🇺🇦 Ukrainian Heritage Month:
Preserving What Connects Us

As Ukrainian Heritage Month comes to a close, we have been reflecting on what it means to celebrate Ukrainian heritage from the perspective of a Ukrainian museum in Canada — and on the role we play in carrying that heritage forward.

For more than 80 years, the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch has collected and cared for the objects, stories, traditions and works of art that document Ukrainian life and culture, and shared those stories with Canadians. The artifacts in our collection tell stories of immigration, faith, family, artistry, community building, resilience, and the many ways Ukrainian identity has been carried across generations.

But heritage is more than something we inherit. It remains meaningful when we actively care for it, share it, and ensure that it continues to connect one generation to the next.

Today, that work feels especially important. At a time when Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty and cultural identity, preserving Ukrainian heritage is also an act of continuity. Here in Canada, it means ensuring that the stories entrusted to us remain accessible not only to those who already know them, but to future generations and new audiences.

Ukrainian Heritage Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate that legacy — but preserving it is year-round work. The Museum relies on the generosity of our community to care for a collection of nearly 9,000 artifacts, develop exhibitions and educational programming, welcome visitors, and continue sharing Ukrainian culture with audiences in Toronto and beyond.

As Ukrainian Heritage Month draws to a close, we invite you to help preserve this heritage for the future. Your support makes this work possible. A gift to the Museum helps us care for the collection, continue sharing Ukrainian stories, and keep this heritage accessible for generations to come.

Thank you for your continued generosity and support,
and for helping us preserve and share Ukrainian cultural heritage in Canada.

CONGRATULATIONS TO UMC-NATIONAL

We are proud to see a Ukrainian museum in Canada represented within this international network, bringing an important diasporan perspective to the global conversation about Ukraine, its culture and identity. Read more…

This partnership comes at a meaningful moment for Canada’s oldest Ukrainian museum: 2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada — an extraordinary milestone celebrating nine decades of preserving, interpreting and sharing Ukrainian cultural heritage in Canada. Вітаємо! Многая літа!

FROM THE BOUTIQUE

UMCO IN THE NEWS

Нещодавно Forum TV завітало до Музею, щоб дізнатися більше про нашу теперішню виставку Testament • Заповіт. Наша студентка Софія розповіла в ефірі україномовної телевізійної програми про виставку, творчість Дмитрука, а також історії й теми, представлені в експозиції. Переглянути інтерв’ю

UPCOMING EVENTS

• October 10 Closed for Thanksgiving Weekend

• October 17 Motanka Dolls Workshop with Lucy Ireland

• October 23 Bandura on Bloor Concert with Georgiy Matviyiv and Ron Demeda. Net proceeds support the Ukrainian Museum of Canada - Ontario Branch

• October 24 last chance to view Testament • Zapovit

• November 14 & 15 Holiday Market

• November 21 Hot Batik Workshop with Olha Tkachenko

This exhibition displays Dmyruk’s work alongside the material culture that inspired him, drawn from the permanent collection of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada – Ontario Branch. Together, these pieces explore post-WW2 Ukrainian immigration to Canada and aspects of Ukrainian culture that have endured despite russian efforts to erase them.

Organized by the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (National), Testament – Zapovit premiered in 2024 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and is presented in Toronto by the Ukrainian Museum of Canada – Ontario Branch.

The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch is a member of the
Canadian Museums Association and the Ontario Museum Association,
and is located inside St.Volodymyr Institute.