Special exhibit celebrates jubilee of Ukrainian-Canadian Art Foundation (11/05/00)

Special exhibit celebrates jubilee of Ukrainian-Canadian Art Foundation

by Daria Darewych

TORONTO - The Ukrainian-Canadian Art Foundation (UCAF) in Toronto is celebrating its silver anniversary, marking 25 years of activity in support and promotion/popularization of Ukrainian art in Canada and beyond, organizing exhibitions, publishing art catalogues and supporting various cultural programs.

The celebrations will commence on Saturday, November 11, with a preview of the "Foundation for the Future" exhibit and a champagne reception. The guest of honor at the event will be John Yaremko, former cabinet minister in the Ontario Parliament and his wife, Mary Yaremko. The guest speaker will be Chrystia Freeland, deputy editor of the Globe and Mail.

The official opening of the "Foundation for the Future" exhibit will take place on Sunday, November 12, at 3 p.m., with keynote speaker Member of Parliament Maria Minna, minister of international relations, government of Canada. A delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians, including Ivan Drach and Les Taniuk, are also expected. The celebration will conclude on Saturday, November 25, with hosting by the foundation of an evening with artists whose work has been included in the exhibit.

The Ukrainian-Canadian Art Foundation was established 25 years ago, on November 30, 1975, in Toronto. It was established that year as a non-profit charitable organization with a provincial charter by the founders, Mykhajlo and Yaroslava Szafraniuk.

The Szafraniuks donated 120 works from their personal art collection which became the nucleus of the new foundation's permanent collection. The permanent collection now includes over 650 paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints and drawings and is housed in the UCAF.

Over the last 25 years, the permanent collection has been enriched with art works acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Szafraniuk, as well as those contributed by individual donors, art collectors and artists. In 1994 the foundation donated 39 paintings to the State Museum of Visual Art in Kyiv.

Promoting Ukrainian art in Canada was and continues to be the foundation's main goal. Therefore, the foundation has focused on organizing exhibits of established as well as emerging Ukrainian artists from Canada, the United States, Western Europe and, in the last decade, from Ukraine. To date, over 270 exhibits have been held.

Among the most noteworthy are:

1982 - Ukrainian Artists International Exhibit (with 88 participants);
1983 - The Jacques Hnizdovsky Anniversary Exhibit;
1984 - "Toronto Art Mosaic '84 (held on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Toronto, with 78 participants from 30 ethnic backgrounds);
1985 - Retrospective 50th Anniversary Exhibit of Works by Myron Lyvytsky;
1986 - Thirty Artists' Exhibit;
1987 - Exhibit of Ukrainian Art from collections in Canada and the United States held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Archipenko;
1991 - "Commemorating the Centennial of Ukrainian Immigration to Canada 1891-1991: William Kurelek's 'Passion of Christ' and 'Pioneer Series';
1994 - "Return," an exhibit of works from the foundation's permanent collection donated to the State Museum of Visual Art in Kyiv;
1995 - Retrospective Anniversary Exhibit of Works by Mychajlo Dmytrenko, Founder of the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada;
1999 - Leo Mol Exhibit on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the sculptor's creative work in Canada; and
2000 - Exhibit of the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada.

In the 25 years of its existence the foundation has published the following catalogues: "Ukrainian Artists International Exhibit," 1982; "Toronto Art Mosaic," 1984; "Thirty Artists' Exhibit," 1986; "Exhibit of Ukrainian Art from Collections in Canada and the United States; 1987; "On the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Ukrainian Settlement in Canada," 1991; "Return," 1994; "Leo Mol," 1999.

The members of the first board of directors were Mykhajlo Szafraniuk (president), Yaroslawa Szafraniuk, Jurij Darewych, Petro Hlibowych, Lubomir Kozak, Mykola Kushpeta, Irena Malecka, Mykola Plawiuk, Bohdan Stebelskyj, Anna Trojan, Wasyl Veryha, Roman Wrzesnewskyj and Paul Yuzyk.

The UCAF Gallery was originally located in the Szafraniuk's building at 2395 Bloor St. W. In 1979, the gallery moved to its present, more spacious location at 2118-A Bloor St. W. Apart from exhibits, the gallery serves as a venue for various cultural events, lectures, literary evenings, conferences and concerts. As such it has become a center of Ukrainian life in western Toronto, where a large number of Ukrainians live. The gallery is also home to the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada.

Mr. and Mrs. Szafraniuk not only devoted their time and energy to the foundation but also provided all of the funding for the UCAF Gallery. Following the passing of Mykhajlo Szafraniuk in 1991 and Yaroslawa Szafraniuk in 1996, the gallery has relied on the support of the Ukrainian community for its continuity. Membership dues, proceeds from the sale of art, rental of the facilities, as well as limited grants and donations, however, have not been sufficient to sustain the work of the foundation.

As the UCAF Gallery is the only Ukrainian gallery in Canada that is committed exclusively to visual arts and is an important center of Ukrainian cultural life in Toronto, it merits support from the Ukrainian community.

With the "Foundation for the Future" exhibit the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation not only celebrates its 25th anniversary, but also underscores the presence and continuity of Ukrainian art traditions throughout the 80 years embraced by the selected works of art. Although the paintings, sculptures and prints of the 51 artists on display represent a fraction of the permanent collection, they are indicative of the variety of artistic styles and genres - ranging from realism to abstract expressionism - represented in the permanent collection.

The exhibit includes works of art by prominent Ukrainian artists from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, Venezuela and Ukraine. Most works are familiar from previous exhibits, but some, like the recently donated works by Mykola Hlushchenko titled "The Boats have Arrived", will be seen for the first time. These works reflect the interests of the founders and donors and offer an overview of the artists who have participated in exhibits at the UCAF Gallery over the past quarter century.

Daria Darewych, Ph.D., is an art historian and co-curator of the exhibit.

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