdown of the welfare system, the lack of progress in developing the healthcare system, gender inequality in political representation, the patriarchal nature of nation building, human trafficking, domestic violence, changing conceptions of fatherhood and masculinity, homelessness, and LGBT issues. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing during the evening, which is co-sponsored by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations and the Ukrainian National Women's League of America. Admission (including reception and exhibition gallery access) is $15; $10 for members and seniors; $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door. [ Back to top ] "A Literary Evening" Saturday, October 12, 7 p.m. Join us for an evening of poetry by Vasyl Makhno, Gloria Mindock, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Dmytro Pavlychko (presented by Gloria Mindock); prose by Genia Blum, Askold Melnyczuk, and Alexander Motyl; and a special "Letters" segment featuring Miki Fedun and Anatoly Antonovitch Orlowskyj (presented by Maria Chicha Sestina). The program will be in English, with a few Ukrainian readings, and the authors' books will be available for sale and signing. Admission (including reception) is $15; $10 for members and seniors; $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door. [ Back to top ] Exhibition Openings Sunday, October 20, 2 p.m. The Ukrainian Museum honors the memory of the millions of victims of the Holodomor famine-genocide ‒ about one-third of them children ‒ with three powerful exhibitions. Give Up Your Daily Bread … Holodomor: The Totalitarian Solution commemorates the 80th anniversary of the 1932-1933 atrocity. Evocations is an exhibition of Holodomor-themed works, among others, by artist Lydia Bodnar-Balahutrak. Propaganda and Slogans: The Political Poster in Soviet Ukraine, 1919-1921, is curated by Dr. Myroslav Shkandrij, professor of Slavic Studies at the University of Manitoba. The poster collection was donated to the Museum by Dr. Jurij Rybak and Anna Ortynskyj. The exhibition openings will be highlighted by a program on October 20 beginning at 2:00 p.m. featuring two special guests. Ray Gamache, assistant professor of journalism in the department of Mass Communications at King’s College, will discuss his new book Gareth Jones: Eyewitness to the Holodomor (pictured above on the left). This is the first academic study of Gareth Jones, now recognized as one of the first journalists to reveal the horror of the Holodomor. Meet Lydia Bodnar-Balahutrak, who will lead the audience through a gallery talk about her works in Evocations. Learn what inspired this talented Ukrainian American artist to interpret various dark periods in Ukraine's history, including Holodomor and the Chornobyl disaster. Pictured above on the right is a monograph highlighting 20 years of the artist's work. [ Back to top ] "Songs of Truth: The Art of the Kobzari" Concert: Saturday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with the exhibition Give Up Your Daily Bread … Holodomor: the Totalitarian Solution, the Museum will host the concert "Songs of Truth: The Art of the Kobzari," a tribute to the art of Ukraine's blind epic singers. Third-generation bandura player and New York Bandura Ensemble musical director Julian Kytasty will draw on a lifetime of study to present the full spectrum of the kobzar repertoire: ancient epics and laments, humorous burlesques, religious and moralistic songs, sparkling instrumental dance tunes, and songs of social commentary. The concert will be a rare opportunity to experience a tradition largely destroyed in the Holodomor and the Stalinist repressions of the 1930s. Admission (including reception and gallery access) is $15; $10 for members and seniors; $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door. [ Back to top ] Poster politics in Soviet Ukraine Gallery talk: Saturday, November 2, 7 p.m.
Dr. Myroslav Shkandrij, curator of Propaganda and Slogans: The Political Poster in Soviet Ukraine, 1919‒1921, will discuss the exhibition, which demonstrates the political poster as "a weapon...providing vivid and immediately comprehensible propaganda." But, as Shkandrij points out, "the poster was also a powerful medium of artistic expression." Futher details about the gallery talk will be posted on the Museum's calendar as they become available. [ Back to top ] Folk art courses and workshops Fall session begins September 14 The fall session of our popular folk art courses and workshops kicks off this Saturday, September 14. Upcoming offerings include:
Tapestry Weaving
Embroidery
Gerdany (seed-bead necklaces)
Ukrainian Christmas Traditions
Ukrainian Christmas Tree Ornaments
To register for a course, simply complete our online registration form and return it to the Museum along with your payment, or call the Museum at 212.228.0110. Don't forget that Museum members receive a 10% discount on courses, as well as many other benefits and privileges, so if you haven't already done so, become a member today! [ Back to top ] In the gift shop Many new items, just in from Ukraine! Our gift shop manager recently returned from Ukraine with a wide selection of new books, many of them delightful tomes for children, as well as lovely embroidered T-shirts ‒ a new take on traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts ‒ beautiful, colorful wreaths of silk flowers to adorn girls' hair, and many more unique items. Drop by the gift shop during Museum opening hours to see what's new, or shop online any day, any time, from anywhere. [ Back to top ] Now showing
Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art
Among the more than 150 works by 35 artists from Ukraine and North America featured in this major exhibition are ceramics, jewelry, textiles, high-fashion clothing and accessories, and decorative items crafted from wood, glass, and silver.
Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs)
Approximately 300 exquisite Easter eggs from the Museum's extensive collection, representing various regions of Ukraine. Come see the colors, patterns, and motifs … marvel at the artistry and craftsmanship … and experience the magic!
Coming up
Header image: Yuliya Bulych, Milk, 2010, three-dimensional paper cutout (detail). On display in the exhibition Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos © The Ukrainian Museum |
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