05/29/2026
It was a true honor for us to host the 20th anniversary of Всесвітній день вишиванки and officially launch the "United by Vyshyvanka" project. We are organizing this project alongside other embassies in Washington, D.C., to promote the art of embroidery as a beautiful bridge that unites nations. We are incredibly grateful to our participating partners, including Norway, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovenia, Sweden, Mexico, Romania, Poland, and Japan, and we hope many other countries will join this growing initiative.
A special thank you goes to Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine, for her moving video message. She shared the deeply personal story of her own vyshyvanka and highlighted the important application to add the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Ukraine House was proud to have Леся Воронюк, co-founder of World Vyshyvanka Day, as she presented traditional Rushnyky (runners) rescued from the Kharkiv region after its liberation from russian forces in 2022. She underscored how vital it is to preserve these embroidery patterns to secure our future and our heritage.
We extend our deepest gratitude to Oksana Markarova, Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Reconstruction and Investments, for her opening remarks. She emphasized the meaning of the Ukrainian vyshyvanka as a living symbol of identity and resilience that carries our history, memory, and hope.
Thank you to James Deutsch, Senior Content Coordinator for the Office of the Secretary at the Smithsonian Institution, for his inspiring remarks on the initiatives they implemented to promote Ukrainian culture in the US.
A huge shoutout goes to the talented artisans from Norway, Mexico, and Ukraine for demonstrating the intricate art of traditional embroidery to our guests. We owe huge gratitude to George and Velida Kent, as well as Kevin and Lesya Covert, for giving us the extraordinary opportunity to showcase their unique collections of Rushnyky from different regions of Ukraine.
Finally, we want to recognize Ruslan Falkov and Sophia Kachur for wonderfully moderating the event and the launch of the project. We are also incredibly grateful to Kleynod - Ukrainian Watches for showcasing their incredible collections of watches, the SLAVA School of Ukrainian Music and Dance for their beautiful dance performance, the Gerdan band for their engaging music, and RUTA, the first Ukrainian restaurant in DС, for providing our guests with the delicious flavors of Ukraine.
There is so much more to discover with Ukraine! 💙💛
