Word on the Street Issue 20, April 2022

Karen, a guest in Interfaith Sanctuary’s Project Well-Being, made this print in solidarity with Ukrainian women on International Women’s Day. The celebration of women’s rights takes place on March 8 every year in cities around the world.

Karen said her print was inspired by the Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion, during which the military has attacked cultural institutions like the Ivankiv Museum, destroying famous artwork. The background of the print depicts the Ukrainian flag in ink. Karen drew the woman’s face and headdress in watercolor, acrylic, and pencil on a separate piece of paper. She then pressed the print between two books to flatten it into a single image.

“I’m very proud of it,” she said. “This is a traditional headdress. You should see some of the headdresses that the Ukranian women wear from the time they’re around 10 years old. These women have gotten together to repudiate what Putin is trying to do to their culture by reestablishing the headdresses.”