From the Director — Summer 2026

We are proud that our growing audience refl ects a broader shift in the Museum’s reach and presence. This momentum is in part the result of our successful completion of the PrairiesCan-funded Tourism Growth Program, including the launch of a new website and the development of tourism experiences that are already drawing visitors from across the country. We are also seeing an increase in requests for collaboration from cultural institutions, researchers, and community partners—a clear sign that the Museum is gaining visibility at every level.

That momentum extends beyond Saskatoon. We are pleased to be touring Ihor Rodion Dmytruk: Testament to the Ukrainian Museum of Canada’s Ontario Branch this summer, bringing this major exhibition to new audiences and strengthening connections across our national network.

In March, I visited our Vancouver Branch, where work is underway to re-establish displays and strengthen the Museum’s presence on the West Coast. My thanks to Victoria Shelkovnikova and her team for their dedication and care. Located within Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral on East 10th Avenue, the Museum there has limited hours, but those in the Vancouver area are encouraged to reach out to arrange a visit.

This broader engagement also shapes my work in the months ahead. In early June, I will present in Saskatoon at the Gallery and museum Educators of Canada conference, and later take part in a gathering in Montreal that brings together artists and thinkers reflecting on diasporic experience in a time of global upheaval.

A question guiding that conversation, drawn from Saskatchewan poet Andrew Suknaski, asks: What is the cost of setting roots in someone else’s garden? Ukrainian Canadian communities have built deep and lasting roots across this country, while also being part of a longer history of settlement on lands shaped by Indigenous presence.

Our summer exhibition, Erin Suliak: Vinok – Gathered in the North, explores this tension through evocative sculpture and photographs.

Never far from mind is Russia’s war against Ukraine, which continues to reshape lives through loss, displacement, and ongoing violence. Migration is not only a story we interpret in the Museum—it is a present reality shaping communities and cultural expression. These conditions ask us to think more carefully about belonging, responsibility, and the role cultural institutions can play in a time of instability. It is within this broader context that our current momentum takes on deeper meaning. The Ukrainian Museum of Canada was founded during a period of profound global upheaval—between two world wars, in the shadow of the Holodomor, and at a time when Stalin’s regime was persecuting Ukrainian artists, intellectuals, and cultural leaders. In many ways, the Museum emerged as an act of preservation and affirmation under pressure, a role that continues to shape our work today.

As we mark our 90th anniversary this year, we do so not only by reflecting on that history, but by looking ahead. In the fall, we will celebrate this milestone with a special exhibition and celebration (stay tuned), while continuing to build a Museum that is outward-looking, connected, and responsive—one that holds history while remaining engaged with the present. That continuity is also reflected in this season’s programming. Ukrainian Pioneer Women, the painting series commissioned in 1965 by the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada, returns to view as part of the 100th anniversary of our founders, culminating in a special event in August.

This summer is also your final opportunity to experience Folk Imaginaries: Ukrainian Clothing as Memory and Imagination. The exhibition has drawn an extraordinary response, opening conversations about identity, creativity, and the ways clothing carries memory across generations and borders.

Our work ultimately comes back to people gathering—something we see throughout the summer months. We are excited to once again co-present the Prairie Ukrainian Film Festival (PUFF) in June, followed by Ivana Kupala (June), the Ukrainian Treasure Hunt and Garage Sale (July), and Sonyashnyk Summer Camp (August). These events, along with Ukrainian Day in the Park, bring people together in ways that are immediate, social, and rooted in shared experience. We look forward to welcoming many of you in the months ahead.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Jen Budney

Executive Director & CEO