In Kyiv, Kateryna Yushchenko met with the wife of the Polish President, Maria Kaczynska, who is accompanying her husband during his first official visit to Ukraine. The first ladies visited the Ivan Honchar Museum to see Ukrainian embroidery, pottery, antique musical instruments, icons and folk paintings. They also watched Ukrainian craftsmen paint Easter eggs, weave carpets and make straw dolls. The Ukrainian Costume Center and Light Industry College showed folk costumes and embroidered shirts from all corners of Ukraine. The college students also presented their own collections of modern garments featuring traditional Ukrainian elements, the President press service informs.
“Since this is Mrs. Kaczynska’s first visit to Ukraine, we wanted to show her the best traditions of our cultural heritage, which we are so proud of,” Kateryna Yushchenko said.
They were welcomed by Museum Director Petro Honchar and singer Nina Matviyenko.
The Ivan Honchar Museum was created in 1993 in order to renew and preserve folk art traditions and to honor Ivan Honchar, Ukraine's famous sculptor and painter on whose collection the whole exposition is based. On December 2, 1999, the Ukrainian Folk Culture Center was opened within the framework of the Museum.
