gift for | from grand | mothers by Vanessa Hyggen & Laelia LeFeuvre

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May 29, 2025 to October 11, 2025

Presented as part of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada’s Artist-in-Residence Program

This exhibition by artists Vanessa Hyggen and Laelia LeFeuvre explores the powerful threads of knowledge passed on matrilineally—and those that had to be reclaimed. Inspired by their family stories and the Museum’s collection, the artists reflect on how tradition lives on in memory and in craft.

The exhibition combines historic Ukrainian objects from the Museum’s collection with Indigenous beadwork from Hyggen’s own collection. These pieces are shown alongside new works in beading, spinning, sewing, and weaving. These artworks are conversations across generations—acts of remembering, recovering, and honouring the past.

For both artists, craft is more than a skill. It is a way to reconnect with lost knowledge and bring it into their lives today. Through their hands, they honour the women who came before them, and the stories carried in every thread.

This exhibition is made possible with generous support from Saskatchewan Lotteries and SaskCulture, Multicultural Council of SK, and SIGA.

Links

• More information umcnational.ca

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Ukrainian Museum of Canada

North America’s first Ukrainian museum, founded by Ukrainian Canadian women.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, in downtown Saskatoon, SK, features three galleries dedicated to celebrating and promoting the arts, culture, and legacy of the Ukrainian Canadian community. We also house archives, a library, community spaces, and a shop carrying a range of authentic Ukrainian giftwares, clothing, and crafts.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada was established by the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada in 1936 with the aim of promoting Ukrainian arts, culture, and heritage. The vision of the women who founded the museum was bold, since Ukrainian culture was not well understood or respected by most Canadians at the time. In Soviet Ukraine, following Stalin’s rise to power, Ukrainian culture and language were being violently suppressed.

Today our museum is home to one of the largest ethnic textile collections in North America, including regional folk costumes, kylym (tapstries), and vyshyvka (embroidery). We also house a suite of 12 paintings, the Ukrainian Pioneer Women series, by the well-known artist William Kurelek, along with many works by Ukrainian Canadian folk artists Dmytro Stryek, Ann Harbuz, and others.

The Museum offers a variety of public programs to empower visitors to explore, learn, and have fun. Our programs, workshops, lectures, and special events inspire people from all cultural backgrounds to connect with Ukrainian Canadian culture, art, and history.

Since February 24, 2022, when russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada has been active in welcoming Ukrainian newcomers and bringing community together to learn about modern Ukraine, its history, politics, and culture, and the ways that Ukrainian stories impact Canadians.