BRATTLEBORO-In connection with a new exhibition on contemporary Ukrainian folk art, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is offering two workshops in pysanky, the traditional Ukrainian folk art of egg decoration.
Led by instructor Jenny Santa Maria, the workshops will take place at the museum on Saturday, April 5, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Santa Maria will share the history and traditions surrounding pysanky, provide instructions on how to design an egg, and allow time for an independent practice session. She will provide a variety of eggs, many hard-to-find traditional and nontraditional colored dyes, and tools. Participants will leave with a decorated egg.
Pysanky technique is similar to batik: Patterns are drawn on an egg with hot beeswax, which protects covered areas from subsequent applications of colored dyes. When the wax is removed, a multicolored pattern is revealed.
The patience and concentration required to complete a single egg are rewarded when the wax is taken off. Santa Maria considers her work batik eggs because they have a more modern aesthetic and stretch the boundaries of the traditional process.
Santa Maria has been teaching pysanky for several years in libraries, artist retreats, and museums, and her eggs have been featured in numerous publications.
The April 5 workshops are presented in connection with the exhibition "Contemporary Ukrainian Folk Art: The Matrix of Resilience," which is on view at BMAC from March 22 to July 3.
Admission is $55 ($45 for BMAC members) and includes all materials. No experience is necessary, but participants must be 16 or older.
Space is limited, so advance registration is required. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.