Straw kingdom
Popularity of Ukrainian folk crafts has grown in the past decade
This year the Ukrainian Museum of Folk Architecture and Daily Life in the village of Pyrohove, near Kyiv, again attracted the country’s best wickerwork artisans. “According to our creative council, most of the craftsmen used to come from western Ukraine, but this time craftsmen from every region of Ukraine took part in the festival, “ said the museum’s research associate Oleksii Dolia.
“The wickerwork and wood carvings from Sumy oblast are especially interesting. About 10 years ago our grandmothers and grandfathers practiced these crafts, and the impression was that once they died, the crafts would die out with them. But today about 90 percent of craftsmen are young people or individuals who are much younger than their teachers. It is good to know that there is a revival going on in our country, and that we will have things with which to represent Ukraine abroad, instead of the traditional matrioshka dolls of the past,” Dolia said.
Valentyna Sokolyk, who is from the city of Karlivka in Poltava oblast, would be happy to represent Ukraine with her exclusive souvenir wickerware figures in the shape of grasshoppers, roosters, elephants, and Cossack men and women. The main attraction at this year’s festival was Sokolyk’s life- sized straw figure of a woman sporting a hat decorated with flowers, which bears a strong resemblance to the artist.
Sokolyk creates most of her crafts for her own satisfaction. Unfortunately, they are not in great demand because most Ukrainian shoppers prefer wickerwork products that are practical and functional. She learned the wickerwork craft on her own and does not have any pupils. “I don’t know how to teach them.”
In contrast, Volodymyr Lysiuk, a teacher from Zhytomyr oblast, has kept up the family tradition of wood carving that was passed down from his forefathers. He has been a wood carver for the past 12 years, and among his pupils are 10 girls.
Prominently displayed on his display table is a huge knife with a wooden handle that looks half the size of a thigh bone. “This is a replica of a 19th-century Turkish yataghan,” Lysiuk explained, adding that in addition to carving he’s interested in weapons. “I have explored the armaments museums in Kyiv and Zaporizhia. It’s interesting to polish your skills professionally while learning things about your national history.”
Lysiuk also teaches woodcarving at Zhytomyr’s Technical Cultural College. He is very proud of the fact that he has captured the interest of a group of girls, who have taken up his craft. Carving icons requires top craftsmanship, he says.
“When we decided to carve an image of Our Lady of Pochaiv, we were blessed by our parish priest, and our whole group fasted when we were working on the project. Now the icon is hanging in our church, and the child carvers have begun attending Mass. At first, they went to church simply to look at their work of art. But later they came in order to tell others that they had seen people offering up prayers to it. Then they continued attending church because they felt in their hearts that they had to. We have carved a few more icons and donated them to other churches. The children can see that their creative efforts yield results,” said Lysiuk.
Among the fair participants in Pyrohove were several craftsmen from Russia. After all, creative people have to keep in touch with their colleagues and establish contacts with prospective consumers. Dolia says it is one thing when you get a commission where you live. But it is altogether a different thing when people who live thousands of kilometers away find out about your work. The festival organizers in Pyrohove are gratified to know that their carving and wickerwork exhibit is acquiring international scope.
