Straw Craft Mentorship - 2 months in Ukraine & Poland
- thisfolklife
- Jul 29
- 6 min read
To begin...
I keep hearing these words lately... not where to begin, but just: to begin...
I'll begin sharing about my 3 month time away this spring, little by little, not in chronological order, but with the beginning. :)
The beginning was the inspiration to aim for the REACH mentorship grant, before it was too late (40 yrs old is the cut off ;), and to prioritise myself and the things I want to explore. A love for strawcraft had taken hold of me these past few years, organically evolving from my work with plants and folk craft, didukhy, and pavuky (and scything...) ... and has continued to captivate me. I wanted to somehow find time to dedicate to learning and making with straw, and so I applied for the grant to create a residency for myself, and carve out the time.
I carved out two months for this, and it eventually expanded to three, beginning with a three week trip from Finland down through the Baltics to Poland. There were travels to new places, visits with colleagues and new friends, discovery of local folklore and craft, and chances to give workshops and talks, and reconnect with many places I love so much. It was incredibly full and enriching, deeply inspiring and educational. There is so much to say and loads to share.
I'll begin by focusing on the project that took me to Eastern Europe (Ukraine & Poland): my mentorship in straw craft "solomopletinnya". The mentorship was funded under the REACH mentorship grant https://www.reachmentorship.com/ through The Shevchenko Foundation and Ihnatowycz Family Foundation. Based in Winnipeg, TSF is dedicated to supporting Ukrainian culture to flourish in Canada. The Reach Mentorship grant is dedicated to providing artists an opportunity to further their practice/career by continuing studies, exploring of a new idea, or learning new skills with support. This was truly an incredible opportunity for furthering my knowledge of, and skill in straw work, and to be able to immerse myself in the community of straw artists and elder artisans.
I'll begin my sharing of this journey by focusing on the first part of my project, and my original intended focus: straw weaving,or plaiting, with master artist Mariia Kravchuk.
Mariia Kravchuk has been working with straw for about 40 years, and as someone who finished art school, and went on to become a teacher in the village, she elevated the craftform to an artform, as well as disseminated it to hundreds if not thousands of students, as well as the general public. She has been hugely instrumental in spreading the knowledge of this craft, and due to her original style, sophisticated skill, and active participation in many showcases and international events, also is responsible for its growing popularity.
I heard about pani Maria from a few folk artists over the years, but eventually connected through my friend Anastasia Fyk, who was mentored in straw craft by Richard Kulbacki, in rural Manitoba. Richard and pani Maria had met at international strawcraft conferences and still kept in touch. They share a passion for not only the craft, but also the homesteading life, flowers, and gardens. I can relate ;)
One day while visiting with Richard, we all had a call over zoom. It was November and Maria and her son Ivan were in the busy season leading up to Christmas, his fingers twining that straw at an unreal speed.
I later connected with pani Maria about visiting, and possibly staying with her for a longer stint, to learn from her firsthand. When I received the grant I was thrilled that I could go ahead with this dream and have a residency at pani Maria's home in Ukraine. Maria lives in the Volyn region (northwest Ukraine), north of Lviv.
It's where she grew up (after her family was able to return from exile in Siberia, where she was born), and has spent all of her life, except for the many travels abroad she has enjoyed, sharing her love of strawcraft, meeting and organising with other artists.
She grows all her rye in the sweeping fields around her home, and she and her sons help in the preparation and processing of all the materials. Her son Ivan has mastered the craft himself, and creates exquisite fine work alongside her, filling orders for didukhy and holiday ornaments. (Currently he is serving in the armed forces)
This spring my plan was to go to stay with her for a few weeks, around Easter, and later go to Poland to study at Serfenta . Since she was unexpectedly invited to have an exhibition in a town in eastern Poland right before Easter, my plans shifted and instead I was able to stay in Lviv and begin my studies with Maria Ivanyshyn, a multidisciplinary artist (and former teacher) who also now works primarily with straw.
The timing ended up being quite fortuitous and I was able to participate in Easter celebrations in Lviv, then travel to Volyn.
After pani Maria's long journey to Poland and back, and much needed rest, I arrived, and we shared a humble belated Easter with Paska (easter bread), and krashanky (boiled eggs dyed with onion skins).
During my stay, I visited her school where she teaches, and I worked at home, sitting for hours (days :) plaiting and practicing new techniques.
I sat at the kitchen table weaving straw and listening to stories about all the past strawcraft conferences, exhibitions, gatherings, and workshops; stories about the village, and about the artist community, its web of connections and relations.
School of Strawcraft
At the local school which is a couple of villages over, and just a regular elementary school, pani Maria has been teaching a craft class for many years, mentoring scores of students in strawcraft and essentially running an unofficial school of solomopletinnya that has produced many future straw artists, in addition to establishing a museum of strawcraft right in the school.
Over the years, many have succeeded in gaining considerable skill and participated in competitions and exhibitions. The classroom walls showcase these students & the history.
The classroom is called Studio "Zhytechko" (little rye).
I visited the school with pani Maria and got to visit the museum and sit in her classroom as kids (mostly boys) came in to plait a straw braid or spiral, often skipping their regular class to escape into a room where they could simply sit and work with their hands. Little kids came in and out begging for a "solomynka" (little straw) to make a braid. :) Very lucky kids.
Obviously there have been many busy hands over the decades learning and creating with straw, producing very impressive results! The pieces in the museum were truly impressive, almost all made by student hands. Some clearly with help from adults (and some made by adults and donated to the museum) but most demonstrated the ingenuity and talent of kids when given the opportunity. I haven't seen anything even close to that in Canadian schools since probably I was in elementary school, and still never this impressive! (But back then we were given a lot more encouragement and opportunities to make real things for projects- dioramas and such and there was more art in schools) As a school teacher myself, it was very inspiring and uplifting. As a fledgling straw artist, I felt quite unskilled compared to those kids!
The breadth of techniques and styles and ideas was simply incredible!
It had been a long time since I'd been in a school in Eastern Europe! Lots of nostalgia.
Such Ukrainian village folky aesthetic :)
Back at home...
I stretched my legs by walking to the vast fields beyond the village. Each day Maria and her son took care of some plowing or planting. The rye was already high. We took out last year's rye sheaves-- cut, cleaned and sorted the straw. The baby animals were a constant diversion. Spring was cool but early on the cherries were blooming. We planted out baby cabbages. A severe drought persisted.
Ducklings, kittens, chicks...
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