KU CREES Polish Wycinanki Workshop

On September 24, KU faculty, staff, students, and community members filed into the beautiful Lee Study Center at the Spencer Museum of Art for a workshop on Polish Wycinanki (papercut art). The workshop, hosted by The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES), and led by Lawrence artist Angie Pickman of Rural Pearl Studio is an example of the opportunities CREES offers each semester to engage hands on with the arts of Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Attendees learned a brief history of the Wycinanki, including major regional differences in style, traditional motifs and techniques, and the original uses of the art form. Pickman also discussed the influence of Polish Wycinanki in her own art.

She then guided participants through making two pieces, each representative of a different region in Poland. First, they made a Kurpie-style piece. This style traditionally used one color and one sheet of paper and is more decorative. Then, attendees made a Łowicz-style piece, characterized by more narrative pieces that feature multiple colors and layered sheets of paper.

Pickman created an example of the Wycinanki paper cutting technique applied to our campus mascot. The Wycinanki Jayhawk is on display in the CREES Library in Bailey Hall room 318.

Community member Christy Miller said of the workshop, "the information that Angie shared was interesting and inspiring, and she made Wycinanki techniques feel so accessible and fun." Another attendee, Cindi Thomas, added "I had so much fun in this workshop. It felt like playing with the added bonus of bringing home a beautiful piece of art. No art experience necessary!"

CREES will host its annual Ukrainian Pysanky (decorated egg) workshop in March. To learn more about different art forms from Eastern Europe and Eurasia, check out the CREES Digital Culture Tour Series.