From the Director – Fall 2025

After a lively summer, we now prepare to welcome colleagues from across the continent for an event of significance.

From September 25 to 28, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada will proudly host the 2025 Ukrainian Heritage Consortium of North America conference, its first time on Canadian soil. With the support of partner institutions and generous sponsors, we look forward to convening museum professionals, scholars, and community leaders to reflect on the future of Ukrainian cultural institutions across the continent. Special guests include Ukrainian decolonial theorist and activist Mariam Naiem, who presents a keynote at the event gala, and Anastasiia Manuliak of the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv, who will present the guidebook Supporting Decolonisation in Museums: Focus on Ukraine. This year’s theme, Reclaiming Heritage: The Role of Museums and Heritage Organizations in Cultural Revitalization and Post-Colonial Recovery, will guide conversations. As part of the program, delegates will also visit Indigenous cultural institutions including Wanuskewin Heritage Park and the Gabriel Dumont Institute.

This summer brought an impressive number of tourists from around the world—among them visitors from places as diverse as Denmark, Australia, Cayman Islands, and Hong Kong, and many from across the US: New Orleans, Florida, California, Colorado, and more. Their presence energized our galleries and reminded us that our museum is not only a keeper of history, but also a site of connection, dialogue, and a vital contributor to Saskatchewan’s cultural tourism economy.

In July, I had the great honour of attending the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League (USRL) triennial convention in Winnipeg. I was proud to present alongside my colleagues from our museum branches in Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, and to deliver a keynote lecture on organizational renewal and succession planning. The USRL and its member organizations have contributed immeasurably not only to the Ukrainian community in Canada, but to the broader multicultural fabric of this country. It is my deepest hope that their legacy and leadership will continue to inspire future generations.

At the close of summer, we said farewell to Ihor Rodion Dmytruk: Testament, an exhibition that received heartfelt praise from thousands of visitors. It sparked conversations about the many ways Ukrainian heritage is expressed today, and about the deep legacy of trauma experienced by third-wave immigrants forced to leave Ukraine. In mid-August, we launched the accompanying bilingual catalogue (English/Ukrainian)—a lasting tribute to an artist whose vision continues to resonate. We hope to tour the exhibition to other Canadian venues and, eventually, to Ukraine.

This fall, our galleries remain vibrant. gift for / from grand / mothers, by artists-inresidence Vanessa Hyggen and Laelia LeFeuvre, is on view until October 11. In our front gallery, Homelands and New Lands: Ukrainian Immigration in Context, 1891–1928 offers a fresh look at the first two waves of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. And on October 23, we open Drawn from Memory, an exhibition of rarely seen works by the beloved Saskatchewan artist Dmytro Stryjek, drawn from our permanent collection.

We’re already reviewing vendor applications for our annual Christmas Yarmarok (Market), returning on December 13. It’s one of our most popular events of the year, and we look forward to seeing many of you there!

This summer, my brother, a mathematics professor, travelled to L’viv for work and sent nightly updates capturing the tension that now shapes everyday life in Ukraine. On previous visits, he had observed a strong sense of unity among Ukrainians; this time, he noted that it “seems a little stronger now.” His emails also described the eerie absence of men on the streets and the unsettling normalcy of air raid sirens. His reflections were a sobering reminder, but not without hope: the war continues, and so must our solidarity.

At the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, we remain committed to raising awareness of the war and to celebrating the beauty, complexity, and endurance of Ukrainian and Ukrainian Canadian culture, an act of defiance against russia’s historical and ongoing eff orts to erase it. We also stand in solidarity with all peoples whose cultures and societies have been targeted by colonization, repression, and violence.

As the season shifts, may we keep Ukraine close in heart and mind. Let us continue to honour the courage and persistence of our brothers and sisters—not only with words, but through meaningful, tangible support for those who fight for freedom, sovereignty, and democracy.

With gratitude,
Jen Budney

Director and CEO
Ukrainian Museum of Canada