Canadian artist Olenka Kleban will speak on “Traditional Art is Contemporary Life: The Importance of the Diaspora’s Participation in Traditional Arts” on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Canadian artist Olenka Kleban will speak on “Traditional Art is Contemporary Life: The Importance of the Diaspora’s Participation in Traditional Arts” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Boitnott Room at Bridgewater College.
“Traditional arts—though based on repetition and replication—at their root are alive and always evolving based on the ever-changing context of the lives we live,” said Kleban. “Practicing traditional arts can inform us about our surroundings, pass on wisdom from our elders and create pathways for empathy and diplomacy with neighboring cultures and communities.”
Based in Toronto, Kleban’s art draws on her Canadian diasporic upbringing, exploring ideas such as the myth of cultural inauthenticity and the evaporative qualities of traditions.
As a folk artist, Kleban practices traditional song, dance and cooking, along with rituals with Kosa Kolektiv, an urban folk art group that draws on Ukrainian traditions.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
