Ukrainian pysanky artists part of Clinton inaugural festivities

by Christina Pereyma O'Neal

WASHINGTON - In little less than a month, the inaugural committee of William Jefferson Clinton organized what was billed as the most inclusive festivities yet staged for a presidential transfer of power.

"America's Reunion on the Mall" in Washington was an idea conceived by Hillary Clinton as a populist celebration of American cultural diversity. Tanya Osadca, a Ukrainian American from Troy, Ohio, received an invitation from the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Center.

Ms. Osadca has been researching and practicing the art of Ukrainian pysanky for over 30 years. It is an art passed down to her by her mother which she, in turn, has taught her daughter and granddaughter.

It is especially fitting that pysanky were included in America's Reunion as they are such vivid symbols of rebirth and goodwill. It was with tremendous pride in their heritage that she and her sister, Aka Pereyma, accepted the invitation to participate as "Inaugural Talent" in the Traditional Arts Workshop.

Less than 20 crafts were represented in the tent filled with artisans demonstrating but not selling the arts taught them by native and immigrant tradition. The Smithsonian Folklife Center included a broad spectrum of folk arts to achieve what Bill Clinton has called a "chorus of voices."

Ukrainian pysanky were the sole art form originating in Eastern Europe. There were lei makers from Hawaii, embroidery as practiced by a Palestinian from Detroit, a Native Indian mask carver, a Texas horse hair braider, and a saddlemaker from Oregon. Besides a longstanding commitment to their crafts, there was little that bound these characters together. Ms. Osadca's years of persistent practice earned her a position in this elite group.

Ms. Osadca and Ms. Pereyma exhibit annually in the Easter season. Currently an exhibit of Ms. Osadca's pysanky and her sister's watercolors and paintings is touring the major cities of Ukraine. The show opened in Kyyiv in September of 1991 and traveled to Lviv, Chernivtsi, Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivske, Ternopil, Kaniv, Luhanske and Kharkiv and can now be seen in Sumy, Ukraine.

In September of 1992, Ms. Osadca delivered a paper on the history of scholarship on Ukrainian pysanky to the International Meeting of Pysanky Artists sponsored by the Ukrainian Center of Folk Art in Kyyiv. She is currently working on an informative illustrated book on Ukrainian pysanky.

Demonstrating pysanky in Washington to thousands of American tourists was a tremendous opportunity. Many left the pysanky booth with a deeper understanding that Ukrainian is not Russian. Small, but evocative of rebirth, Ms. Osadca's pysanky proved to be excellent ambassadors to America's Reunion on the Mall.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 7, 1993, No. 6, Vol. LXI

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