Image above: Daryna Alieksieienko (Дарина Алєксєєнко)
Continuing Textile Traditions: Ukraine is a special program to raise relief funds for Ukraine. Weave A Real Peace (WARP) will host Ukrainian textile artists Halyna Shepko (New York), Daryna Alieksieienko (Kyiv), Andriy Pyshkar (Ternopil), and Yaroslava Tkachuk (Lviv) for a discussion about their work within the Ukrainian weaving traditions. This Zoom presentation is open to all - please join us to support Ukraine on Saturday, April 30, at 1:00 pm US Eastern time.
Daryna Alieksieienko (Дарина Алєксєєнко) is a respected weaver and folk culture activist who has done much to share her knowledge and to popularize Ukrainian weaving. Daryna is one of the organizers of the documentary film Tkatskyi Shliakh (Weaving Journey), which shows handweaving in different regions of Ukraine. Daryna has worked with the Honchar Museum and the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Art. She is also a schoolteacher and had looms made so the children could learn to weave as part of the regular school curriculum. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Daryna has been focusing her weaving efforts on creating camouflage nets for the protection of the Ukrainian Army. There are many videos of Daryna teaching weaving on her YouTube channel, Weaving of Ukraine.
Yaroslava Tkachuk (Ярослава Ткачук), from Lviv, is currently taking refuge with her son in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Yaroslava is a graduate of Kosiv College of Applied and Decorative Art and the Art Textile department at Lviv National Academy of Arts. Since 2013, she has been a member of the National Union of Artists. Her work was recently on display in The Fiber Effect at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. Yaroslava's personal motto is: Art is an inseparable part of our lives - One that gives us freedom.
One of the few hand loom and fiber equipment tool makers in Ukraine, Andriy Pyshkar (Андрій Пушкар) teaches woodworking skills to grades 1-11 in Ternopil during the day, and creates weaving equipment in his off hours. He is also a member of Ukrainian Youth Association, where he helps share his love for Ukrainian culture as a counselor. First introduced to tapestry weaving as a child, Andriy now teaches backstrap loom weaving and hand weaving classes on table looms in his home city. He also started the Facebook group Equipment для ткацтва (Equipment for weaving). Currently, Andriy is volunteering to help move humanitarian aid to the eastern part of Ukraine, weaving camouflage nets, and sewing for the army.
Weaver and teacher Halyna Shepko (Галина Щепко) was born in the Ukrainian part of the East Village in downtown New York City, surrounded by the culture of her heritage, into a family of musical artists. Halyna teaches weaving classes, runs therapeutic Weaving a Life Circles, has an herbal healing practice, and runs Shawangunk Ridge Farm, an Herb School and Ukrainian Weaving Studio at her farm in New Paltz, NY. In recent months, Halyna has worked diligently to organize relief efforts and raise awareness for Ukraine, including organizing a public weave-in in front of the Russian consulate in New York. We extend our gratitude to Halyna for organizing this panel discussion as a fundraiser for relief in Ukraine.
This program is open to all. No attendance fee is required, rather we invite attendees to donate any amount you wish to contribute for Ukraine. All proceeds from this program will be donated to Razom, a volunteer-run nonprofit currently focused on shipping the most urgently needed humanitarian aid to save lives in Ukraine. This includes tactical medicine and supplies, hospital supplies and equipment, and communication equipment (tech enabled emergency response).
