Woven Narratives: Stories of Ukrainian Weavers Virtual Presentation (Folk Arts@UHEC)

Virtual Presentation Featuring Master Artists: Halyna Shepko (USA), Myroslava Boikiv (Canada), Halyna Hrom (Ukraine), Daryna Alieksieienko (Ukraine)  

Sunday, November 10, 2024
1:00 - 2:30 PM ET

This workshop is FREE to watch online (link will be sent before the event), but registration is required.

Donations are gratefully accepted. 

Halyna Shepko (USA)

Halyna Shepko was born in the Ukrainian East Village in downtown New York City, surrounded by the culture of her heritage, into a family of musical artists. Halyna studied with Susan Barrett Merrill and became a Weaving a Life Circle Leader in 2013. In 2016, she participated in a weaving seminar and exhibit in the Carpathian Mountains learning from village weavers and instructor from Lviv National Academy of Arts, Zenovia Shulha. Halyna Shepko has been weaving and connecting her life with threads since childhood. In 2016, Halyna started her journey on shaft looms and this obsession brought her to opening Mokosh Ukrainian Weaving Center, in fall of 2023 in Gardiner, N.Y. Mission of Mokosh is to share weaving skills and to bring attention to work of  Ukrainian diaspora weavers, and the need to have access to books such as Ukrainian Weaving Patterns with Instructions by Doris (Daria) Yanda.  Halyna lives in the woods at Shawangunk Ridge Farm in the Hudson Valley with her husband, son, sheep, goats, and chickens, making goat cheese, living off the land, cultivating mushrooms, and processing wool from their sheep. Halyna was one of the founders of Korinya Ukrainian Folk Band with her four children and niece, and group Sopilka with homeschoolers in Ulster County and children from her local Ukrainian community.  Halyna teaches weaving classes at The Ukrainian Museum in NYC, runs therapeutic Weaving a Life Circles, has an herbal healing practice, and weaving studio at her farm where she and her family raise Icelandic sheep and Toggenburg goats. She shears and processes the wool herself.

Halyna Hrom (UA)

Halyna Hrom was born on December 19, 1964, in Drohobych, Ukraine and now resides in Nahuievychi, the birthplace of Ivan Franko. Halyna graduated from the Lviv Agricultural Institute. Learned weaving in the creative workshop of Horak N.A. She worked for a long time as a lecturer at the Department of Technological and Vocational Education at Drohobych Ivan Franko Pedagogical University. Halyna is currently collaborating with the Magda Dzvin Workshop (Lviv). She is a member of the National Union of Masters of Folk Art of Ukraine since 1995, specializing in hand-woven artistic textiles. Halyna Hrom is engaged in garment and interior weaving, working on recreating authentic woven clothing and creating modern designs. She participated and exhibited in several nationwide projects, including "Woven Ukraine," "Paths of Woven Bush," and others. Ms. Hrom is an author of several articles and methodological manuals on hand-woven artistic textiles and a participant in regional, national, and international exhibitions.

Daryna Alieksienko (Ukraine)

Daryna Alieksienko is a respected weaver who has done much to share her knowledge and to popularize Ukrainian weaving. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Daryna has been focusing her weaving efforts on creating camouflage nets for the protection of the Ukrainian Army. 

Myroslava Boikiv (Toronto)

Myroslava Boikiv, a Ukrainian textile and watercolor artist based in Toronto, Canada, draws deeply from her upbringing in Kovalivka, a village nestled in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Inspired by the rich rural and traditional Ukrainian culture of her youth, she now navigates the urban landscape of Toronto while maintaining a profound connection to her roots. Despite the challenges imposed by the Soviet system's suppression of language, history, and culture-issues that persist today, albeit with ongoing progress - Myroslava's art serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of Ukrainian identity. With a background as an art restorer at the National Museum of Hutsulshchyna & Pokuttia Folk Art and as the curator of the Pysanka Museum in Kolomyia, she brings a wealth of experience in preserving and promoting Ukrainian folk art. Myroslava’s artworks have been displayed in galleries and museums across Ukraine, Germany, Poland, and Canada. Additionally, her pieces have found homes in private collections worldwide.