memory, myth, and the prairie: william kurelek’s ukrainian pioneer women

An illustrated lecture exploring William Kurelek's Ukrainian Pioneer Women series, a landmark set of paintings commissioned in 1965 for Expo '67. The works honour the experiences and resilience of Ukrainian immigrant women who settled on the Canadian Prairies. Dr. Jen Budney, Executive Director and CEO of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, will walk through why the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada commissioned the series, how Kurelek approached the work artistically, and what these paintings reveal about how Ukrainian Canadians remembered and understood their own history. The talk goes beyond historical record to ask bigger questions: how communities choose to remember their past, whose stories get told, and how art shapes cultural identity. No registration needed. Members enter free; non-members pay seven dollars at the door.