Folk Imaginaries: Ukrainian Clothing as Memory and Imagination

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Folk Imaginaries: Ukrainian Clothing as Memory and Imagination

Exhibition Dates: September 25, 2025 to August 29, 2026

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 25 at 7:00 PM

Location: Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Saskatoon

Admission: Free or by donation

Step into a world where thread, fabric, and embroidery tell stories of heritage, resilience, and imagination. Folk Imaginaries explores the evolution and global influence of Ukrainian clothing, where handwoven linen and beadwork come together with high fashion, and traditional garments become living symbols of identity and creativity.

Running for nearly a full year, this major exhibition features rare and never-before-exhibited pieces from the Museum’s extensive textile collection, one of the largest of its kind in North America. It also includes exceptional loans from private collectors and Canadian institutions, along with Ukrainian-inspired designs by renowned fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen, Dior, Valentino, Lanvin, and Sybil Connolly. These works reveal how folk traditions continue to shape global fashion.

Curated by Natalka Chomiak (Winnipeg), with Alexandra Shkandrij (Toronto) and Rachel Ormshaw (Ukrainian Museum of Canada), Folk Imaginaries invites visitors to see clothing as both cultural memory and creative expression across generations and borders.

Join us for the Opening Reception on September 25 at 7 PM

Celebrate the official launch of Folk Imaginaries and the opening of the 2025 UHCNA Conference with a special evening at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. Guests will have the opportunity to connect with participants from across North America, hear opening remarks from the Museum’s Executive Director and curator Natalka Chomiak, and enjoy an exclusive first look at the exhibition. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is by donation.

Whether you're interested in the artistry of embroidery, the history of migration, or the evolution of fashion, Folk Imaginaries offers a rich and inspiring experience for all.

Exhibition texts will be bilingual English/Ukrainian.

Links

• Main Website umcnational.ca
• Current Exhibitions umcnational.ca
• Upcoming Exhibitions umcnational.ca

Organizer

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.