The XXIX UNWLA Convention

May 27,2011
Seminars

One highlight of the triennial UNWLA conventions is the seminars during which individual committee chairs, the editors, and guests discuss ongoing projects or new initiatives. The four seminars scheduled for Friday afternoon were devoted to Archives, Education, Our Life, and the Ukrainian Museum.

Education Committee Chair Christine R. Shwed’s seminar, on the topic “The Importance of Fairy Tales in a Child’s Life,” included an explanation of a pedagogical rational for children’s stories she has been creating for Our Life magazine as well as a short discourse on the life-lessons value of fairytales and stories with scary topics or episodes. A highlight of the seminar was the SKYPE participation of Ivan Malkovych, founder of Ukraine’s publishing house A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, and storyteller extraordinaire. Mr. Malkovych talked about the founding of A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, the importance of fairytales and the illustrations that enhance them; to everyone’s delight, he also recited a comic poem, enhanced with sound effects.

Archives Committee Chairwoman Olha Trytyak opened her seminar with a history of how the UNWLA archives came to be and then focused on the value and purpose of maintaining archival material, whether organizational or personal. In connection with this, an interesting component of the seminar was a video on the Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) at the University of Minnesota, which is a repository for the archival collections of many ethnic groups, institutions, and organizations, including those of the UNWLA.

The press seminar began with a presentation by editor in chief Tamara Stadnychenko, who focused primarily on technical issues related to submission of articles and photographs for publication. One aspect of this process, the subject of slanting stories and articles differently for different publications was explained in detail by Roma Hadzewycz, editor in chief of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, who graciously agreed to share her insights on this matter. Ukrainian-language proofreader Sviatoslav Levytskyi spoke on Ukrainian-language issues, with an emphasis on the difficult and sometimes delicate nature of publishing a magazine whose readers comprise multiple immigrations, each of which has retained its own version of the Ukrainian it brought to the United States. Ukrainian-language editor Lidia Slysh spoke about the role of Our Life in the lives of contemporary diaspora women.

Arts/Museum Chair Zoriana Haftkowycz’s seminar focused on the importance of supporting the Ukrainian Museum in New York, an institution that was founded by the UNWLA for the purposes of preserving, displaying, and promoting Ukrainian art and culture. Olha Hnateyko, who served as president of the Ukrainian Museum from 1996 through 2006, reminded those present that the UNWLA has 51 percent of the vote on the Ukrainian Museum Board of Trustees, which implicitly requires a great commitment to ensure that the UM remains solvent and continues its mission. A video of the UM’s exhibit “Ukraine–Sweden: At the Crossroads of History (XVII–XVIII Centuries)” was shown at the end of the seminar.

Friday, May 27,2011
President’s Welcoming Remarks
National Board Meeting
Seminars
Reception and pre-convention program.

Saturday, May 28, 2011
Opening Ceremony and Plenary Sessions
Luncheon Program
Convention Banquet

Sunday, May 29, 2011
Morning Plenary Session
Luncheon Program
Afternoon Seminars and Evening Program

Monday, May 30, 2011
Morning Plenary Session and Convention Closing

Click here to view the pictures from the ХХІХ Convention