All posts filed under: Galleries

World Vyshyvanka Day

Published by gertrud

On May 15th, in celebration of World Vyshyvanka Day, Ukraine House in Washington, D.C. hosted the grand opening of the Ukrainian Embroidery Mosaic. The event featured a special showcase of authentic clothing from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied regions, as well as the presentation of the book Imperishable. Unveiled alongside the Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, the mosaic stands as a powerful tribute to Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage and deep-rooted tradition of embroidery art. Ukraine House serves as a home away from home for Ukrainians—a welcoming space where community, culture, and heritage are preserved, celebrated, and shared. Having lived in Kyiv from 2006 to 2012, I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Ukraine House on this meaningful project. Each embroidery pattern within the mosaic was individually created by a member of the community, designed in the style of regional Ukrainian embroidery to reflect the nation’s diverse artistic traditions. Every pattern was reviewed and approved by an ethnographer from the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine, ensuring historical and cultural …

…. And a Magic Garden in Philadelphia

Published by gertrud

Visiting friends and relatives in the USA is always a good opportunity to discover with them the mosaic treasures of their place. This time I went to visit my nephew Cornelius in Philadelphia where he is doing a gap year for Action Reconciliation Service for Peace in a social project that cares for immigrants in Camden near Philadelphia. He was happy to tag along a tour of mosaics in Philli. First we visited the “Dream Garden” (see previous blog) and then went on to the “Magic Garden” of this otherwise very urban city centre full of beautiful art deco and newer buildings. https://www.phillymagicgardens.org/about-philadelphias-magic-gardens/themes/ Magic Garden is a life long project of Isaiah Zagar who used the work initially as therapy from a mental break down. The Magic Garden is a project classified under the term “ Art environment”. It’s now a foundation and we could even join a tour of this crazily busy mosaic project. What drew my attention? I am interested in grout lines (the interstices between the mosaic pieces) and how to use …

Dream of a Garden in in Philadelphia

Published by gertrud

Born in Philadelphia and educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Maxfield Parrish is best known for his idyllic landscapes and storybook illustrations. Parrish served on a committee convened by Cyrus Curtis and Edward W. Bok of the Curts Publishing Company to commission a mural for the lobby of their spectacular new building. After the first three artists chosen to paint the mural died, Parrish was asked to develop the design. At the same time, Bok decided that the mural would be executed by Tiffany Studios as a glass mosaic. The mural was to be fifteen by forty-nine feet, and would embody the publisher’s desire to make art accessible to a wide public. Parrish’s design was inspired by the real gardens he had built at his summer home, The Oaks, in Cornish, New Hampshire. The artist envisioned fantastical spaces where a visitor would chance upon places of tremendous beauty and solitude, improved by careful placement of foliage and flowers, large classical us, reflecting pools and fountains, walkways and steps. The masks in the …