First lady hosts reception celebrating Ukraine's cultural heritage (09/25/05)

First lady hosts reception celebrating Ukraine's cultural heritage

by Roma Hadzewycz

NEW YORK - While in town with her husband for the World Summit at the United Nations, Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko hosted an elegant reception "to celebrate the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine" at the Ukrainian Institute of America, a landmark end-of-the-19th century mansion located on 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Some 50 women, including the first ladies of Poland, Lebanon and Slovakia, and the wife of the U.N. secretary general, attended the event held at midday on Thursday, September 15.

Mrs. Yushchenko welcomed guests at her reception by quoting the words of Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko, who described newly independent Ukraine as "a new state with a thousand-year-old culture." For many years, the first lady noted, Ukraine was "a hidden nation." The reception at the Ukrainian Institute of America provides "an opportunity to learn about the Ukrainian people," Mrs. Yushchenko continued.

Ukraine's first lady also spoke briefly about the Ukraine 3000 Foundation, a non-governmental charitable organization that aims to promote Ukraine's strategic development through diverse projects in the social, educational and cultural spheres with a view toward the country's past, present and future. She invited all those interested in its wide-ranging goals to work with the foundation, which she chairs.

The event at the Ukrainian Institute of America, located on New York City's famed "Museum Mile," was attended by the U.N. secretary general's wife, Nane Annan; First Ladies Jolanta Kwasniewska of Poland, Silvia Gasparovicova of Slovakia and Andrée Lahoud of Lebanon, along with American political and cultural figures, and members of public and charitable organizations, as well as leading Ukrainian American women, among them community activists, professionals and journalists.

Among notables present were: Jeannette Chang, senior vice-president/international publishing director, Hearst International; Susan Kropf of Avon, Avon Products Inc.; Kathryn Martin, senior vice-president, Memorial Sloan Kettering; Judith Rodin, president, Rockefeller Foundation; Patricia Rosenfield, program director, Carnegie Corp.; Marjorie Tiven, commissioner, New York City Commission for the United Nations; Elizabeth Holtzman, former member of the U.S. Congress from New York; and Georgette Mosbacher, CEO, Borghese Cosmetics.

The reception began with champagne and hors d'oeuvres served on the historic mansion's first floor, where Mrs. Yushchenko mingled with her guests. Afterwards, the reception moved to the institute's second floor, where the first lady formally opened the program. A brief musical interlude was provided by 10-year-old pianist Olha Kalabynina, Ukrainian National Opera soloists Iryna Symonenko and Dmytro Popov, and violinist Dmytro Tkachenko.

Afterwards guests were invited to enjoy more hors d'oeuvres, as well as wines, chocolates and confections from Ukraine.

During the reception guests had an opportunity to view works by artists representing Ukraine's avant-garde, including the paintings of Davyd Burliuk (1882-1967), Abraham Manevych (1881-1942) and Olexander Tyshler (1898-1980).

Sculptures by Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964), one of the 20th century's most important sculptors, also were on view.

Photos of the Orange Revolution were on display on the staircase between the UIA's second and third floors, and large screens on the second-floor landing displayed scenes of Ukraine. Beautiful flower arrangements graced the entire mansion.

The institute's third floor featured an exhibit of art works by children of Ukraine's orphanages and, in another room, stylized versions of costumes from such historic eras as the ancient Scythian period, the work of designer Ludmyla Semykina.

The first lady's reception was coordinated by Vasyl Vovkun, who also produced Kyiv's 2005 celebrations of Ukrainian Independence Day.

The Ukrainian Institute of America building is a French Renaissance mansion designed in 1898 by Charles P.H. Gilbert. It was purchased in 1955 by philanthropist William Dzus, who donated it to the UIA, which had its headquarters in West Islip, N.Y.

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