The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch and Native Canadian Centre of Toronto presented a Speaker Series in connection
with their recent exhibition “The Spirit of Beads: Sharing our Stories”
View recordings of the Speaker Series below.
SPEAKER SERIES
CLICK ON THE IMAGE
to view the recordings of the Speaker Series for this exhibit.
Thursday, April 15, 2021 ~ 7 pm
Leah Hrycun
Can we do Better? Erasure and Myths of Ukrainian-Indigenous Relations in Canada
Description: Ukrainian immigrants have made Canada their home since 1891 and many relied on the kindness of the Indigenous peoples they encountered to make it through their first winter and beyond. But somehow, in making Canada our home, we erased the Indigenous peoples whose knowledge and lands were integral to our ancestors’ survival and success from our stories. This presentation will share some of the stories of Ukrainians and Indigenous peoples that have been recovered and seeks to answer the question, can we do better when we tell our stories of these lands?
Bio: Leah Hrycun is a PhD Student who has spent most of her life in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (amisk-wa-chi-was-ga-hi-gan), also known as Edmonton. She is a third generation Ukrainian Canadian who also shares German and Jewish ancestry. Her research interests include Métis histories, material culture, repatriation, land settlement and dispossession, settler-colonialism, and white settler supremacy on the prairies. Her current research seeks to recover narratives of Indigenous- Ukrainian relations in east central Alberta in the hope that it will open dialogues surrounding the shared histories of these lands and address why so few historians consider the presence of Indigenous peoples and land in Ukrainian Canadian histories. By recovering these histories and deconstructing how and why Ukrainian settlers came to support Canadian settler-colonialism, she hopes to redresses Indigenous erasure in Ukrainian settler histories and ultimately provide space for Ukrainian Canadians to move toward being in good relation with the Cree, Nakota, and Métis people who also call these lands home.
Thursday, May 13, 2021 ~ 7pm
Malinda Gray
If these beads could talk: Discussing Indigenous beadwork, Past and Present
Description: Malinda Gray, an avid beader for decades, will discuss and highlight the cultural importance of Indigenous beadwork within modern society. Gray will also expand on her Master’s thesis Beads: Symbols of Indigenous Cultural Resilience and Value (University of Toronto). Gray is an Ojibway kwe from the Lac Seul Band, who loves sharing her knowledge.
Bio: Malinda Gray, M.A., is an Indigenous Studies PhD Candidate at Trent University, where she also facilitates beading workshops for the First Peoples House of Learning. She lives in Peterborough, ON with her husband, three sons, and her cat, Hazel.
Thursday, June 3, 2021 ~ 7 pm
Maria Rypan
Ukrainian Beaded Adornments Past & Present
Description: Be dazzled by the splendour of traditional adornments, or “prykrasy”, from different ethnographic regions of Ukraine. See how seed beads create incredible patterns and motifs in loomwoven “gerdany”, and netted “sylianky”. Understand why and how the distinctive adornments styles were worn. This spirit continues to inspire contemporary beaders of today as seen in Maria Rypan’s rich visual presentation.
Bio: Maria Rypan has become a recognized expert in Ukrainian-style beadwork. She is continually experimenting with new ways of beading within her cultural tradition. Her specialties are netting, unique beadweaving and loomweaving techniques. In 1995 she wanted to share this unique tradition with like-minded cultural enthusiasts so she developed a series of beadwork classes with her own instructional material. Her most memorable project was the 1992 multi-media event to launch dissident Iryna Senyk’s White Aster of Love. Maria designed 27 dresses, produced a bilingual 160 page deluxe book and the multi-media Premiere. Since 1995 Rypan Designs has a strong international presence through teaching, producing a kit line, doing shows and visual presentations on beading and global folk arts in Canada, USA and Ukraine. Visit www.rypandesigns.com
Thursday, June 17, 2021 ~ 7pm
Riley Kucheran, Liana Satenstein
Innovation and Resurgence: Contemporary Ukrainian and Indigenous Fashion Design
Description: Join Riley Kucheran, Assistant Professor of Design Leadership at Ryerson University’s School of Fashion, and Liana Satenstein, senior fashion writer for Vogue, for a lively discussion of contemporary Ukrainian and Indigenous fashion. Topics will include the rise of contemporary Ukrainian and Indigenous fashion designers, resurgence of traditional symbols and motifs, environmentalism and sustainability, and how you can support local designers.
Liana Bio:
Liana Satenstein is a Senior Fashion Writer at Vogue. For seven years, she has been covering the development of fashion in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Much of her focus has been on Ukraine where she has traveled to numerous times to cover fashion week in Kyiv. Her work in the region has included the rise of national dress within contemporary fashion after the 2014 revolution, the cultural clothing of Crimean Tatars, and she has spotlighted numerous local Ukrainian designers. Her grandmother hails from Kyiv while her great-grandparents were from Lviv.
Riley Bio:
Riley Kucheran (Biigtigong Nishnaabeg) is an Assistant Professor of Design Leadership at Ryerson University’s School of Fashion. As an Indigenous fashion researcher he supports the global community of Indigenous makers who are leading design resurgence. His scholarship bridges Indigenous theory and methodologies with retail management and entrepreneurship strategy in order to mobilize fashion as a powerful tool for decolonization. He is also the Associate Director of Saagajiwe, the Faculty of Communication and Design’s Centre for Indigenous Research and Creation, and a PhD Candidate studying community-based stores and co-operatives as sites of cultural and economic resurgence.
Socials
Riley Twitter/Instagram: @rskucheran
School of Fashion Twitter/Instagram: @RyersonFashion
Faculty of Communication and Design: @RyersonFCAD
UMCO gratefully acknowledges the support of our sponsors:
