Woskob Family Gallery presents exhibit of Ukrainian art (05/16/04)

Woskob Family Gallery presents exhibit of Ukrainian art

by Liliana M. Naydan

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Downtown State College, home to Penn State University's main campus, is located just south of the geographic center of Pennsylvania in a lush green valley of rolling farmlands. Many Ukrainians who pass through the region observe that the supple Appalachian Mountains surrounding the town and the university remind them of the Carpathians.

Like their Ukrainian counterparts, these mountains have served as a backdrop and an inspiration for various Ukrainian artists who have visited the town, including the painters Mykola Kumanovsky and Ivan Baldukha, and well-known writers such as Yuri Andrukhovych, Natalka Bilotserkivets, Oleh Lysheha, Lina Kostenko and Oksana Zabuzhko.

Now, as a result of the generous efforts of the Woskob family, State College not only hosts and inspires these artists, but has an ideal venue where they can exhibit their artistic visions and the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people.

The Woskob Family Gallery is housed within the newly constructed Penn State Downtown Theater Center. The center, which is intended for use by both the university and the town, is centrally located at 146 S. Allen St. amid State College's most popular shops, restaurants and cafes.

The Downtown Theater Center was developed through a joint effort between Penn State and the Woskobs, who settled in State College in the 1960s after emigrating to the United States following the war. Alex Woskob, owner of AW & Sons, tells the story of his and his wife Helen's escape from the Soviet Union during World War II and of their struggles to succeed in America in his newly published memoir in English translation, "Memoirs of My Life" (Kyiv: WUS Publishers, 2004).

George Woskob, who runs GN Associates with his wife Nina, built the center, transforming what had been a rundown Danks department store building into a remarkable hub of cultural activity.

"Having the gallery in the theater was my mother's idea," George Woskob said. "She and my father came to visit when the place was still under construction, and she immediately saw how ideal the space would be for a gallery. Her vision became a reality; it's her way to give back to the community she loves so much."

As Helen Woskob put it, "My vision was to create a comfortable atmosphere where artists could display their works and musicians could perform."

The Downtown Theater Center opened one year ago - on May 19, 2003 - and since then has served as a venue for numerous performances and exhibits, including the current exhibit of the Woskob Private Collection of Ukrainian Art, which opened with a reception that hosted more than 150 people on Saturday, April 17, and will remain open to the public through May 31.

As Helen Woskob observed, the exhibit is important because Ukrainian art was hidden behind walls of oppression until 1992. "We've shown our collection in New York and Washington, but we've never had the chance to show it here," says Mrs. Woskob. "We're very excited to show our art in our hometown, in our own gallery that our son built."

The works contained in the exhibit are by 17 Ukrainian artists of the 20th century, among them, Alexander Archipenko, Jacques Hnizdovsky, Alexander Ivakhnenko, Mykola Kumanovsky, Rem Bahautdyn and Roxanne Naydan. The latter two attended the reception and had the opportunity to speak with guests about their work.

As Ms. Naydan remarked, "I feel extremely honored to be included with artists who have influenced and inspired me to bring my experience of Ukrainian art to the canvas. We all appreciate the Woskob's generosity and their invitation to share their national heritage with the community."

Dr. Michael Naydan, Roxanne's husband and professor of Slavic and East European languages at Penn State, attended the reception and addressed the guests. As he observed in his remarks, the collection "gives us a glimpse into Ukrainian history and Ukrainian art - a look into the Ukrainian heart and soul that have suffered so much over the centuries yet have remained so resolute in keeping the faith and in striving for freedom against all odds."

As Prof. Naydan continued in his opening remarks, "The art you see here ranges from an art of statement that echoes some of the most tragic events of Ukrainian history to purely aesthetic works that reflect the joy of nature, the joy of creation, the joy of imagination."

Following the reception, Michael Bernosky, a professional actor and Fulbright scholar who spent a year in Ukraine researching Taras Shevchenko for a play he is writing about him, read excerpts from Prof. Naydan's soon-to-be-published translation of Yuri Andrukhovych's novel "Perverzion." Additionally, Ukrainian violinist Vasyl Popadiuk from Toronto dazzled the crowd in attendance with a one-man concert, playing pieces ranging from classical to high-energy dance melodies.

Guests of the Woskobs truly got a taste of Ukrainian culture from the events of the afternoon. Ukrainian businessman Andriy Kurylko of Tyrone, Pa., noted: "This is an extraordinary event for Ukrainians of Central Pennsylvania. I was stunned by the quality of the art and the generosity of the Woskob family. This was a wonderfully planned event."

"We feel so fortunate that we have a gallery of this stature in an academic town," noted Nina Woskob. "It's ideal because we can display Ukrainian art to a public not as familiar with our country and our culture. We're lucky to have the opportunity to reach out and present our Ukrainian background to this international and academic community."

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