The coming of the “Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypilian Culture (5400-2700 B.C.)” exhibit, to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto inspired a burst of creativity and promotion.

I searched the world over for suitable beads which had a feeling of this ancient civilization. In Tucson I found incised spindle beads from Africa with designs that reminded me of motifs found on Trypillian pottery. Nearby there were black-dyed taqua nuts from Columbia which looked like ancient hand-formed beads.  Terra-cotta bracelets and necklaces bought in Ukraine in spring were taken apart to be used as beads. Luckily, copper, a metal used by Trypillians, is very fashionable today. It comes in many shapes, sizes and clasp styles and used throughout the necklaces. Terra cotta clay vase-shaped beads with  painted white lines found at Manhattan Bead Co. in Orangeville, ON, clinched it!

An end of April Call for Projects using Bead Stoppers gave me the push I needed to get this project rolling. The spring coil stoppers were exactly what I needed to use while playing with my treasure trove of beads and beading wire. I started photographing every step of the creation process.

My Bead Stopper response with sample photos and ROM story sent to Leslie Rogalski, editor of Step by Step Beads, led to an invitation to contribute my Trypillian project to the Ethnic-inspired issue planned for Nov/Dec 2008. We wrote “Bead Stoppers save me time by preventing my beads from sliding off while I create.” I just happen to be using the deluxe rubber-tipped spring coil stoppers in the photo. What better publicity for the product? I’m grateful the ad appeared in the same Nov issue as my project article on pg. 47.

Olia Kalymon, liaison from the Ukrainian community to the ROM, presented my Trypillian Spirit Collection together with other Canadian Ukrainian artists’ work to the ROM Gift Shop in early May 2008.

It was so well suited for this exhibit, the ROM Gift Shop held back the largest necklace with five Trypillian-like spindle beads to showcase to President of Ukraine on May 28, 2008. President Victor Yuschenko visited ROM to check progress of the Trypillian Exhibit as this is a joint venture with several national and archeological museums in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Toronto Bead Society put out a call for submissions of beadwork photos for 2009 TBS Calendar. I’m thrilled to be Miss January with this Trypillian Spirit project (really my three necklaces). It’s nice www.rom.on.ca was added to the credits because the ROM Exhibit is on until Mar. 22, 2009

The order for the ROM Gift Shop was delivered Sep. 30th, the day after I returned from an unexpected trip to Ukraine.

My copy of Step by Step Beads, Nov/Dec 2008 arrived end of October. Leslie did an outstanding job presenting the project together with brief info about this ancient culture, as well as a terra cotta box about the ROM exhibit. A single spindle bead nearby is a perfect touch. The photography is superb! See pgs.5, 24-25. The Bead Stopper ad is on pg. 47.

There was a big buzz in the Ukrainian community about the opening of Exhibit. A Gala with First Lady Kateryna Yuschenko in attendance was held on Nov. 27. I heard from an attendee that it was amazing with precision timing. Even the "food was in Trypillian colors." The original performance in the Trypillian spirit was masterfully choreographed!

I personally saw the Trypilian exhibit on ROM Members Preview day. It is well worth visiting! It occupies an vast space carved into six distinct topics within a unique customized interior. The central aisle has exquisitely cutout Trypillian motifs on window "screens". (Needs to be seen personally.) Large motifs are covering two large windows which face the "new" Crystal interior. It all suits the exhibit exquisitely. There are a lot of ceramics on display throughout each section. The short video is informative. The mysteries are well handled considering it has been a fairly short time since Khvoika’s 1896 discovery of an ancient civilization that disappeared at its peak in the Neolithic period.

Sunday, Nov. 30th was Ukrainian Day at the ROM complete with special activities and performances. I was in the ROM Gift Shop with a display about the development of my Trypillian Spirit. In addition, I was also demonstrating beadweaving of a new Trypillian Cascading Swag kit. I have a few styles available in terra cotta, copper and black.

“Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypillian Culture (5400-2700 B.C.)” exhibit can be seen at the Royal Ontario Museum until March 22, 2009. Visit the ROM Gift Shop and see the diverse Trypillian-inspired art work and my Trypillian Spirit Collection.

An all-encompassing show catalogue is $60.
http://www.rom.on.ca/media/books/index.php

This has been an amazing experience every step of the way. I am grateful to all the kind people who took interest in this story and gave it their all in their field of expertise.

The Trypillian Spirit lives on...

Maria Rypan, Toronto
www.rypandesigns.com

Dec. 7, 2008