Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.
Your first visit to The Ukrainian Museum in New York City will not be your last. Located at 222 East 6th Street in the heart of the East Village, it’s a gem of a destination that gives visitors a wide-ranging view of Ukrainian art and culture.
Maria Prymachenko’s embroidery
Currently on display through April 7th is “Maria Prymachenko: Glory to Ukraine.” The impressive exhibit includes over one hundred of her paintings, embroidery, wooden plates, and ceramics. Even without formal training, Prymachenko deftly reimagined her Ukrainian heritage. Her creativity is inspired by connections to folk songs, fairy tales and events that have influenced society. The array of paintings on display use bright, bold colors in unexpected combinations that are totally engaging. She often added exotic animals to traditional subjects and nature complementing the fantasy of well-known lore. As a cultural icon, Maria Prymachenko conveys subjects treasured by the Ukranian people. She also preserved her Northern Ukrainian region’s dialect in the captions of her paintings.
Pysanky
The museum also has an exhibit that is very timely for the Easter Season. “Craft and Design: Pysanka” which is a key component of Ukrainian folk art. These embellished eggs have known to be fashioned by people dating back to pre-Christian culture. Each of the designs of the Pysanka on display is unique, a true reflection of the artistry of their creators. Beautiful, colorful, and symbolic, this is folk art at its finest. The gallery also includes intricate textile weavings and examples of fine woodworking.
On the lowest level of the museum, you can explore “Ukraine & The Avent-Garde: Books and Works on Paper.” The important pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odessa were centers of the new artistic movements in Ukraine and there were renowned artists who spent time in those cities. On display are fascinating English and Ukrainian language books that include Alexandra Exter, Vasyl Yermilov, Anatol Petrytsky and others.
Be sure to take the time to visit the museum’s charming gift shops and also to make note of the lobby installations, “Postcards from Ukraine” and “Oleksandr Glyadelov: Fragments.”
The Ukrainian Museum is located at 222 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10063. It is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
Top photo: Maria Prymachenko’s paintings Photo Credit: Marina Kennedy
Arden Moore never thought much about money when she was married. Her husband, Scott, had a well-paying job which gave her the freedom to stay home and raise their three children. But when Scott dies from a heart attack, Arden finds herself grieving and in debt. A phone call from a New York estate lawyer gives her hope, but would also force her to face something she has avoided since she was a child – who was her birthfather?
Arden’s mother, Virginia, married twice and prone to having affairs, swears that Arden’s father is Wallace Ashforth, a billionaire. Virginia worked for Wallace and even though he was married, they had a long affair and she got pregnant. When he died without a will, Virginia fought for a piece of his estate that would support her and their daughter. Her claims were denied by a legal system that didn’t recognize children born outside of a marriage. But with changes in the laws of inheritance, Arden might have a chance to claim what is rightfully hers.
The estate lawyer, Larry Lasker, handled Virginia’s original case, but can’t take Arden’s on a contingency basis. However, his nephew, Joshua, would. Arden meets with Joshua and is impressed by his legal knowledge and his determination to win. It also doesn’t hurt that Joshua is extremely sexy and, Arden, who has been celibate since Scott died, can’t help but be attracted. Soon, the two are spending as much time in bed as they are in court. When Larry learns Joshua is sleeping with a client, he’s not pleased. But since Arden’s not complaining, there’s nothing he can do about it.
Joshua is honest about the uphill battle they face. Proving a DNA match is the first step. Since Wallace is deceased, exhumation would be fought by his remaining son, Jamie. The older son, Bruce, died recently, but he donated his brain to the Parkinson’s Foundation for research. Joshua’s plan is to go to court and argue for a DNA test on Bruce’s brain to prove that he is Arden’s half brother.
The judge handling the case is a cypher and Arden can never be sure how he will rule. If the stress of being in court isn’t enough, Arden faces trouble on the home front with her teenage daughter, Ivey, and twins, Ali and Wyatt. Ivey, still grieving her father’s death, is self harming by using a lighter on her skin. Arden’s attempts to talk with her end in angry shouting matches. Wyatt, who has a serious peanut allergy, is upset that Arden restricts his activities, worried he may repeat the frightening seizure he once had. Tate, Arden’s half sister, is available to babysit, but she’s hurt that Arden doesn’t support her effort to have a baby through IVF.
Virginia is living with Arden after breaking her hip. Although she tells her daughters that she fell off the bed after having rough sex with someone she met on the website SilvrFox, Virginia is ashamed to admit that she was raped and beaten. Virginia’s physiotherapist convinces her to join a senior support group. Even though Virginia is reluctant, she goes to a few meetings and eventually begins to confront what really happened to her.
Hal, Arden’s stepfather and the man she considers her real father, is there every step of the way. Although he and Virginia have been divorced for a long time, they have a close friendship that serves to anchor the entire family. The peace Arden achieves is finding out that her own identity has less to do with biology and more to do with those she loves and can count on for support.
