SOMERSET, N.J. – Although the facilities of the Ukrainian History and Education Center (UHEC) are still closed to the public, its staff has been busy creating online content to engage its members, supporters, friends and members of the community. There are four new series, with something for everyone.
Since hands-on, in-person workshops are cancelled for the near future, “Folk Arts @ UHEC Virtual Edition” will be online in the form of virtual workshops or presentations about folk arts such as pysanky, embroidery, weaving, traditional bread making and even Petrykivka painting. Petrykivka painting workshops are scheduled for August 1 and August 16, and will be taught by Halyna Nazarenko directly from Petrykivka, Ukraine.
“Crafts for Kids with the UHEC Virtual Edition” is a Sunday afternoon series that will provide a hands-on opportunity for kids to learn about Ukrainian art, culture and history. These will be suitable for grade school children, and participants will have a finished craft at the end of the workshop. Workshops include Petrykivka painting, traditional “motanky” doll making and reverse glass painting
For historians and genealogists, the Nashi Predky Ukrainian Family History Group will be hosting a monthly webinar series called “Nashi Predky @Home.” It will feature webinars on topics in Ukrainian history and genealogy. In addition, there will be Virtual Office Hours, during which one can get help with historical puzzles or mysterious documents. A few head-scratchers will be discussed online.
From “Folk Arts@UHEC: Ukrainian Bread Making Virtual Workshop” with Jonathan Hejnal from Ohio.
The next presentation will take place on Wednesday, August 5, at 7 p.m., Mike Buryk will present “Ukrainians and Their Communities in the United States: 1600-2020,” which will help attendees gain a basic understanding of the history of Ukraine and the conditions there that sparked emigration to the U.S. as early as the colonial period and into the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The five main periods of Ukrainian emigration to the U.S. will be covered, and current U.S. Ukrainian community educational and cultural institutions are reviewed.
Finally, “Stories from Storage” will appear on Mondays starting in July. Each story will feature an artifact, document or object from the UHEC’s collections – either from the Patriarch Mstyslav Museum or the archives. You’ll hear the object’s story, its significance and importance, and how it fits into history, culture and the immigration experience. The first of these stories was a virtual tour of the current exhibition “Visual Music: the Art of Yukhym Mykhailiv.” Visit ukrhec.org/stories to see this tour and other “Stories from Storage” as they are posted.
All of the UHEC’s virtual offerings are free of charge, although registration is required. There may be materials fees associated with some of the workshops. Visit ukrhec.org/calendar to see all of the scheduled events. Details about events will also be posted on the UHEC Facebook page.
The mission of the Ukrainian History and Education Center is to connect past and future generations by telling the stories of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and the Ukrainian community, and to foster awareness of Ukrainian heritage through preservation, exhibitions and education.
The UHEC is supported by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act.
For more information and to sign up for event notifications, visit www.ukrhec.org, call 732-356-0132 or e-mail [email protected].