Shumka has undertaken a mural project for the Shumka Dance Centre based on the theme of “Common Threads” of culture, community and multiculturalism. On August 20, 2021 a committee made up of representatives of Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts, North Edge Business Association, Queen Mary Community League, Ukrainian Benevolent Society, Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) – Edmonton and Alberta Branches, and Shumka, chose Sofia Lukie to paint the mural.
Sofia Lukie is a Ukrainian Canadian visual artist, art educator, and theatre designer based in Amiskwaciy Waskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). She obtained a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Theatre Production and Design from the University of Winnipeg. She is currently studying her Post Baccalaureate in Elementary Education at Vancouver Island University. Her freelance practice is based in the Ukrainian culture, in the arts community, and in multimedia expression. She is grateful for Shumka and their perseverance in fostering, preserving, and promoting Ukrainian art in Canada.
This project is supported by the City of Edmonton, UCC – Edmonton, UCC – Alberta Branch, Ukrainian Benevolent Society, Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts, and Shumka. It will add some colour and light to the community as revitalization plans continue.
The mural was officially unveiled on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
Mural Description by Sofia Lukie.
Common Threads The upcoming celebration of the anniversary of 130 years of Ukrainian immigration in Canada, and 30 years of Independence of Ukraine brings excitement, connection and acknowledgement. I recall seeing my Baba’s signature at Pier 21 in Halifax. Seeing a physical manifestation of my family’s life, the moments before they entered Canada and what this meant for us, was life changing. I asked about the journey in which my family took to get to these lands, and learned it came with strife, sickness and loss. I also remember the first time I recognized the distinct similarities in Metis and Ukrainian patterns, woven into my Babka’s babushka, and beaded into my sister’s moccasins that she picked up from the annual Franco Festival in Winnipeg. Then, I moved from Manitoba to Alberta. A land of hills, of mountains and thankfully, of culture! I felt my Carpathian mountain ancestors whenever I hiked in Jasper. I could hear the Rusalka from the Dnipro River when I was at Abraham Lake. I wrapped myself in fake furs as though I was wearing a Keptar from the Hustul region. I could feel connection….from here to there. Our threads are borderless. Our textiles are interchangeable. Our lands are more than just, us.
