Polish Mini-Festival

Celebrate Polish culture and heritage with music, folk dance, traditional crafts, and displays at The LAVA Center, 324 Main St. on Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Discover how Polish and Eastern European immigrant families’ cultural traditions influenced and enhanced life in the Connecticut River Valley.

As part of the “New Roots in River Banks: Polish and Other Eastern European Immigrants to the Connecticut River Valley” exhibit, this free and family-friendly event will feature: Polish and Eastern European folk dancing with Rachelle Ackerman; Pysanki egg displays and demonstrations by Carol Kostecki; paper cutting (wycinanki) with Susan Urban, accompanied by her displays; coloring and creating paper egg designs, along with paper cutting designs, and traditional clothing and costumes that can be fitted and colored for paper dolls with PVMA museum educators, Helena Alves and Patty Solomon. Enjoy delectable Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish cookie treats. For all ages.

**Demonstration of Pysanki (Easter Eggs) with Carol Kostecki, 11 a.m.–noon**

Artist Carol Kostecki will demonstrate the decoration and design of pysanki, Easter eggs. Many descendants of Polish and Ukrainian immigrants call the Connecticut River Valley home. Among the most cherished cultural expressions in this community are specially decorated pysanki. She uses a stylus called a kistka to apply wax, which resists the dye she is adding. The designs on these pysanki include imagery and color symbolism reflecting Catholic beliefs as well as pre-Christian Ukrainian and Polish cultures. Her eggs will also be available for sale.

Kostecki, who lives in Montague Center, is of French-Canadian, German, and Abenaki descent. Her husband William’s heritage is Polish, and with him she became a communicant at the Polish parish of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Turners Falls. After taking classes at a local Ukrainian parish, Carol went on to apprentice with Father Paul Luniw of Saint Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Terryville, Connecticut.

**Demonstration of Wycinanki (Paper Cutting) with Susan Urban, noon–1 p.m.**

Susan Urban, Polish craft and cultural specialist from West Springfield, has studied at the University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Poland, with a Fine Arts Summer Study Program Diploma, in addition to her Bachelor of Arts degree from Our Lady of the Elms College and Master of Education from Cambridge College. She has taught art in Western Massachusetts Public Schools from 1978 to 2014. Now she teaches Polish folk art and culture at George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum and West Springfield Red Thread Network for the Arts.

**Polish and other Eastern European folk dancing with Rachelle Ackerman, 1–2 p.m.**

Rachelle Ackerman is a former member of Mandala Folk Ensemble and has led the Brattleboro International Folk Dance group since 1997. She has taught school residencies and groups of all ages throughout Vermont and Western Massachusetts.

**Crafts for kids: coloring and creating paper egg designs, paper cutting designs, and traditional clothing and costumes for paper dolls, with PVMA museum educators, Helena Alves and Patty Solomon, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.**

Helena Alves is a retired high school teacher who continues to be involved in Education. She works at the Deerfield Teachers’ Center for PVMA, volunteers at an alternative high school in Holyoke and scores teacher certification tests. Her favorite job is any that involves working with young people.

Patty Solomon is a museum educator with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association and a retired elementary school teacher. Passionate about bringing history to life, she enjoys creating engaging, hands-on learning experiences for young people. Patty resides in Hadley with her husband, Marc.

Made possible with support from Mass Humanities.