National Internment Art Mural Project

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The Sunflower is widely accepted as the flower of Ukraine. It's head smilingly follows the sun through the day's journey across the sky. Fields of Sunflowers grow on Ukraine's Farmlands, for its rich oil - Beauty, Food, and Balm.

The scattered seeds of the Sunflower, those thousands of men, women and children of Ukraine and Eastern Europe who were affected by the internment operations in Canada during World War 1 will be honored with a special project being launched February 20, 2013.   Vernon, British Columbia Artist Michelle Lougherty is announcing the official launch of this National Internment Art Mural Project. Specially created murals, designed to capture the imagination of viewers with the purpose of edifying the memory of those persons and their families will be appearing in communities across Canada over the next few years.

The artist, Michelle Lougherty is exploring her personal family's experience through this project. Her direct connections with the people, their lives, the hardship, the trauma, fear and shame - and the unusual manner in which this ancestral experience has shaped her life will come to life on the murals. Ultimately, she and her team will be mounting murals across Canada, in the 24 locations associated with the Internment experience.

At a loss for words, I struggle with this period myself - knowing that my family also lost contact with persons known to them through this experience. Where they went, what was their fate, what experiences they weathered - the stories are yet untold. For it is these stories that continue to resonate just under the surface of the bubbling Ukrainian community in Calgary I believe. Proud to be Ukrainian? Perhaps some families had it drummed out of them, and they have assimilated as quickly as was possible - severing ties with family and ancestral memory.

If you are in any way moved by this experience, I sincerely hope you will open the conversation with individuals in our midst whose lives were touched by Canada's National Internment Operation of the World War 1 period. Our Canadian history, ancestral culture, and social fabric of the community could all benefit from this opportunity of healing.

As the artist says "it is only in learning from the past, ...we become the wings of a better future".

St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in Vernon, British Columbia - on February 20, 2013 - at 2 PM will be the launch of this project, an opportunity for project coordinators and those moved by the Internment experience to collaborate. Those who have historical artifacts of the period, or photos, or recollections, may be able to contribute to the shaping of these murals - please consider this as a gift of your time, for Canada's future.

For more information go to www.internmentcanada.ca.

And for more about the Sunflower Project go to www.michelleloughery.org.

Culture Shift

amk2012
The embroidered paths of Ukrainian ancestors,
and little chicks ready for liftoff.
The korovai bread for a Ukrainian wedding.  

Calgary's vibrant and active Ukrainian cultural community is awesome. Unless you are out there, you may not have noticed the full calendar of events coming out each season!  Ukrainian Calgary promotes everything that makes our community awesome, from old to new and everything in between. We’re like the human interest piece on the news… only different.

Ukrainian Calgary is dedicated to everything that makes it that way. But except for a handful of people whose service is remunerated, all the community building work in Calgary is volunteer! Only a handful of people are "professional Ukrainians", bravely building careers out of sheer passion for the task! Volunteers are the amazing lifeblood of our community. 

But lack of funding is why a lot of creative aspirations end for many artists. They come up with an amazing idea and are forced to let it die due to the expense needed to make it happen. Luckily for Calgary artists, Ukrainian Calgary is going to poke a few of our generous fundraising groups - an initiative that could breathe life into these new amazing ideas through funding. 

Investing in our grass roots artists could start a whole new cycle of activity here. To give you an example, over the years Tryzub has fostered a relationship with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The shows have been spectacular! That is a top-down activity. Big, splashy. But are there composers, musicians, producers, choirs, writers or theatre groups that could get a nod of support and recognition for doing something good for the Ukrainian community? 

Here are a few ideas. Commission a local writer of Ukrainian origin.  A local film maker? Commission a performance group to put on a show about something Ukrainian. Sponsor the purchase of new music for a choir in Calgary, or pay for the guest artists so they will perform some expensive Ukrainian repertoire. Reward local young musicians, Ukrainian bands, with visible and active support through their social media sites - invite them to perform for important community gatherings to mark the Holodomor, Shevchenko, Carol Festivals. 

The key here is communication and marketing. Relationships! Aspiring artists need to feel supported. Capturing them early in their career paths creates synergies that always pay back. Investing in them, is investing in us! Funding the business of culture provides more return than money. 

I am promoting a cultural shift that moves our community agenda forward. With such a fast growing population, Calgary's historical cultural stereotypes are falling fast. And though Ukrainians are the roots of Canada's multiculturalism, Canada's cultural identity is still forming, evolving, coalescing and defining itself every day. There is a diversity of talent with lots of confidence, an unconventional mix of traditions and new ways. 

Everything is connected in some way, and Calgary is transforming itself into a more cosmopolitan city. The village ways are full of beautiful scenery, and resources, however there are compelling reasons for Calgary's changes. The city is attracting and keeping big talents. The creative class is developing faster here than in any other city in Canada. It is time to ask Calgary's young people how their Ukrainian roots could give them wings! Check with the very innovative young ones, and ask how their Ukrainian community could help them reach a particular goal. Where is the Ukrainian family power? 

Is the Ukrainian Community part of their roots, or the wind beneath their wings? Looking back or looking forward?