Presenting Artists

Mrs. Sorochaniuk, Master Traditional Artist and native of Zhabye (located in the Carpathian Mountain region of Ukraine), has devoted her life to the textile arts of the Hutsul region. She weaves and she embroiders; her work is very much a part of her very being. Over the years in America she and her husband, Dmytro, shared their knowledge and their art with the Ukrainian and American communities. In 1999 Eudokia Sorochaniuk, the first Ukrainian, was the recipient of The National Heritage Fellowship, a prestigious folk and traditional arts award given by The National Endowment for the Arts.

Embroidery – Nyzynka The term nyz or nyzynka originated from the word nyz meaning down or under, as the embroidery was sewn on the wrong side of the fabric. This method gives the right side of the design a smooth satin finish. The nyz design was first embroidered on to the “wrong side” with only one of two colors – black or burgundy, then the right side of it was ‘filled” with a choice of multiple colors- yellow, green, orange, red, blue – complete the design. Nyzynka was very much isolated to Hutsul region, located in the highest part of the Carpathian Mountains in Southwestern Ukraine. For ages this area has been and still is inhabited by the Hutsuls, a unique and original Ukrainian tribe.

Christine Rebensky grew up in the Fairmount area. Noticing that many of the Ukrainian traditions were fading with the generation before us, Christine wanted to keep it alive by learning these traditions herself. Christine learned to make the Korovaj with her daughter, Tatiana, thirteen years ago with the help of a friend who was knowledgeable in the art of making Korovaj’s. She takes full pride in her work and finds it to be a great way to deal with the stresses in daily life. Not only is it therapeutic and relaxing, but also it feels wonderful knowing that the tradition is still alive. 

Korovaj

The Korovaj is traditional Ukrainian wedding bread that symbolizes community. The parents of the newlyweds greet them with bread and salt. The Korovaj is adorned with ornaments of baked dough: two birds represent the couple, and the other ornaments represent family and friends. The entire arrangement is surrounded by a wreath of periwinkle, a symbol of love and purity. It can be shared with the guests as a symbol of good luck and future prosperity.