Ivankiv village community will raise money to restore Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, which was destroyed by Russia’s shelling during the invasion of Kyiv Oblast in March 2022.
The museum, which held paintings by Mariia Prymachenko and rushnyky (traditional embroidered towels) by Hanna Veres, burned down. Fourteen of the artist’s paintings were saved by local residents, but the embroidered pieces were destroyed. However, many other rushnyky have been preserved in the collections of local craftswomen, Vyshhorod Local History Museum, the personal collection of Yurii Veres (Hanna Veres’ grandson) and in other museums and private collections in Ukraine and around the world.
In Ivankiv, guests will have a chance to attend weaving workshops, try sculpting the amazing animals depicted in Mariia Prymachenko’s paintings, and enjoy local cheese pancakes. In addition, visitors will be invited to help rebuild the museum complex, and donors to restore the community’s infrastructure damaged due to Russia’s shelling.
“Right now we don’t have premises to welcome guests and teach them how to weave, but in the spring we can hold such events in the open air. Culture is also important during war,” said Nadiia Biriuk, Culture Department Head at Ivankiv Raion State Administration. “Craft workshops will help locals who were under occupation last March to recover psychologically. And having cultural solidarity routes in our community will provide local craftswomen with work, which is very much needed now.”
The village of Ivankiv in Kyiv Oblast, with its historical and local history museum, weaving traditions, folk painting and cuisine, will become one of the stops on the cultural solidarity routes currently being developed by the Network to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Ukraine through a Solidarity Economy, created with ERA’s assistance last November. The network was established to promote local craft producers, draw attention to restoring cultural monuments, and engage the international community in rebuilding Ukraine.