The Ukrainian Diaspora Museum in Kyiv is hosting a historical and artistic project called "UKRAINKY," which is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Women's National League of America (UNWLA). The UNWLA is the oldest Ukrainian women's organization in the United States. The exhibition features archival documents, photographs, printed materials, and artwork by Ukrainian women from the diaspora. It creates a comprehensive narrative about a century of the UNWLA's social, cultural, and charitable activities.
This was reported by UNWLA – Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Inc.
The exhibition highlights the global cultural and social heritage of Ukrainian women and recounts the UNWLA's century-long history of supporting Ukraine. The historical section highlights the UNWLA's history, from its participation in the national movement and support for Ukraine's independence to its preservation of cultural identity in the United States. Unique documents, photographs, and artifacts from the Ukrainian Women's League of America (UWLA) archives are presented to the general public for the first time.
The artistic section of the exhibition features paintings, graphics, and sculptures by 16 Ukrainian-American artists of various generations. Among them are Kateryna Krychevska-Rosandich, Lyudmila Morozova, and Iryna Tverdokhlib-Banakh, who emigrated to the United States after World War II, as well as artists who grew up in Ukrainian families in the United States: Lydia Bodnar-Balagutrak, Adriana Genkels, Marta Hirnyak-Voevidka, Nina Klimovska, Christina Kudryk, Lydia Pyasetskaya, Ilona Sochynska, Christina Sai, Julia Gasio, Julia Pinkusevich, Inka Essengay, and Maya Gayuk. Their work demonstrates a deep Ukrainian identity through themes and motifs of traditional crafts, iconography, color symbolism, and imagery.
"Despite their separation from their historical homeland and their varied personal experiences, the artists' work reveals a clear Ukrainian identity through their choice of themes, use of folk crafts and national symbols, exploration of Byzantine iconography, and echoes of traditional color and form," notes exhibition curator Oksana Pidsukha.
A symbolic highlight of the exhibition is the motanka sculptures by Olga Rondiak. Rondiak is a New York artist who moved to her parents' homeland after Ukraine gained independence. These works have become a visual embodiment of the connection between generations and the continuity of cultural memory.
The project was implemented in collaboration with the Ukrainian World Women's League of America (UNWLA), the Museum of the Ukrainian Diaspora, the Museum of the History of Kyiv, and the charitable organization Diaspora. The curatorial team included exhibition curator Oksana Pidsukha, Hanna Leksina, Oleksandra Drach, and Anna Korcheva. The online media outlet Ukrainky is the information partner.
The UKRAINKY exhibition will run in Ukraine until September 28. It is the first large-scale public display of the UNWLA art collection in Ukraine and a gesture of solidarity by Ukrainian American women during the war.
Photo: Museum of the Ukrainian Diaspora
Author: Danylo Pievchev