From the Director—Summer 2025

Dear friends,

Summer has arrived. At the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, it often feels like we barely catch our breath after the busy Easter season before the rhythm picks up again. Tourists stream in, the galleries shift, and new summer programs take shape—there’s a tangible hum of preparation and excitement.

This May also marked a personal milestone: my third anniversary as Executive Director. It’s been a full and sometimes challenging three years, but also deeply rewarding. I’m grateful to our community, and to all who walk through our doors—for your support, your stories and laughter, and your steady enthusiasm as we carry forward the legacy of this remarkable institution and plan for its future.

Reflecting on Spring

This spring, our exhibitions offered visitors bold and varied ways to connect with Ukrainian culture—past and present. Shevchenkomania explored the reach and reinvention of Taras Shevchenko’s image across generations, while Pysanky: Icons of the Universe (Part 2: Colour) honoured the legacy of UWAC members and book authors Marie Kishchuk, Mary Tkachuk, and Alice Nicholaichuk. The exhibition examined the symbolic meanings of colour and the traditional methods of dye production used in pysanka-writing. Meanwhile, Ihor Rodion Dmytruk: Testament has struck a chord with visitors and has now been extended until August 31. If you haven’t yet experienced this powerful retrospective, there’s still time—and a catalogue launch is also being planned for August.

More than 525 people—children, adults, and seniors—took part in our pysanka-writing workshops this spring. We also hosted a moving lecture on Taras Shevchenko by Serhij Koroliuk; an intimate online concert by Lviv-based musician Gordiy Starukh, whose use of traditional instruments and looping technology gives new resonance to Ukrainian folk music; a special visit in May from Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, Yuliya Kovaliv; and a special presentation by researcher-in-residence Yaroslav Zhuravlov, who spent three weeks exploring Ukrainian Canadian publications in our Library and Archives and interviewing senior members of our community.

As many of you know, we were proud to announce earlier this year that the Museum received a $250,000 grant from Prairies Economic Development Canada’s Tourism Growth Program. Since then, we’ve been working closely with Tourism Saskatchewan and Firecircle—a Canadian consultancy that supports entrepreneurs in developing meaningful tourism experiences—to bring our plans to life. In just a few short months, we’ve renovated our community room, established a new partnership with Saskatoon’s Parktown Hotel, and begun preparing to launch two immersive tourism experiences (stay tuned!). We’re also rolling out a new website and expanded marketing campaign to help welcome even more visitors through our doors.

Looking Ahead

This summer promises to be rich with insight and beauty. Our newest exhibitions include:

gift for | from grand | mothers, created by our spring artists-in-residence Vanessa Hyggen and Laelia LeFeuvre. This poignant exhibition traces powerful threads of matrilineal knowledge—those lovingly passed down and those painstakingly reclaimed—drawing inspiration from personal family histories and objects from the Museum’s collection.

Homelands and New Lands, which explores the journeys of the first two major waves of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, from 1891 through the Second World War. Set against the broader context of colonialism in Canada, the exhibition brings this layered history to life through artefacts, documents, and artworks drawn from our collection.

We’re especially excited to welcome audiences back for PUFF—our third Prairie Ukrainian Film Festival—which returns this summer with another slate of thought-provoking films from contemporary Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian cinema. From stirring dramas to inventive comedies and eye-opening documentaries, PUFF offers a rare window into the lives, histories, and imaginations of Ukrainians at home and abroad.

We’ll also be hosting our fourth annual Ivana Kupala celebration, a midsummer event full of ritual, revelry, and community connection. Don’t miss our always popular Ukrainian Treasure Hunt & Garage Sale, a chance to discover vintage treasures while supporting the Museum. Our Soniashnyk summer camp will again welcome children for hands-on learning, crafts, and cultural activities.

Looking further ahead, we’re honoured to be hosting the Ukrainian Heritage Consortium of North America (UHCNA) Conference in late September, a first for Canada. And this fall, we’ll unveil Folk Imaginaries, a sweeping new exhibition that traces the transformation of Ukrainian clothing from village tradition to global fashion runway.

Your Support

If you’re looking for ways to support the Museum this summer, we’d love to have your help. You can:

• Renew or gift a membership
• Volunteer for Ivana Kupala, the Ukrainian Treasure Hunt, or the UHCNA conference
• Donate — including tribute or memorial gifts
• Or simply visit the Museum and bring a friend!

Thank you — to our members, visitors, staff, and volunteers — for making the Museum such a vital and welcoming place. Whether you join us often or come for special moments, your presence helps keep this institution active, relevant, and rooted in community. We look forward to welcoming you this summer, as we continue the work of preserving what matters, sharing what inspires, and making space for new stories to emerge.

Dr. Jen Budney, Director and CEO
Ukrainian Museum of Canada