Traditional Ukrainian Pysanky Workshop with Marika Zdaniw
Learn the traditional art of writing Ukrainian pysanky in this hands-on workshop led by pysanka master Marika Zdaniw. Using dyes and a wax-resist technique, you’ll create beautifully detailed, symbolic folk art on eggs while exploring a rich, cultural tradition.
Wednesday, March 18 • 6:00 pm to 9:00pm
$70 per person • 12 & under $50 (each child must be accompanied by adult)*
All materials included • Space is limited • Instruction in English
Location: St.Volodymyr Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
* this workshops involves the use of candles and hot wax. Children must be supervised.
HOPE Community Art Exhibition Reception
Join us at St. Volodymyr Institute for the reception of HOPE, a juried exhibition marking four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
RSVP below to confirm your attendance!
This exhibition brings together artists reflecting on hope — not as an abstract idea, but as something carried through daily life, memory, and creative practice. The works on view speak to endurance, solidarity, and the quiet persistence that sustains individuals and communities through war and displacement.
As we gather during International Women’s Month, we also recognize the powerful role of women as artists, cultural workers, caregivers, organizers, and witnesses in carrying memory forward and shaping spaces of resilience. Many of the exhibiting artists are women whose work engages deeply with questions of care, survival, and collective strength.
Most artworks in the exhibition are available for purchase. Proceeds from sales directly support participating artists and help sustain community-focused cultural programming at St. Volodymyr Institute.
See the artworks: https://www.stvolodymyr.org/art/hope
Participating Artists:
Window Display:
Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva
Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window InstallationAlex Slywynskyj – Sunflower – Stained glass
We look forward to gathering in conversation, reflection, and continued solidarity.
Ukrainian Pysanky Workshop (48 triangles) with Irene Chromej Johnston
TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN SOROKOKLYN PYSANKY WORKSHOP with Irene Chromej Johnston
Learn the traditional art of writing Ukrainian pysanky in this hands-on workshop led by pysanka master Irene Chromej-Johnston, focused on the traditional sorokoklyn (48-triangle) division. Using dyes and a wax-resist technique, you’ll create beautifully detailed, symbolic folk art on eggs while exploring a rich, cultural tradition.
This workshop will be taught using heated electric kistky (writing tools) and hot wax. Children must be supervised.
Saturday, March 21 • 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
$70 per person • 12 & under $50 (each child must be accompanied by adult)*
All materials included • Space is limited • Instruction in English
Location: St.Volodymyr Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Dumai Dunai + Paul Chin + Orbital Ensemble + Tarek Funk: Wavelength Music Festival + Conference 2026
Dumai Dunai + Paul Chin + Orbital Ensemble + Tarek Funk: Wavelength Music Festival + Conference 2026
Presented with Sonic Boom
In partnership with TO Live
Co-presented with Uma Nota Culture
Dumai Dunai (Montréal // Slavic dub-punk party band)
Orbital Ensemble (Toronto // psychedelic post-bossa nova)
Paul Chin (Cayman Islands & Toronto // DIY DJ, producer & friendship breakup expert)
Tarek Funk (Hamilton // Arabesque Afrobeat-infused hip-hop)
Wavelength Music Festival + Conference 2026 heads down the Dundas West strip for our last show of the festival. With its intimate setting and eclectic decor in Toronto’s hippest neighborhood, The Garrison is a celebration of independent live music. We’re thrilled to wrap up the fest with this global-meets-hip-hop celebration in partnership with our friends at Uma Nota, producers of Mixto Fest and the Geary Art Crawl.
Dumai Dunai is here to sweep you up in the blasting horns of Balkan wedding brass bands and the joys and sorrows of Ukrainian village polyphony. The seven-piece channels multi-lingual lyrics and punk rock energy through deep dub grooves, delivering something that feels like pure, unfiltered ecstasy.
Joining them, Orbital Ensemble offers an immersive blend of psychedelic grooves and jazz melodies shaped by MPB influences. The lineup also features professional illustrator, community organiser, recording artist, and DJ Paul Chin, alongside Syrian Palestinian MC and multi-instrumentalist Tarek Funk, whose sound moves through hip hop, funk, and Afrobeat.
Saturday March 21
The Garrison
1197 Dundas St. W. - Toronto
Doors 8pm
19+
Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century: Coursera Launch
The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC), an initiative of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta, has announced the launch of a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) titled Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century: The Case of the Holodomor. Scheduled to be fully accessible online on March 23, 2026, the 13-module course will be delivered globally on the Coursera platform, offering a vital resource for scholars, students, and the public alike to examine one of the 20th century's most devastating, yet understudied, episodes of mass violence.
The course addresses a profound paradox: the famines of the 20th century occurred in an age of unprecedented global food abundance. As the case of the Holodomor illustrates, the catastrophic 20th-century famines were not merely humanitarian disasters but were often forms of political violence that targeted marginalized populations in the pursuit of transformative political projects.
The 1932-33 famine in Soviet Ukraine—the Holodomor—represents the epitome of this kind of violence. Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century explores the Holodomor through an interdisciplinary lens, engaging with famine studies; Soviet , Ukrainian, and global history; colonial and genocide theory; as well as memory studies. Organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium at the University of Alberta, the course draws on decades of international research conducted by leading experts.
The course consists of 13 modules, or lessons, that integrate a wealth of recent scholarship related to the Holodomor.The delivery method via the Coursera platform will feature interviews with leading international experts, archival documents, videos and photos, guest lectures, primary and secondary source readings, and scalable assessments.Module topics include “Dying and Living,” which explores the experience of those who suffered the Holodomor; “Ukrainian Cultural Renaissance and the Destruction of Ukrainian Culture,” which looks at the policy of Ukrainianization and its brutal conclusion; “What Did the World Know?” which addresses what the international community knew about the famine at the time it was happening; and modules on the aftermath and longer-term impact of the Holodomor as well as how knowledge of the Holodomor has been preserved and shared over time.
The collaboration between the University of Alberta and Coursera ensures that the course fulfills a dual mandate: While University of Alberta students—specifically through the Department of History, Classics, and Religion—will be able to register for Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century: The Case of the Holodomor, the online course will be accessible to the general public globally at no cost.
Participants will gain knowledge of the Holodomor’s impact on Ukrainian, Soviet, and world history, improve their ability to analyze primary sources and oral history, and develop a critical understanding of Stalinist society.
Crucially, the course compels reflection on the Holodomor's enduring relevance to current political developments in the region and the Russian war on Ukraine, addressing themes like disinformation and ‘fake news’ within the context of historic Russian-Ukrainian relations.
This project is made possible through the dedicated efforts of CIUS and HREC, with generous support from the Helen and Paul Baszucki Family and the Temerty Foundation.
About the Course:
Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century: The Case of the Holodomor is a wide-ranging exploration of the 1932-33 famine in Ukraine. Learners will gain a deep understanding of the Holodomor in the context of other 20th century famines, genocide studies, survivor experience, knowledge dissemination, disinformation and denial, and Ukrainian and Soviet history.
The Holodomor, one of the major tragedies of the twentieth century, became the subject of serious study only since the fall of the USSR. Through an exploration of recent research and through the prisms of colonialism, empire, genocide, famine and food security, (dis)information dissemination, and Ukrainian-Russian relations, Famine as Genocide in the 20th Century: The Case of the Holodomor makes the case that the Holodomor is crucial to understanding Ukrainian, Soviet, European, and world history as well as current events.
This course is offered online in thirteen modules through University of Alberta’s partnership with the platform Coursera through which courses are offered for-credit to UofA students as well as to the general public.
Ukrainian Pysanky Workshop with Marika Zdaniw
Learn to make traditional Ukrainian Pysanky with Marika Zdaniw
TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN PYSANKY WORKSHOP with Marika Zdaniw
Learn the traditional art of writing Ukrainian pysanky in this hands-on workshop led by pysanka master Marika Zdaniw. Using dyes and a wax-resist technique, you’ll create beautifully detailed, symbolic folk art on eggs while exploring a rich, cultural tradition.
Wednesday, March 18 • 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
$70 per person • 12 & under $50 (each child must be accompanied by adult)*
All materials included • Space is limited • Instruction in English
Location: St.Volodymyr Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
* this workshops involves the use of candles and hot wax. Children must be supervised.
Last Day – HOPE Art Exhibition
Photograph by Lena Pogrebnaya
February 24, 2026 marks four years since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. HOPE is presented at the SVI Art Gallery to acknowledge that date and to affirm that solidarity continues and attention has not faded.
This exhibition brings together artists whose work reflects on hope — not as an abstract idea, but as something that keeps people going, carried through daily life, memory, and creative practice. Hope is found in gestures of care, in the preservation of culture and language, in acts of resistance, and in the decision to continue.
Working across photography, graphic design, printmaking, drawing, painting, and textiles, the artists present personal and collective responses shaped by the realities of war, displacement, and connection to community. Some works speak directly to the present moment. Others approach it more indirectly, through symbolism, material, and process.
Together, the exhibition holds space for reflection while looking forward. In this context, hope is not passive. It is active, shared, and sustained through creative work.
Participating Artists
Diana Nadia Lawryshyn
Dima Lavrentiev
Iryna Tashlitska
Olenka Kleban
Olha Tkachenko
Lena Pogrebnaya
Mariya Haponenko
Ruslana Makarova
Sasha Theodora
Window display:
Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva – Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window Installation
Alex Slywynskyj – Sunflower – Stained glass
Ukrainian Pysanky Workshop with Liudmyla Zymbovych
TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN PYSANKY WORKSHOP with Liudmyla Zymbovych
Learn the traditional art of writing Ukrainian pysanky in this hands-on workshop led by pysanka master Liudmyla Zymbovych. Using dyes and a wax-resist technique, you’ll create beautifully detailed, symbolic folk art on eggs while exploring a rich, cultural tradition.
Saturday, March 28 • 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
$70 per person • 12 & under $50 (each child must be accompanied by an adult)*
All materials included • Space is limited • Instruction in English
Location: St.Volodymyr Institute, 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Learn how to make Driapanky: Ukrainian Easter Eggs using a "scratch" method
Similar to Pysanky, Driapanky involves dyeing eggs in a single colour, but to decorate the egg, you gently scratch away the surface to reveal the white shell beneath. This practise, known as "to scratch" in Ukrainian (driapaty/дряпати) and sometimes spelled as Dryapanky, which is less common in Ukraine but more common in many western Slavic countries, particularly Poland, Czech Rebulic, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, and amongst Sorbians. Driapanky designs can feature simple patterns or intricate designs, often inspired by nature and imbued with symbols of protection and goodwill. They can range from simple patterns to more illustrative qualities, making them a great choice for those who enjoy drawing.
In this workshop, we will delve into various aspects of Driapanky creation. We'll explore the differences between using aniline and natural dyes for eggs, discuss a range of designs and motifs, become acquainted with the different tools required for the craft, delve into the rich tradition of Ukrainian decorated eggs, and learn techniques for protecting your Driapanka without the need for emptying or lacquering the egg.
Duration: 2 hours
Instructed by Oksana Hawrylak
This workshop is best for you if you've already made pysanky and would like to learn a different technique.
Please note that sharp tools will be used in the workshop and are not suitable for children.
All materials will be provided, including a dyed egg, scratch tools, and reference materials.
Last Day to Apply – Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute
2026 Ukrainian Art Song
Summer Institute
Who Can Apply
Vocal artists and collaborative pianists—professional, emerging, upper-undergraduate, and graduate—are invited to apply to the Ukrainian Art Song Summer Institute taking place in Toronto, Canada, from August 10 to 16, 2026.
Eight (8) vocalists will be selected to develop their classical singing technique while exploring the rich and varied repertoire of Ukrainian art song.
One (1) pianist will be selected to develop their professional collaborative skills while studying the style, context, and composers of Ukrainian art song.
Application deadline: extended to April 10, 2026
The Ukrainian Art Song Project is an affiliated organization of St. Volodymyr Institute
Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival
TUFF 2026 marks four years of bringing Ukrainian cinema to Toronto.
This April, we return to The Royal Cinema with seven features and eight shorts drawn from Cannes, TIFF, Rome, and festivals across Europe. Highlights include Militantropos (Cannes Director's Fortnight), Valentyn Vasyanovych's To the Victory (TIFF Platform Award), and Adelina Borets' Flowers of Ukraine (Grand Prix, Créteil). Rounding out the program: a portrait of two frontline medics finding dark humour in war (Cuba and Alaska), a haunting Soviet-era health resort (Sanatorium), two veterans rebuilding their lives (The Fatigued), and a coming-of-age story set in late Soviet Ukraine (Do You Love Me?).
New this year: a dedicated short film section — eight films, programmed for the first time in TUFF's history.
Individual tickets $25 → tuff.film
Applications for the 2026 HREC Educator Award
2026 HREC EDUCATOR AWARD
FOR HOLODOMOR LESSON PLAN DEVELOPMENT
The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) announces its
2026 HREC Educator Award marking the commemoration of the Ukrainian genocide known as the Holodomor, which took place on the territory of Ukraine in 1932–33.
The Holodomor is included in curricula on human rights, genocide, history and social justice in many parts of Canada, and is one of nine genocides formally recognized by the Government of Canada.
The HREC Educator Award for Holodomor Lesson Plan Development is awarded annually by HREC, a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta. The award is intended to foster the development of innovative, creative and interactive lessons for grades K–12 that develop critical thinking skills while addressing the topic of the Holodomor, and to recognize the outstanding educators who create them.
Individual awards will vary up to but not exceeding $2,000 CDN based on the quality of submissions. The winning lesson plans will be posted on the HREC Education website and their authors will be acknowledged. Honourable Mention may also be accorded to lesson plans that will not be posted.
Applications for the 2026 HREC Educator Award can be downloaded from the HREC Education website education.holodomor.ca
APPLICATIONS DUE: MAY 1, 2026
education.holodomor.ca
HREC Education
Holodomor Research and Education Consortium
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies University of Alberta
CONTACT Photography Festival
SVI is participating in the CONTACT Photography Festival this year through the Open Call Exhibitions program, part of the annual city-wide celebration of lens-based art each May.
Check back for more details.
The CONTACT Photography Festival is an annual city-wide festival that began in 1997. It encompasses exhibitions, public art installations, and programs that feature the work of local and international lens-based artists every May.
The Festival’s Core Program brings together exhibitions and public programs presented in partnership with museums, galleries, and artist-run centres throughout the GTA and beyond.
The Open Call Exhibitions extend the festival’s community through the inclusion of independently organized modes of publicly presenting lens based work across the city.
Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival
North America's largest Ukrainian festival
Celebrating 30 years of amazing Ukrainian culture, join us September 18-20, 2026
The Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival welcomes you to come and enjoy everything the Ukrainian culture has to offer. Discover Ukrainian culture in Canada and share the Ukrainian spirit at North America’s largest Ukrainian Street Festival.
Find us at the Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival.
Check back for more details.
![[LAST DAY] Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window Installation](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63eeb2f51520e50a59f9bc4f/1770068962765-M5LNKX5HOZ5PKWND5XXL/DSC_5234.jpg)
[LAST DAY] Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window Installation
Window Installation at SVI
Artist: Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva
Last Day – February 28th
‘Paper Light’ is an oversized Vytynanka created for DesignTO 2026, planned as a window installation in downtown Toronto. The project reinterprets traditional 19th-century Ukrainian papercutting in a contemporary context, transforming a window into a luminous cultural focal point.
The intricate, large-scale yellow graphic acts as a modern talisman of resilience and light, bringing warmth and comfort during Toronto’s deep winter. Yellow was chosen for its associations with the sun, vitality, and an inner glow that seems to emanate from indoors — a counterpoint to the city’s short, dark winter days. When installed, the window will appear to glow from within, offering a quiet, radiant presence to passersby.
Rooted in Ukrainian tradition yet expressed through a contemporary lens, ‘Paper Light’ shares cultural heritage in a simple, clear way. The work emphasizes meticulous craft, layered patterns, and light, translating folk art into a modern, visually striking installation for winter.
Fourth Anniversary of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine
February 24 marks the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—a year that has tested the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people. Every day, Ukraine’s defenders stand on the front lines, protecting their nation’s sovereignty and freedom.
As we reflect on this somber milestone, we honour the lives lost, the sacrifices made, and the unwavering dedication of those who continue to fight for Ukraine’s future.
Join us in standing with Ukraine and showing support for its people. Together, we remain united in hope and determination for peace and victory.
Слава Україні! Героям Слава!
Photo: Illustration by Olga Shtonda
HOPE Art Exhibition
Photograph by Lena Pogrebnaya
February 24, 2026 marks four years since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. HOPE is presented at the SVI Art Gallery to acknowledge that date and to affirm that solidarity continues and attention has not faded.
This exhibition brings together artists whose work reflects on hope — not as an abstract idea, but as something that keeps people going, carried through daily life, memory, and creative practice. Hope is found in gestures of care, in the preservation of culture and language, in acts of resistance, and in the decision to continue.
Working across photography, graphic design, printmaking, drawing, painting, and textiles, the artists present personal and collective responses shaped by the realities of war, displacement, and connection to community. Some works speak directly to the present moment. Others approach it more indirectly, through symbolism, material, and process.
Together, the exhibition holds space for reflection while looking forward. In this context, hope is not passive. It is active, shared, and sustained through creative work.
Participating Artists
Diana Nadia Lawryshyn
Dima Lavrentiev
Iryna Tashlitska
Olenka Kleban
Olha Tkachenko
Lena Pogrebnaya
Mariya Haponenko
Ruslana Makarova
Sasha Theodora
Window display:
Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva – Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window Installation
Alex Slywynskyj – Sunflower – Stained glass
Rally in Support of Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine continues, ongoing attacks on cities and infrastructure are affecting civilian life, particularly during the winter months. Many communities are experiencing disruptions to essential services, including heating, electricity, and water.
This rally provides an opportunity for people in Toronto to come together in solidarity and to express continued support for Ukraine and its people.
All are welcome to attend.
More information ucctoronto.ca
Hutsul Motanka Workshop
HUTSUL MOTANKA DOLL WORKSHOP with Lucy Ireland
This workshop will provide participants the opportunity to create a traditional Hutsul-style Motanka doll from a kit prepared by the workshop leader. These kits include everything you need to create your own Hutsul Motanka!
Saturday, February 21 • 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm
Ages 12+, space is limited
$75 per person, supplies included
INSTRUCTION IN ENGLISH
INSTRUCTOR BIO: Lucy Ireland is a retired elementary school teacher from the Durham District School Board, where she specialized in teaching art and vocal/instrumental music for the last 10 years of her career. She served as the choir director at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Oshawa for 15 years. Having recently moved to Toronto, she is eager to contribute to the Ukrainian cultural community here in Toronto.
This workshop is part of our programming series for Museum’s current exhibition, Kosiv Bazaar: A Living Archive of the Carpathians
The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch is a resident organization at St. Volodymyr Institute.
![[DEADLINE] Call for Submissions: HOPE Art Exhibit](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63eeb2f51520e50a59f9bc4f/1770065689686-GKFS3PAQ4VQNTZXOTM9Z/Art+Exhibit.png)
[DEADLINE] Call for Submissions: HOPE Art Exhibit
Today is the last day to submit to the HOPE Art Exhibit.
February 24, 2026 marks four years since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This exhibition is organized to mark that moment and to affirm that solidarity continues and attention has not faded.
SVI invites artists to submit work for a juried exhibition to be presented in our SVI Art Gallery. We are seeking artworks that reflect on hope—not as an abstract idea, but as something that keeps people going, carried through daily life, memory, and creative practice. Art, in this context, becomes a way of holding, expressing, and sharing that hope.
Artworks must be ready to hang or suitable for 24" wide poster hangers. All works must be flat. Eligible media include photography, graphic design, printmaking, drawing, painting, and textiles.
Textiles of Resistance Workshop
A hands-on textile collage workshop with Ukrainian feminist artist Oksana Briukhovetska
Bring your cast off florals and brightly coloured rags and create a textile collage under the guidance of renowned Ukraine artist Oksana Briukhovetska. She has recently given workshops in Ukraine to women grieving loved ones lost in war. Whether you are preoccupied by the war in Ukraine, responding to other conflicts, injustices, and environmental crises globally, or simply wanting to be crafty, Oksana will guide you in assembling images and colours on fabric to tell stories of courage, protest, and hope. Oksana will give a short presentation with examples of textiles as resistance: Chilean arpilleras, Ukrainian embroidery, African-American quilts. We’ll also drink tea and talk about our experiences and dreams of protest and resistance.
Participants may work on a solo piece or choose to collaborate on a collective (group) project.
Sliding scale – $45 suggested
Oksana Briukhovetska’s current artistic practice focuses on textile collage. She also works as a curator and writes about Ukrainian contemporary art, addressing topics of memory, trauma, woman’s labor, feminism, solidarity and decolonization. In 2020-2021 she interviewed Americans about Black Lives Matter protests and in 2025 published the book Black Lives Matter: Voices in Ukraine. She was the Ukraine co-curator for Secondary Archive, the platform for women artists from Central and Eastern Europe (2021-2024), and a curator at the Martin Roth Initiative (MRI) residency for Ukrainian women artists (2024-2025) that resulted in the publication and the exhibition both titled Meaning after Loss (2025). She lives in Kyiv.
Ukrainian History as a World Story: Keynote Lecture and Fundraiser with Dr. Timothy Snyder
Hart House, in partnership with Kosa Arts and St. Volodymyr Institute, is proud to present a special evening of art, history, and community action. This event brings together song, scholarship, and storytelling to reflect on Ukraine’s deep cultural roots and its ongoing significance in shaping our shared world.
The event will feature a keynote lecture by Dr. Timothy Snyder, acclaimed historian and Chair in Modern European History, supported by the Temerty Endowment for Ukrainian Studies, at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, who will offer insights on Ukraine’s place in global history—from the earliest human settlements north of the Black Sea to the enduring myths and ideas that continue to influence modern culture.
Kosa Arts singers will open the evening by sharing the living culture of Ukrainian folk songs, traditions passed down through generations. Singing is one of the oldest ways humans have communicated and carried knowledge, and these songs reflect that history. They hold traces of earlier cultural practices in their stories, structures and worldviews, offering a way to listen to how memory, ritual and community move through time and continue to shape Ukrainian life today.
The event is free for students and by donation for guests, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian initiatives by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
Keynote Lecture Description:
The application of advanced technology has had the greatest impact on the earliest periods of history and indeed on pre-history. In the lands of today’s Ukraine, north of the Black Sea, the effect has been especially striking; it forces a reconsideration of the origins of large-scale human settlement and confirms a thesis about the origins of Indo-European languages. But this is just the beginning: familiar landmarks of European and global history take on a different form when viewed from the perspective of those lands, and indeed elements of what might seem to be our own modern or post-modern culture take on a surprising coherence. This lecture will begin with the pre-history, alienate and then reclaim familiar aspects of Greek, Roman, and medieval history, and close with an attempt to integrate, on the basis of some new knowledge of the past, some canonical myths and legends.
Timothy Snyder Biography:
Timothy Snyder holds the inaugural Chair in Modern European History, supported by the Temerty Endowment for Ukrainian Studies, at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He is also a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and the head of the academic advisory council of Ukrainian History Global Initiative.
A scholar of the history of Central Europe, Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust, Snyder speaks five and reads ten European languages. He is the author or editor of twenty books published in forty languages. Snyder writes for the press on Ukraine, the U.S, authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He has also appeared in documentaries, on television, and as an expert witness before several parliaments. He has received state orders and decorations as well as honorary doctorates.
His work has inspired demonstrations, sculpture, posters, punk rock, rap, film, theatre, and an opera.
timothysnyder.org
snyder.substack.com
munkschool.utoronto.ca/phl
Fundraising initiative:
Canada Ukraine Foundation
Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine.
CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities,
and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine.
In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more:cufoundation.ca
About presenters:
Kosa Arts
This initiative is part of the Talking Walls exhibition titled Future Folkways: Reclaiming Rituals, Remaking Roots, marking the 15th anniversary of Kosa Kolektiv, a Toronto-based community of artists, cultural activists, and diaspora members exploring, reclaiming, and celebrating Ukrainian and Slavic folk traditions. Through this community, Kosa Folk Arts was established (formerly known as Folk Camp), continuing the work of cultural preservation and creative reinvention.
SVI
St. Volodymyr Institute (SVI) is a Ukrainian cultural and educational centre in downtown Toronto that for more than six decades has supported learning, artistic expression, and community engagement. With a residence, theatre, library, archives, and exhibition spaces, SVI hosts a wide range of cultural programs and provides space for organizations focused on Ukrainian Canadian heritage.
SVI is now undertaking a major development project to create a renewed cultural hub, expanding partnerships, integrating innovation, and strengthening its role in cultural programming, education, and community connection.
Hart House at the University of Toronto
Hart House, a centre for experiential learning at the University of Toronto, has served as a gathering place since 1919. Located in a historic neo-Gothic building, it offers space for arts, dialogue, wellness, and community engagement, welcoming students and the broader public year-round.
Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka Window Installation
Window Installation at SVI
Artist: Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva
Extended until February 28th
‘Paper Light’ is an oversized Vytynanka created for DesignTO 2026, planned as a window installation in downtown Toronto. The project reinterprets traditional 19th-century Ukrainian papercutting in a contemporary context, transforming a window into a luminous cultural focal point.
The intricate, large-scale yellow graphic acts as a modern talisman of resilience and light, bringing warmth and comfort during Toronto’s deep winter. Yellow was chosen for its associations with the sun, vitality, and an inner glow that seems to emanate from indoors — a counterpoint to the city’s short, dark winter days. When installed, the window will appear to glow from within, offering a quiet, radiant presence to passersby.
Rooted in Ukrainian tradition yet expressed through a contemporary lens, ‘Paper Light’ shares cultural heritage in a simple, clear way. The work emphasizes meticulous craft, layered patterns, and light, translating folk art into a modern, visually striking installation for winter.
Zine Making Workshop
Make your own zine! Learn folding, cutting & stitching in this hands-on workshop. All materials provided, no experience needed.
Come spend an afternoon making your own zine using simple, hands-on techniques. This workshop is all about experimenting with folding, cutting, and stitching (no prior experience required).
Your zine can be about anything– a story, a drawing series, poems, found images, or something you make on the spot.
We will go through a few easy ways to put together zines and give you time to create your own. All materials will be provided, and you will also have the opportunity to scan and assemble your zine during the workshop, so you can leave with a finished copy or two. Completed zines can also be submitted to the Ukrainian Zine Library at SVI.
This event is part of Future Folkways: Reclaiming Rituals, Remaking Roots
Presented by Kosa Arts and Hart House at the University of Toronto
In partnership with St. Volodymyr Institute
DesignTO Festival: Paper Light – Contemporary Vytynanka
DesignTO Festival
Independent Project
Window Installation at SVI
Artist: Anastasiia Bielohryvtseva,
‘Paper Light’ is an oversized Vytynanka created for DesignTO 2026, planned as a window installation in downtown Toronto. The project reinterprets traditional 19th-century Ukrainian papercutting in a contemporary context, transforming a window into a luminous cultural focal point.
The intricate, large-scale yellow graphic acts as a modern talisman of resilience and light, bringing warmth and comfort during Toronto’s deep winter. Yellow was chosen for its associations with the sun, vitality, and an inner glow that seems to emanate from indoors — a counterpoint to the city’s short, dark winter days. When installed, the window will appear to glow from within, offering a quiet, radiant presence to passersby.
Rooted in Ukrainian tradition yet expressed through a contemporary lens, ‘Paper Light’ shares cultural heritage in a simple, clear way. The work emphasizes meticulous craft, layered patterns, and light, translating folk art into a modern, visually striking installation for winter.
Kosa Folk Arts presents Rozkoliada Fest
Join Kosa Folk Arts as a farewell to the winter holiday season of Koliada, with a showcase of Ukrainian winter songs and rituals, with surprise guests! Featuring Kosa Koliadnyky (carollers), folklore groups from across the GTA, and our Kryva Kosa folk band who will lead a set of dances. Be sure to arrive early to take part in all there is to offer!
2 pm | Doors open
3 pm | Koliada Showcase begins
There will be Ukrainian lunch made by Yulia Yerofeyeva & volunteers (all funds go toward medical supplies for the front); there will be a cash bar; there will be a display of stars, didukhy, a handmade marketplace, and much more!
Under 17 and U of T Students are free, but please register above! Online ticket sales end at noon on the 18th. There may be limited availability at the door. We will update our website and social media with this information the day of.
This event is part of the Talking Walls series connected with the Kosa exhibition at Hart House, running Nov-Feb. For the full program listing see the Hart House website.
Hart House, a centre for experiential learning at the University of Toronto, has served as a gathering place since 1919. Located in a historic neo-Gothic building, it offers space for arts, dialogue, wellness, and community engagement, welcoming students and the broader public year-round.
SVI Retro Malanka
We’re embracing SVI’s retroness and bringing out some of our original décor from the 70s through 90s to set the scene for a nostalgic celebration of the old-new year. Gather with friends, old and new, for a night where jazz rhythms meet Ukrainian and retro sounds.
Enjoy a delicious dinner, live performances, an open bar, and a midnight table in a cozy, lively atmosphere. Dress to impress in Retro Canadian Formal or Retro Ukrainian Formal wear, you might just win an award for best outfit. There will also be live entertainment, raffle prizes, and more surprises throughout the night.
TICKETS / SPONSORSHIP
CLOSED - Winter Holidays
Holiday Closure Notice
St. Volodymyr Institute will be closed from December 23, 2025 to January 2, 2026.
We hope you have a festive and enjoyable holiday!
Okean Elzy: Stormwatch
Вперше на великому екрані — історія головного гурту незалежної України, "Океан Ельзи"!
Вперше на великому екрані — історія головного гурту незалежної України, «Океан Ельзи: Спостереження Шторму»!
Стрічка поєднує унікальні архіви, невідомі факти та щирі спогади тих, хто творив і розвивав колектив, пісні якого стали символом свободи, любові та боротьби.
Це відверта розповідь про музичні перемоги, шалену популярність поруч із конфліктами, розривами та історичними викликами, які переживала країна.
«Зйомки фільму дали нам, музикантам, унікальну нагоду самим озирнутись на наш шлях у 30 років. Згадати такі події і моменти, про які мало хто пам'ятав, а дехто і не знав навіть. Усі ті виступи, репетиції, зустрічі, прощання, радощі та труднощі, важкі рішення... І пригадавши то все, розумієш, скільки моментів залишалося поза очима публіки. У фільмі ми чесні і відверті. Усі, хто брав участь у зйомках, хто в різні етапи був частиною життя і шляху ОЕ», — поділився Святослав Вакарчук.
Деталі показу:
18 грудня
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
506 Bloor St W
Двері відчиняються: 18:00
Початок показу: 19:00
Триваліть: 2 год 3 хв
За виробництво відповідала студія KNIFE! Films, відома за стрічкою «Яремчук: Незрівнянний світ краси», серіалами «ЕПІЗОДИ» та «СПАЛАХ».
«За час роботи над фільмом ми опрацювали величезну кількість архівних матеріалів, щоб скласти цілісну історію “Океану Ельзи”. Провели десятки годин відвертих інтерв’ю з колишніми й теперішніми учасниками, а також людьми, які були поруч із гуртом на їхньому шляху.
Неважливо, чи слухаєте ви їх щодня, чи знаєте лише головні хіти — значення цього гурту виходить далеко за межі музики. Завдяки фільму кожен зможе зрозуміти, як “Океан Ельзи” став легендарним явищем для нашої країни», — розповів Максим Сердюк, продюсер фільму, співзасновник KNIFE! Films.
For the first time overseas — the story of the main band of independent Ukraine.
We invite everyone to the screening of the documentary film “Okean Elzy: Stormwatch” in Toronto.
The film combines unique archival materials, unknown facts, and sincere memories of those who created and developed the band, whose songs have become a symbol of freedom, love, and struggle.
This is a candid and profound story about music, people, and the times that shaped our country.
“Filming gave us, the musicians, a unique opportunity to look back on our 30-year journey... We are honest and candid. Everyone who was part of OE's life and journey,” — Sviatoslav Vakarchuk.
Details of the screening in Toronto:
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
506 Bloor St W
Doors open: 6:00 p.m.
Screening starts: 7:00 p.m.
Duration: 2 hours 3 minutes
We believe that cinema is making Ukraine's voice louder than ever.
YALYNKA 2025 @ Wine Academy – UCPBA’s Annual Christmas Celebration
Celebrate the season in style with UCPBA Toronto as we bring together our business and professional community.
Join us on Saturday, December 13th, at Wine Academy for YALYNKA 2025 — an elegant evening filled with festive spirit, great company, and a toast to the community.
✨ Event Highlights:
🎶 Entertainment and live performances
🍷 Open wine bar featuring select wines from Ukrainian-owned Niagara wineries
🥂🇺🇦 🍢 Fine canapés created by a talented Ukrainian Canadian chef, complemented by a curated antipasto selection
🎁 Exciting lottery prizes generously provided by our sponsors
Celebrate the season in style with UCPBA Toronto as we bring together our business and professional community to reconnect and share in the joy of the holidays.
🇺🇦 Part of the event’s proceeds will be directed toward programs assisting Ukraine.
💡 All non-members who purchase a ticket will receive a one-year complimentary UCPBA membership (membership form to be completed at registration). No refunds.
We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you on Saturday, December 13th, at Wine Academy.
UCPBA Toronto is an affiliated organization of SVI.
Make a Community Didukh (Drop-in)
Photo by Anastasia Vysotska
During Nuit Blanche, visitors created dozens of small didukh bundles as part of our interactive installation. We are now inviting the community to help bring all of these pieces together and build one large, collective didukh.
This drop-in session is open to anyone who would like to take part in the final stage of the project—whether you contributed a bundle that night or simply want to join the making process. No experience is needed, and materials will be provided.
Email oksana@stvolodymyr.org if you are interested in dropping in.
Sunday, December 7 from 2–5 PM
Monday, December 8 from 2 PM–5 PM
620 Spadina Avenue
Learn more about the Nuit Blanche project Crafting Connections
Linocut Printmaking Workshop with Oleg Lipchenko
Learn about every stage of the linocut printmaking process and create your own unique Christmas postcard.
We invite you to our third and last workshop in the Heritage in Colours program - Linocut Printmaking Workshop with artist Oleg Lipchenko.
About the artist:
Oleg Lipchenko is an award-winning Ukrainian-Canadian artist, illustrator and printmaker with decades of experience bringing stories to life through art. His work has been exhibited internationally.
Ticket: $55 (please purchase through Eventbrite).
All materials and refreshments provided.
Funded in part by the Shevchenko Foundation.
A Sentimental Journey to the Parajanov Planet (2024) | Toronto
A poetic documentary by Taras Tomenko exploring the life and art of Sergei Parajanov — featuring surreal puppetry, rare archives, and a Q&A
Join us for a mesmerizing cinematic journey into the imaginative world of Sergei Parajanov — visionary filmmaker, artist, and one of cinema’s most enigmatic figures.
Directed by Taras Tomenko and produced by Pylyp Illienko and Andriy Ryzvaniuk, this full-length documentary marks the centenary of Parajanov’s birth, serving as an artistic homage to his life and creative legacy. The film was commissioned by public broadcaster Suspilne Ukraine for the 100th anniversary of Sergei Parajanov.
Combining rare archival materials, unseen footage, and surreal puppet sequences, A Sentimental Journey to the Parajanov Planet blurs the boundaries between fact and fantasy, revealing the depth of Parajanov’s genius and his defiance in the face of Soviet repression. Through a handcrafted puppet version of the filmmaker himself, the story unfolds as a poetic reflection on imagination, memory, and the power of art to transcend time and oppression.
The screening will be introduced by Pylyp Illienko, filmmaker and Chair of the Ukrainian Film Academy, followed by a Q&A session exploring the making of the film and Parajanov’s enduring influence on global cinema and art.
This event is part of Through Shadows and Memories, a two-part program celebrating the legacy of Sergei Parajanov and Ukrainian poetic cinema. The first screening in the series — Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965, dir. Sergei Parajanov, cinematography by Yurii Illienko) — was presented on November 26 at Innis Town Hall Cinema.
Movie presented in ukrainian with english subtitles
Brought to you by Straw Bells Media in partnership with St. Volodymyr Institute and the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF)
#GivingTuesday
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving, a time to support causes that make a difference in our communities. On Tuesday, December 2, SVI invites you to an initiative celebrating the richness of Ukrainian culture and heritage.
SVI AGM
ЗАГАЛЬНІ ЗБОРИ – ОНЛАЙН членів Інституту cв. Володимира відбудуться
в неділю, 30 листопада 2025 р., о 2:00 год. дня
Річні збори будуть онлайн і без присутности в Інстутуті.
Please be advised that the ONLINE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
of the membership of St. Volodymyr Institute will be held on
Sunday, November 30, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
This meeting is online, only. There will be no in-person attendance.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965) New 4K Restoration | Toronto
A newly restored 4K screening of Sergei Parajanov’s legendary 1965 masterpiece — with an introduction and Q&A by Pylyp Illienko
Experience on the big screen one of the most visually stunning and influential films in world cinema — Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, newly restored in breathtaking 4K.
The 1965 Ukrainian masterpiece has been digitally remastered with restoration led by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at the L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.
The evening will open with an introduction by Pylyp Illienko, filmmaker and Chair of the Board of Ukrainian Film Academy, son of Yurii Illienko, the film’s cinematographer. Following the screening, audiences are invited to a Q&A session with Pylyp Illienko to discuss the film’s enduring artistic legacy, backstage stories and its influence on Ukrainian and global cinema.
A cornerstone of Ukrainian poetic cinema, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (based on the novel by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky) tells a tragic story of love, fate, and memory set in the Carpathian mountains. Its visionary imagery and emotional power continue to captivate audiences even six decades after its release.
This screening is part of Through Shadows and Memories, a two-part program dedicated to Sergei Parajanov and the legacy of Ukrainian poetic cinema. The second screening, A Sentimental Journey to the Parajanov Planet (2024, dir. Taras Tomenko), will take place at Innis Town Hall Cinema on December 4.
Movie presented in ukrainian with english subtitles
Brought to you by Straw Bells Media in partnership with St. Volodymyr Institute and the Toronto Ukrainian Film Festival (TUFF).
Walk with Ukrainian Stories in Toronto: From Hart House to St. Volodymir Institute
Walk with Ukrainian Stories in Toronto
From Hart House to St. Volodymir Institute
Book Launch: No Place Like Home by Bohdan Kordan
Join us for the Toronto launch of No Place Like Home: Enemy Alien Internment in Canada during the Great War by Bohdan Kordan, professor emeritus in the Department of Political Studies at St Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Kordan will speak and read from his book, which focuses on the defining elements of the First World War internment experience.
Admission is free or by donation. Beverages and light snacks provided.
This event is part of a national speaking tour funded by the Shevchenko Foundation and McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Presented by the Ukrainian Museum of Canada – Ontario Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Documentation & Research Centre, and St. Volodymyr Institute.
Toronto Annual Ukrainian Famine Lecture: How to Hide a Famine - The Holodomor as History and Heuristic
ABOUT THE EVENT
In his lecture How to Hide a Famine: Holodomor as History and Heuristic, Dr. Henry Prown will look at the dynamics of this Stalinist crime in the context of mass media manipulation in the Depression era. His lecture will shed light on how the Holodomor served as a precursor to further instances of genocidal state violence and denialist propaganda.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Henry Prown is the 2022-25 Temerty Postdoctoral Fellow in Holodomor Studies (CIUS/ University of Alberta). His book Communist Propaganda in Pre-Cold War America: The Daily Worker and the Great Depression will be published by Bloomsbury.
Sponsors: The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta; the Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine (Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, University of Toronto); the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies; the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (Toronto Branch); St. Volodymyr Institute.
Location
In-person: Campbell Conference Facility, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, M5S 3K7
Online via Zoom
Speakers
Dr. Henry Prown
Department of History, Classics, and Religion, University of Alberta
Karolina Koziura
Moderator
Petro Jacyk Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES)
Kosa: 15 Years of Living Tradition Exhibition and Opening Reception
Join Kosa Arts for an afternoon of community celebration, live music, and performances as they launch Future Folkways: Reclaiming Rituals, Remaking Roots—the latest Talking Walls exhibition marking the collective’s 15th anniversary.
The Toronto-based group of artists, cultural activists, and diaspora community members has long explored, reclaimed, and celebrated Ukrainian and Slavic folk traditions. The exhibition reflects Kosa Arts’ deep connection to community spaces, including 620 Spadina, where many of their gatherings, workshops, and celebrations have taken place, honouring their ongoing commitment to cultural preservation and creative reinvention.
Holiday Market
Join us for our annual Holiday Market!
November 8 & November 9
Saturday 10am to 5pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm
Find your favourite gifts from the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch Boutique, including:
Ukrainian Embroidery & Wearables
Greeting Cards & Books
Christmas Decorations
Baba’s Treasures
Stop by at the SVI Soup & Vinyl Café for borshch, pickle soup, coffee, tea, and treats.
The SVI Library will be selling books too!
Visit UMCO’s current exhibition, Kosiv Bazaar – A living archive of the Carpathians
and the Holodomor Commemorative Exhibit in the theatre.
Holiday Market
Join us for our annual Holiday Market!
November 8 & November 9
Saturday 10am to 5pm
Sunday 12pm to 5pm
Find your favourite gifts from the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch Boutique, including:
Ukrainian Embroidery & Wearables
Greeting Cards & Books
Christmas Decorations
Baba’s Treasures
Stop by at the SVI Soup & Vinyl Café for borshch, pickle soup, coffee, tea, and treats.
The SVI Library will be selling books too!
Visit UMCO’s current exhibition, Kosiv Bazaar – A living archive of the Carpathians
and the Holodomor Commemorative Exhibit in the theatre.
Book Launch: The Ukrainian Village of Pavlokoma: A Demographic Study
Book Launch:
The Ukrainian Village of Pavlokoma
This event is also intended as a tribute to the long and illustrious career of Professor Peter Potichnyj, who has contributed so much to the study of the Zakerzonia region in general and to the examination of modern Ukrainian history.
Join us for the launch of The Ukrainian Village of Pavlokoma: A Demographic Study by Peter J. Potichnyj and Peter J. Yakob, published by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press. The event will feature remarks by Peter J. Potichnyj, Peter J. Yakob, Frank E. Sysyn, Roman Senkus, and Ksenya Kiebuzinski.
Learn more about the publication on the Ukraina Moderna website.
Become A Volunteer
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