We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Kulish Wilhelm a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Andrea Kulish, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is creating pysanky eggs to help Ukraine. I’m a first generation Ukrainian American. My mother, an artist, taught me to make these intricate and beautiful eggs when I was a young girl. My life mission is to spread joy through Ukrainian pysanky eggs- I love to teach and share them. When russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022, I began fundraising to help Ukraine with humanitarian aid. One project is “Pysanky for Ukraine”. When people make a donation, they receive a pysanka as a gift. I was not able to keep up with the demand, so I asked the community to donate any extra pysanky they might have. People shipped their work to me, and others visited my studio to create pysanky on community nights.
Andrea Kulish, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up making art and pysanky eggs. All of my family is from Ukraine. I ended up being a Graphic Design Professional and artist. I love to share the rich tradition of pysanky with others through teaching, talks and articles. I also enjoy print work in my graphic design. I am very proud to keep the Ukrainian tradition of pysanky going. The pysanky are not only beautiful with their intricate designs and vivid colors, but also very meaningful. Each symbol and color has a different meaning, intended to be imparted upon the recipient of each egg.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to spread joy through Ukrainian culture, particularly through pysanky eggs. This is even more important now, as russia is making a full scale attempt to destroy Ukrainian culture.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to create things that were not there before, to design custom things that are exactly what people want- for example, a custom pysanka egg with symbols for health and happiness, or for a 60 year anniversary, or custom wedding invitations with dancing animals playing musical instruments in the desert. These are things that are special. They are not mass-produced, and they are made with love. It is very rewarding when someone is very pleased with what I have created for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashevillestudioa.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avlstudioa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvlStudioA
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakulish/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvlStudioA