A Trifle Better than Doomscrolling

“This seemingly simple delight has evolved over centuries, each layer telling a story of cultural exchange, innovation and the pursuit of exquisite taste.”

–Australian Good Food Guide

Mixed Berry Trifle photo by Amanda Suarez via Serious Eats.

One evening this past November, Phillip and I were watching an episode of The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) where the consensus on one contestant’s crumbly cake was that it would have been better as a trifle.

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears via Epicurious. Photo by Con Poulos.

All the Pretty Trifles

Phillip wasn’t familiar with the term, but I knew he’d seen these classic, layered desserts before. I did an image search, looking for quintessential trifle examples to show him.

He did, in fact, recognize it once he saw it. So I didn’t need to keep scrolling through lovely layered desserts. I did, though.

We finished the episode, but I kept browsing through photos of trifles, basically nonstop, for the rest of the evening.

Chocolate trifle by Alyssa Rivers, The Recipe Critic

I think my brain needed more of a break from bad news and horrifying election results than I’d realized. So, when presented instead with a screen full of pretty desserts, it just latched on.

Rather than doomscrolling, we decided this was dessert scrolling. Or maybe yum scrolling. Whatever you call it, it’s much better for my mental health.

So, in that spirit, let me offer up some trifle-therapy.

What is Trifle?

In case you’re not familiar…

“The traditional English trifle is a cold dessert that layers fresh fruit with whipped cream, custard and pieces of cake that have been soaked in alcohol, most commonly sherry.”

–Craft Gin Club

It’s served in a glass dish, so you can see all the different layers. Often, this means a bowl with straight sides that’s big enough to serve a crowd. Other times, people make little single-serve trifles, which seem very cute and very time consuming.

Daily Trifles

“The trifle is the centrepiece of summertime celebrations and Yuletide tables alike.”

–Ben Mervis, food historian

I had thought of trifle only as a fancy, special-occasion dessert – until I heard Welsh GBBO baker Beca Lyne-Pirkis mention how common it was in Cardiff, where she’s originally from.

“I was brought up on trifle. It’s a staple in West Wales. After your Sunday roast … you have trifle.”

–Beca Lyne-Pirkis on Great British Bake Off

She made her version of one of her “mum’s” recipes for her signature bake during Dessert Week in Series 4 / Season 2.

vintage-looking sherry trifle — Sherry Trifle by The British Cookbook via Delicious

Where Did Trifle Come From?

“The trifle made its official debut in the 1585 cookbook, The Huswives Jewell. In its early days, the trifle was nothing more than a creamy dessert flavored with rose water and ginger.”

–Nicola Lamb, Serious Eats

The layers came later, incorporating new flavors as ingredients became more readily available and flexing with food trends over time.

desserts — Sloe gin and strawberry trifle

Trifle Twists

While typical trifle may be made with pieces of cake soaked in sherry, you don’t actually have to use cake. Or sherry.

Recipes may call for other alcoholic beverages, like brandy or a certain liqueur, or non-alcoholic alternatives like orange juice. Cookies – especially ladyfingers – often sub in for cake.

Chocolate Cream-Puff Trifle — Chocolate Choux Puff Trifle by Martha Stewart

Chocolate Choux Puff Trifle

One of Martha Stewart’s holiday trifle recipes uses chocolate-filled cream puffs! Rather than submerging the pastry, it’s the fruit that steeps in anisette (anise-flavored liqueur) for up to 3 days.

Orange Almond Trifle

“You can make the cake ahead of time and it will stay lovely and fresh for up to 5 days if stored well. If you are going to attempt a homemade almond brittle this can be made a day ahead also.”

–Anna, Just a Mum’s Kitchen

Anna includes some helpful tips and a recipe for Classic Trifle.
Recipe is gluten-free if you make her orange and almond syrup cake or use another gluten-free cake recipe.

holiday trifle with cranberries and oranges — Cranberry Trifle via Kitchen Confidante.

Cranberry Trifle

“I love that you can see a trifle’s layers in all its messy glory, like a cake inside out!”

–Liren Baker, Kitchen Confidante

This dessert is made with a layer of cranberry wine sauce that could stand alone as a side dish.

Wild sloe plant with blue-purple berries — Wild sloe plant we saw growing in the Le Marche region of Italy.

Sloe Gin + Srawberry Trifle

We saw blue-purple sloe berries growing wild in Italy, but I don’t think you can find them in the States.

Sloe gin, on the other hand, is available. A quick search showed it’s in stock at a big box, discount wine and liquor store – definitely an American concept.

Caramel Chocolate Trifle

“A highlight of our annual family reunion is the dessert competition. The judges take their jobs very seriously! Last year’s first-place winner was this tempting trifle.”

—Barb Hausey, recipe submitter from Missouri

Barb’s sweet slice of life made me smile. I wonder what other traditions they have during their family reunions-?

festive trifle with jelly roll slices around the middle — Jubilee Trifle by Jane’s Patisserie

Jubilee Trifle

Swiss roll slices, summertime berries, and chocolate bark on top! There’s jelly and custard in the trifle, but no additional booze or juice.

This trifle was inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee (celebration of her 70th year being queen).

To be honest, I don’t know what exactly makes this a Jubilee trifle. It is very festive looking. And it does have the colors of the British flag. Is there something else I’m missing?

Take care of yourself, because no one can be you but you.

And when life gives you crumbly cake, make a trifle.

Roasted Strawberry Trifles With Lemon Cream. Photo by Pedan + Munk via Epicurious.

August 6, 2024November 19, 2024

Field Notes: Drawing (on) Your Experience

Naturalist, artist, and author Roseann Hanson is an explorer. But her definition of the word doesn’t require you to have traveled extensively on 5 continents the way she has.

To her, being an explorer is more about how carefully you study something – whether it’s the Sahara Desert or a grain of sand – than how far you go. (Incidentally, I agree!)

Explorer Roseann Hanson sitting on the hood of a 4-wheel drive vehicle, taking notes in her journal. — Roseann Hanson (photo via her site, exploringoverland.com).

She gave a talk at the Natural History Institute in Prescott called “The Art of Exploration: How Field Sketching and Journaling Bridge Science, Conservation, and Well-being.”

I watched the livestream and found it riveting!

journal page — Krkonoše Mountains drawing by archaeologist Jan Erazim Vocel, c. 1841. Photo via State Regional Archives in Prague + Wikimedia Commons.

Field Note History

In the days before you could just carry a camera with you, it was common practice for scientists and explorers to draw what they were observing out in the world.

Their field notes often included beautiful illustrations, along with handwritten descriptions.

Twyfelfontein rock art — Ancient rock art in Twyfelfontein. Photo by SqueakyMarmot / Mike, Vancouver, Canada – CC BY 2.0

Sketched in Stone

The impulse to make a visual record of what’s around us and what we’ve seen on our journeys goes all the way back to the Stone Age, to cave walls and sandstone boulders. Roseann Hanson sees these drawings as early field notes.
Continue reading “Field Notes: Drawing (on) Your Experience”

July 20, 2023July 16, 2023

Voyaging Across the Ocean Without a Map

Polynesian wayfinding https://hokulea.com/polynesian-wayfinding/

“We … find our way on canoes as we travel across the ocean where there are no street signs.”

Even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no land in sight – and no GPS – Lehua Kamalu knows where she’s going.

double hulled canoe on the ocean — Hōkūle’a was designed to replicate traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes. Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

I learned about Lehua through an interview on the Overheard at National Geographic podcast. As part of the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), she has learned to find her way across the waves by employing ancestral knowledge and constant, keen observation of her surroundings.

Lehua Kamalu on a boat — Captain navigator Lehua Kamalu before departing on a voyage from Hawaii to California in August 2018. Photo by Hye Jung Kim / Polynesian Voyaging Society.

“Wayfinding for us really is the idea that with the naked eye, with all of your senses, [you] immerse yourself into the signs of the natural world around you.”

The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in the 1970s, part of a Hawaiian cultural renaissance of pre-colonial arts, language, knowledge, and skills. They re-learned how to build the large, ocean-going canoes that had originally brought Polynesians to the Hawaiian islands centuries ago, as well as the navigational methods that guided them.

“Waves create regular, readable patterns in the ocean that are long range and very consistent, particularly in the tropics, particularly here in Polynesia, and are very reliable to find your way.”

The first voyaging canoe PVS built was the 62-foot long Hōkūleʻa, which was launched in 1975 and has since traveled over 140,000 nautical miles! The next canoe, Hikianalia, was built in 2012.

Close-up view of a voyaging canoe on the water with its name, Hokule'a, printed on the side. — Photo courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

In 2018, after years of honing her navigational skills, Lehua Kamalu became the first woman to captain one of these canoes on an extended voyage.

It was fascinating to hear her describe what it’s like to sail across the Pacific Ocean without present-day navigational equipment.

“The navigator’s job is to spend as little time sleeping as possible. And as much time watching for consistency, watching for patterns in the sky and in the ocean, and also for changes and comparing what’s going on between the two.”

Currently, she’s one of the 400 crew members of two Polynesian voyaging canoes (Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia) that are circumnavigating the Pacific on the 43,000-nautical-mile “Voyage for the Earth,” Moananuiākea.

You can track their progress on the Polynesian Voyaging Society site and see maps and updates of where they are.

2 canoes — The two Polynesian voyaging canoes built by the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Photo courtesy of the PVS.

PodRec!

A podcast episode recommendation for you…

Overheard at National Geographic
Episode 19 from May 9, 2023
“She Sails the Seas Without Maps or Compasses”

All quotes are by Lehua Kamalu, from her Overheard interview with Eli Chen. All photos courtesy of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

May 20, 2023May 20, 2023

Stolen de Kooning Painting Restored to Tucson Museum

University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA) entrance — University of Arizona Museum of Art today.

“The art heist went down without a hitch in only 15 minutes.”

–Maria Woodie, ArtistsNetwork

The Crime: Tucson 1985

The University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA) wasn’t even open yet the morning after Thanksgiving 1985, when an employee arrived to find a man and a woman already waiting outside. The gregarious couple managed to talk their way in, following the employee into the building.

University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1982 via Gannett.

The woman, wearing a red jacket and a scarf in her hair, chatted up a security guard, while her mustachioed partner went upstairs toward one of the museum’s most important works.

Woman-Ochre had been in the museum’s collection since 1958. It was unceremoniously taken off exhibit when this Black Friday visitor hacked the canvas out of its frame, rolled it up, stuffed it under his jacket (or somewhere), and made a hasty exit with his accomplice.

de Kooning frame — The empty frame of the missing de Kooning painting via UANews.

The two were peeling out of the parking lot with the painting before anyone at the museum realized what had just occurred. Back then, the UAMA didn’t have security cameras, and there were no leads. All they had was testimony from the few eyewitnesses, police composite sketches, and an empty frame.

sketches of art thieves at UAMA — Composite police sketches of the thieves, along with the empty frame they left behind. On display at UAMA’s Restored exhibition.

UAMA put the theft insurance money they received from the state into getting surveillance cameras and otherwise tightening up their security.

Possibly unrelated, but the university has also renovated the area, so you can no longer pull a car right up to the front of the museum.

Periodically, UAMA would remind the public of the missing painting. Staff held out hope for its return, but they really didn’t know if they’d ever see it again.

And, for over 30 years, they didn’t.

Willem de Kooning with Woman I, c. 1952 — Willem de Kooning with Woman I peering over his shoulder, c. 1952. By Kay Bell Reynal, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The Origin: New York 1955

“Beauty becomes petulant to me. I like the grotesque. It’s more joyous.”

– Willem de Kooning

The painting they had stolen was Woman-Ochre by Willem de Kooning, who is considered to be one of “the twentieth century’s most influential artists.” He was a contemporary of New York abstract expressionists like Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, and Mark Rothko.

Jackson Pollock painting — Jackson Pollock, Number 20 (from 1950), painted on the back of a game board.

Woman-Ochre is part of the controversial series of Women paintings de Kooning did in the early 1950s. Described by some as “aggressive” or “violent,” they were too abstract to be considered portraits, but the recognizable human forms meant they weren’t abstract enough for de Kooning’s avant-garde friends.

Woman-Ochre painting by Willem de Kooning — Woman-Ochre by Willem de Kooning, 1955.

Perhaps his refusal to fit neatly into categories is part of what has kept people intrigued by de Kooning’s art over the years. His works are “among the most marketable in the world.” In 2016, his piece Interchange sold for $300 million, making it the world’s most expensive painting at the time. The University of Arizona (UA) estimated Woman-Ochre itself to be worth $160 million in 2005.

House in Cliff, New Mexico behind a fence with a "no trespassing" sign. — The Alters’ home in Cliff, New Mexico. By Cheryl Evans/The Republic.

The Discovery: New Mexico 2017

“…if the thief has kept the painting, he or she eventually dies, and the surviving family finds the painting and tries to sell it. The painting is returned — but the process can take decades.”

–UANews article written in 2015, when Woman-Ochre’s whereabouts were still unknown

In 2017, a retired public school speech therapist named Rita Alter passed away in Cliff, New Mexico, a town of under 300 people. Her husband, Jerry had passed a few years before, so their nephew was left in charge of dealing with the house and eclectic estate.

A tile-covered pyramid, one of the random assortment of possessions the Alters left behind. Image Courtesy of David Farley via Arizona Republic.

Most of the furniture and some other household items were sold as a lot to Manzanita Ridge Furniture + Antiques in nearby Silver City for $2000.

Manzanita Ridge Antique Store — Manzanita Ridge Furniture and Antiques via their Facebook page.

That included an intriguing mid-century painting that was found awkwardly hanging behind the Alters’ bedroom door. Once it was on display in the store, people started asking if it was authentic and offering huge amounts of money for it.

de Kooning hidden behind a door — Woman-Ochre hung behind the Alters’ bedroom door. Photo on display at UAMA’s Restored exhibition.

Puzzled, store co-owner David Van Auker removed it from the floor and began researching the painting. The search turned up articles from the 30th anniversary of Woman-Ochre’s theft, which UA publicized to keep the missing work in the public eye.

One UANews article from that time basically called it: “Usually, a stolen painting gets returned to a collection in one of two ways. The thief may try to sell the piece shortly after the heist and get caught. This often takes only a few years. But if the thief has kept the painting, he or she eventually dies, and the surviving family finds the painting and tries to sell it. The painting is returned — but the process can take decades.”

David picked up the phone and called UAMA. “I think I have a piece of art that was stolen from you guys….”

Manzanita Ridge Co-Owners — The Co-Owners of Manzanita Ridge Furniture + Antiques. Photo on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.

A few days later, museum staff made the 3-hour drive from Tucson to Silver City to authenticate the painting. They were moved to tears when they realized it truly was the piece that had been missing for so long.

“The thieves actually committed two crimes that day. First, they stole an important signature painting from the University’s museum collection. They also stole more than 30 years of access from the public and scholars across the world, depriving them of the opportunity to appreciate, learn from and be inspired by a significant artist.”

–Kimberly Andrews Espy, UA senior vice president for research, in a UAMA statement

How did it get there in the first place? There’s evidence to suggest that the couple who owned the New Mexico home where the de Kooning was found were the ones who had made off with it all those years before. Since they’re both deceased, they won’t get a jury trial. However, we know the pair was in Tucson the day before the heist, celebrating Thanksgiving with family. And they do bear a resemblance to the police sketches made shortly afterwards.

Police sketches of the suspects in the 1985 de Kooning heist and a photograph of Jerry and Rita Alter at Thanksgiving dinner. — Via ArtNet: “A police sketch of the suspects in the 1985 de Kooning heist released shortly after the crime took place, and a photograph of Jerry and Rita Alter at Thanksgiving dinner in Tucson the day before the robbery. Image courtesy of the police department and Ron Roseman.”

UAMA offered to purchase the painting from Manzanita Ridge, but they refused to accept any money for it.

Instead, they only asked for the gold frame it was found in, so “they can display it in tribute to the incredible story,” and for the painting to be “safely returned to the people of Arizona.”

Aerial view of the Getty Research Institute. Via the Getty blog.

The Restoration: Los Angeles 2019-2022

They didn’t steal [Woman-Ochre] from the museum, they stole it from all of us. From everyone.”

–David Van Auker, the antique store co-owner who found Woman-Ochre

It turns out that violently wrenching an oil painting from its canvas, rolling it up, and then stuffing it under your clothing are not recommended art preservation techniques.

Woman-Ochre close ups — Woman-Ochre close-ups sent to UAMA after its rediscovery in New Mexico.

When Woman-Ochre was finally found, it was a mess. The paint was cracked and flaking off. Damage caused by the theft was made worse by amateur attempts to repair it and the haphazard way it was stapled and screwed into a new frame. (Also not recommended.)

Art conservator viewing a painting through a microscope — Laura Rivers, Getty paintings conservator, working on the restoration of Woman-Ochre. Via the Getty blog.

The painting was taken to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where their team of experts painstakingly assessed and repaired the damage. They were able to use infrared photography and X-radiography to find out exactly what type of materials de Kooning had used to create his painting, so they could treat it appropriately.

Views of the Woman-Ochre painting before restoration. — Woman-Ochre before restoration: under raking light (left), XRF (Macro X-Ray Fluorescence) scan (middle), close-up of cracked paint (right, top), and microscopic paint cross-section (right, bottom) on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.

Conservator Laura Rivers spent months cleaning it and using a microscope and small dental tools to reattach tiny paint fragments piece by piece.

Work restoring the painting went on for about 2.5 years before it was ready to be back on exhibit.

Woman-Ochre on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.

The Exhibition: Tucson 2022-2023

“I believe art should be where everyone can see it.”

– Edward Gallagher, who originally donated Woman-Ochre to UAMA

After an exhibition at the Getty, Woman-Ochre returned to its Tucson home.

Mark Rothko's Green on Blue and other mid-century artwork at UAMA — Mark Rothko’s Green on Blue (left) and other mid-century works on display in UAMA’s Abstract Perspectives in Mid-Century Art exhibition. You can also see Woman-Ochre (centerpiece of the Restored exhibition) through the doorway on the right side of the photo.

Phillip and I got to see the Restored: The Return of Woman-Ochre exhibition, as well as Abstract Perspectives in Mid-Century Art, which displayed art from de Kooning’s contemporaries, showing the context of his work.

man walks by large abstract painting in a museum — Phillip walks by “Number IV” by Morris Louis, 1957, at UAMA.

Restored wrapped up today, but the Woman-Ochre painting itself will remain on display at UAMA. It will return to museum’s second floor in a gallery that has been renamed the Manzanita Ridge Gallery in honor of the antique store owners who were crucial in its journey home.

Manzanita Ridge Gallery: coming in 2023 — Via Manzanita Ridge Antiques on Facebook.

More to Watch + Listen to about Woman-Ochre…

The Thief Collector: Documentary about Woman-Ochre’s theft and the secret lives of the crime’s main suspects. I got to see a screening with my friend Laurel at UA in October. I’ve wanted to recommend it, but there wasn’t really anywhere you could see it. Now it’s finally available to rent or buy on Amazon! (Not endorsing Amazon but glad this gripping yet thoroughly entertaining doc is getting out there!)
The Recovery: 10-minute video by the Arizona Republic.
Getty PODCAST: For deep dives into the painting and its restoration, listen to The Recovery and Conservation of a Stolen de Kooning + Damaged de Kooning on Display at Last.
Conserving de Kooning: Theft and Recovery: 3.5 minute video by the Getty.

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022

Pysanky: The Easter Eggs That Came Before Easter

Despite what you may have heard, Easter eggs were not invented in a New Jersey pharmacy.

In fact, thousands of years before there was Paas, there were pysanky – eggs decorated in the ancient Ukrainian tradition.

Pysanka- Ukrainian Easter eggs — By Colby Stopa via Flickr. CCL.

“Ukrainians have been decorating eggs, creating these miniature jewels, for countless generations. There is a ritualistic element involved, magical thinking, a calling out to the gods and goddesses for health, fertility, love, and wealth. There is a yearning for eternity, for the sun and stars, for whatever gods that may be.”
–Luba Petrusha of pysanky.info

For agrarian societies dependent on seasonal crops, the end of winter brings the beginning of the growing season and the food to survive. So the return of spring represents life in a very real way.

With this in mind, it makes sense that many cultures of the distant past worshiped the sun, including ancient Slavic peoples. To them, eggs were associated with springtime, the sun god, and the life-giving cycle of the seasons.

Kistka — A variety of styluses for creating pysanky, from traditional to modern. By Luba Petrusha. CCL.

Writing Pysanky

Pysanky are created using a wax resist process (similar to batik). Traditionally, you would have prepared dyes yourself, using natural materials like onion skins or red cabbage for color.

Then you would make the first part of your design on the egg’s shell by using a specialized stylus (a kistka) to apply melted beeswax, like putting a pen to paper. In fact, pysanka comes from the Ukrainian word for “write.”

Making a Ukrainian Easter egg. — Pysanka Brunch by Olga Strachna via Flickr (@olga_strachna). CCL.

After laying out the first part of your pattern in wax, you’d submerge the egg into your lightest shade of dye (let’s say yellow). While most of the egg then comes out yellow, your wax lines preserve the original color below (presumably, eggshell white).

Next, you’d put wax over the parts of your design that should remain yellow and sink the egg into the next darker shade of dye (maybe green).

You repeat the process of applying the wax and then submerging the egg in the next dye color, from lightest to darkest, for as many colors as you want in your design (or have dyes for).

Finally, you soften the wax and wipe it from the egg to reveal the full design.

Pysanka diagram — Diagram showing the step-by-step process of creating a single “pysanka”. Originally in V. Shukhevych’s 1902 “Hutsul’shchyna”, via UMA Cleveland.

Since it may be a bit hard to visualize, I highly recommend the 1975 short film Pysanka: The Ukrainian Easter Egg. You can see the process demonstrated from start to finish, while the narrator explains the traditions and beliefs that go along with the ancient art form.

Easter

So where does Easter come in?

Pysanky existed centuries before the life of Christ. However, as the Christian Church spread, it had a tendency to adopt/appropriate parts of the local culture wherever it went. Pagan symbols were reinterpreted with Christian meanings. Even the word “Easter” itself likely comes from the name of Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and springtime.

Ukrainian Easter Basket — The tradition of blessing Easter baskets full of food continues to this day in Ukrainian Orthodox churches. Photo by Suburban Grandma.

Decorating eggs became less about the return of the sun god and more about the resurrection of Christ. Over time, the tradition lost many of its ritual components, becoming increasingly associated with the Christian faith and the Easter holiday specifically.

Simplified versions of the practice became Easter traditions in other parts of the world, as well.

New Jersey factory building — PAAS Easter egg dye company headquarters in Newark, circa 1931. Via NJ.com

Artificial Colors

By the 1800s, chemists had figured out how to make synthetic dyes. Among the products manufactured in the early days of this revolutionary technology were Easter egg coloring kits. So instead of using your own vegetable scraps or whatever, you could go purchase dyes at your local drugstore.

One of these drugstores was owned by William M. Townley in Newark, New Jersey. He stocked Easter egg dye kits imported from Germany (the top supplier of all things synthetic dye until WWI), but he wasn’t really happy with them.

So he came up with his own. While he didn’t invent Easter eggs, he did start selling dye powders in convenient pre-wrapped packets.

The product was such a hit that the Townley family transitioned from pharmacists to factory owners. The Paas Dye Company was created in 1881 and would soon be operating year round just to meet the Easter season demand.

Ukrainian Easter egg — By Orest Ukrainsky (@orest_u) via Flickr. CCL.

Hidden Easter Eggs

While springtime egg decorating became more common around the world, the tradition was officially prohibited in its country of origin when the Soviets took over in the 1930s. Perhaps the ban was because pysanky were associated with Christianity or perhaps because the art form is distinctly Ukrainian.

Still, the tradition survived, like countless other folk customs that empires have attempted to suppress. Some people made pysanky in secret. Others left Ukraine. These expats may have felt an even heavier responsibility to pass their culture on to the next generation.

Giant Pysanka - Vegreville — Giant Pysanka in Vegreville, Alberta by eileenmak via Flickr. CCL.

When Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, the art form experienced a resurgence. Today, you can see pysanky in museums or take a class on making your own. As fragile as pysanky may look, they are surprisingly durable.

– More Pysanka Info –

“Pysanka” is the singular form of the word, “pysanky” is plural. I’ve attempted to use Ukrainian terms correctly, but I do not speak the language, so don’t take my word for it!
I’ll mention again the film Pysanka: The Ukrainian Easter Egg. It’s only about 15 minutes long. If you’re at all interested in pysanky, watch it! And don’t let the slightly 1970s trippy intro dissuade you.
Pysanky.info – history, patterns, photos, all things pysanky
Symbols Used on Pysanky from University of Alberta
Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanka): Tradition And Design – firsthand perspective on Ukrainian Easter traditions from Suburban Grandma
“Eggs Hatch Rebirth of Ukraine Culture” – L.A. Times article published shortly after Ukrainian independence (March 1992) about Ukrainian-Americans being “keepers of the flame” of traditions like pysanka.

Fundraisers for Ukraine:

Easter Egg (Pysanky) Workshop

April 30, 10am at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, Tucson.
$50 donation for registration benefits Ukrainian refugees and orphans.
Advance registration required.

May the 4th be with Ukraine

- May 4, 6pm in the Hotel Congress Plaza, Tucson.
- Live performances by Miss Olivia, Greg Morton, Salvador Duran, and Mark Insley.
- All proceeds go to World Central Kitchen and the refugee resettlement efforts of Lutheran Social Services Southwest.
- Donations online, at the door, and (if you’re unable to attend) checks payable to Hotel Congress LLC (memo: “May The Fourth Be with Ukraine”) and mailed to 311 E Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701.

St. Mary’s Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Phoenix is raising funds for Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine.

Ongoing
So far they’ve donated $32,000 to support emergency relief efforts, like shipping medical supplies!
You can give via Paypal or credit card, check payable to St. Mary’s Protectress (memo: “Help Ukraine”), in person at the Ukrainian Cultural Center (730 W. Elm St, Phoenix, AZ 85013), or wire transfer (routing #021000021, account #767167682).