Art, Identity & Independence 🇺🇦

As the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence approaches, our current exhibition – Testament • Zapovit: Ihor Rodion Dmytruk – offers a timely reflection on Ukrainian identity, heritage, and the enduring hope for a free and independent Ukraine.

Throughout Dmytruk’s work, Ukrainian heritage is often present without being literally depicted. It emerges through themes of family and memory in works such as Ancestors and Portrait of a Ukrainian Girl, through subtle references to Ukrainian material culture in his iconic geometric pieces, and more directly in his Orange Series, created following the 2004 Orange Revolution. For a Ukrainian-Canadian artist who had left Ukraine as a child, these connections speak to a relationship with his homeland that endured across distance and decades – something that resonates with many diasporan Ukrainians.

Today, as Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty, Ukrainian Independence Day carries particular weight. It is both a celebration of what was achieved in 1991 and a reminder of how fragile freedom can be — and of why the right of Ukrainians to define their own identity, culture, and future continues to matter.

How has your heritage impacted your identity? What traditions, experiences, or events have helped shape and strengthen that connection? We invite you to experience Testament • Zapovit: A Retrospective of Ihor Rodion Dmytruk this summer, and reflect on these connections for yourself. The exhibition is on view at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch through October 17, 2026.

FROM THE MUSEUM BOUTIQUE

Stop by the Museum Boutique and show your Ukrainian pride with these patriotic finds — perfect for wearing, sharing, or gifting for Ukrainian Independence Day! 💙💛

By shopping at our Boutique, you support our mission to preserve and promote Ukrainian culture, as all revenues directly contribute to our ongoing programs and initiatives.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• August 19 Fantastic Beasts Maria Prymachenko workshop with Olha Tkachenko

• August 22 UCC-Toronto Ukrainian Independence Day Celebrations

• August 24 Ukrainian Independence Day 🇺🇦

• September is Ukrainian Heritage Month 🇺🇦🇨🇦

• September 18-20 Toronto Ukrainian Festival, Bloor West Village

• September 23 ​Traditional Block Printing (Vybiika) workshop with Olha Tkachenko

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

We’re looking forward to Toronto’s biggest annual celebration of Ukrainian culture — the 2026 Toronto Ukrainian Festival (September 18-20, 2026) — and we need volunteers to help make our presence bigger and better than ever! Whether you can help for a few hours or a full day, every bit of time makes a world of difference.

Please let us know when you may be available and how you would prefer to help on our Volunteer Interest Form. A Museum representative will contact you to coordinate specific timing and responsibilities. This is a wonderful opportunity to represent the Museum, connect with the community, and support our mission!

DONATIONS WELCOME

Do you have Ukrainian art, handcrafted pieces, or cultural items that are ready to find a new home?

We are especially interested in:

• Ukrainian embroidery, including vyshyvanky and embroidered linens

• Woodcraft and carved wooden items

• Ceramics and pottery

• Traditional folk art and decorative items from all regions of Ukraine

• Original woodcuts, linocuts, and other hand-pulled prints

• Ukrainian artwork, books, accessories, and other cultural items

We also welcome donations of artifacts with unique histories, documented stories, or known provenance. Historically or culturally significant artifacts may be considered for accession into the Museum’s permanent collection, where they can help preserve and share Ukrainian cultural heritage for future generations.

If you have items you would like to donate, please contact the Museum at 416-923-9861 or museum@umcontario.com. Thank you for your generosity and support for the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch.

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.

Have you visited the Museum recently? We’d love to hear about your experience — please fill out our short feedback form and help us grow.

Sustain our legacy. Support the Museum.
Help support the preservation of Ukrainian culture in Canada.

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.