"Starving for Color" photo exhibit spotlights life of orphans in Ukraine

by Maria Klymchak

CHICAGO - "Goodness." One will find this word in every dictionary, in every language, next to the words, "father," "mother," "child" and "love." Goodness walks hand in hand with love. This everlasting love transforms itself into awesome acts of desire - the desire to help, to help those that suffer more than you. Thus, a fleeting moment of luck can change one's life. Hopes and dreams can become a reality.

Guests at the photography exhibit "Starving for Color" saw gazing eyes. In front of them were children victimized by fate or parents. They have no awareness of who they are or where they are; much less who is this woman, the photographer, visiting them.

Dr. Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna photographs these children and tells their story as they live their innocent lives in cradles, on swings, in playpens and on the floors of the orphanages. An exhibit of her photos opened on October 15, 2002 and was veiwed for two weeks at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago.

The photographs reveal the almost adult expressions on infants' faces, the tears in the eyes of the orphans of buildings 1 and 2 in Lviv. The highly artistic black-and-white photos of childhood are a concrete expression of the feeling that these children are "Starving for Color."

The evening opened with over 200 in attendance. The Ukrainian community, American friends, colleagues, physicians and members from the Global Medical Foundation greeted Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna.

Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna maintains an active dental practice, her husband Dr. Vassyl Lonchyna is a cardiothorasic surgeon. Both have travelled to Ukraine on several humanitarian missions, and private trips to family and friends allowed Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna to visit with the orphans. On these visits she began taking their photos.

Hundreds of people visited the gallery between October 15 and November 2, 2002. No one left without being affected in some way.

The brightly lit gallery of the new wing of the Ukrainian National Museum featured a child's cradle, covered with a beautifully embroidered comforter created by Maria Tymiak, the mother of the dentist/photographer. On the entrance table was a symbolic oversized baby bottle (orphans do not recognize or know the smell of mother's milk). Those touched placed a donation into this bottle, all contributions will go to buy infant formula for newborns. The fund was created on Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna's initiative at Ss. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago.

Dr. Maria Hrycelak, a pediatrician, delivered introductory remarks at the exhibit opening. She spoke on the nutritional status of infants in orphanages and explained the need for Western formula for these children. Even though these children are being fed, she noted, the nutritional value of Western baby formula is much higher and guarantees a better development of the growing infant.

Guests were informed that with a $25 donation an infant is fed for one week, $50 - two weeks, $100 one month, $500 - six months and a gift of $1,000 will feed a child for one year.

As one became familiar with the artist's statement, one began to recognize the deep humanitarian subject matter of the exhibit. To demonstrate the importance of this cause, both Selfreliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union and the Heritage Foundation of 1st Security Federal Savings Bank added their support by presenting a check.

Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna spent many days and nights in the darkroom, processing, enlarging, printing and watching images slowly emerge onto white paper. She saw the calling eyes of Cheslava; the soulful look of Innesa who was born without arms; the giggle of Ksenia with sour milk dripping on her face; and the comforting gaze of Oksana, a child found in the snow as a newborn. And then there was the tearful stare of Serhii, calling the photographer back to Ukraine. These children cannot be forgotten.

Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna affirmed herself as a photographer-photojournalist with this exhibit. This was underscored at the opening by her instructors from the College of DuPage, where she has been studying photography. She looks through her lens objectively, yet loving life. Passing in front of each photo you cannot help but recognize the impeccable quality, attention to detail, study of composition and perspective. There is no triteness here. There are no weak photos. This affirms the author's strict demands on herself and the process of creating an exhibit for public viewing.

The black-and-white photos of the orphans slowly carry you through a door in the orphanage and into a color series; only here do we begin to understand why these children are "Starving for Color." In the color images we begin to understand what is necessary to build a future for Ukraine.

The photo exhibit at the Ukrainian National Museum was a success: $10,800 was raised.

Commenting on the exhibit, Dr. Tymiak-Lonchyna said;

"Photography is very interesting - you not only begin to recognize the world and all that is around you from a completely different perspective, but it heightens your senses. I would hope that my photographs are not only artistically strong, but also could create an impact on the viewer whereby one leaves touched by an image in some way. With this exhibit I was thankful and glad to see that people were reacting and questioning how they can become part of these innocent lives.

"I was deeply touched by the outpouring of support I had in putting this exhibit together. Friends were calling to ask if they could help in any way. I would like to thank all my friends who partook in the success of this exhibit and the great evening we had together. Thank you to Ss. Volodymyr and Olha Parish for their immediate support, Ukrainian financial institutions, the Ukrainian National Museum, the 'Sribni Zirky' Plast troop for helping with the reception (it is important that our youth recognize how blessed they are and how little they need to do to help so much), and all who came to view the exhibit and those who could not make it yet had enough trust in the issue to contribute.

She added: "The success of my first photo exhibit is your success - it is the smile and the comforting look of a well-nourished infant in the orphanage... I am grateful for the constant support of my mother and the assistance of my husband Vasyl, and daughters Inna and Malanka."

* * *

So, what's next for this exhibit? After Chicago, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles and Kyiv should see this exhibit. It will stimulate viewers to consider what purpose we serve here on earth.

Maria Klymchak is editor of the radio program "Ukrainska Khvylia"

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 5, 2003, No. 1, Vol. LXXI

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