Another exhibit by a local artist

    Ukrainian girls, as well as Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian daughters and granddaughters of Ukrainian immigrants, are exposed at an early age to art. The distinctly feminine art of Ukrainian Easter eggs known as “pysanky” (from the word “pysaty,” to write), known to have been in use by the ancestors of present-day Ukrainians millennia ago, are taught to girls at a young age in Ukraine and in North America. The art of embroidery, which is an important component of much of the formal attire of both Ukrainian men and women and as home decorative items (embroidered pillows, ritual and decorative towels, etc.) are also taught to girls starting at a young age. Most women continue to pursue one or both of these art forms until their advanced years, when their eyesight and/or arthritis force them to stop.

    Some men also become quite efficient in these traditionally feminine art forms, but their numbers are very small indeed.

    Some women turn to the more “traditional” forms of art, including painting, and often become very good artists. One of these women is Anya Rejnarowycz, a member of the North Port Branch 56 of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in North Port, and the Ukrainian American Club of Southwest Florida. She is taking part in an art exhibit titled “Diametrically Opposed” at the Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers.

    The exhibit opened last Friday and runs through Aug. 29. For information, call the gallery at 239-939-2787 or visit www.ArtInLee. org.

    Anya’s father, Lev Rejnarowycz (1914-1987), was a famous Ukrainian opera singer and a great musical force in mid-20th century Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. The 100th Anniversary Gala honoring Lev Rejnarowycz will take place Sept. 7 in Lviv, Ukraine, where he was born and where, in the Lviv Opera, he starred in numerous operas until he was forced to flee with his family from the advancing Russian Communist Army during World War II.
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    This Friday, Ukrainians in Ukraine and throughout the world will commemorate the 158th anniversary of the birth of one of the giants of Ukrainian literature, the author, scholar, journalist, poet and political activist Ivan Franko (1856-1916). Having earned his Ph.D. at Vienna (Austria) University, Franko gained pre-eminence among Ukrainian writers at the end of the 19th century. He wrote dramas, lyrical poems, short stories, essays, and children’s verse and stories, but most noteworthy are his novels chronicling contemporary Ukrainian society in the then-Austrian empire, and more than 40 long poems, some of which became very popular — for example, “Ne Pora” (It’s not the time), which was sung immediately following the singing of the national anthem, “Kamenyari” (stone crushers), “Moysey” (Moses), and others.

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    The commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence will include the raising of the Ukrainian flag in front of North Port City Hall on Aug. 22, and “Molebens” (special prayers) in Ukrainian churches on Aug. 24. More details in next week’s column.

    Atanas Kobryn covers the Ukrainian community for the North Port Sun. He can be emailed at atanask@aol.com 

Our Neighbors — The Ukrainians

by Atanas Kobryn