Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre

Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (Oseredok ukrainskoi kultury i osvity, or Oseredok). Established in Winnipeg in 1944 by the Ukrainian National Federation as a repository for Ukrainian historical and cultural artifacts, Oseredok has developed into a non-partisan center for Ukrainian cultural and educational activity. Located in a renovated building near Winnipeg’s downtown core, it consists of a museum, art gallery, 40,000-volume library, and archive. Its collections include items from the 18th century onward as well as a growing amount of audio and visual materials. Its archive, the largest Ukrainian community repository of its type in Canada, contains the papers of numerous important figures (eg, Ivan Bobersky, Demetrius Elcheshen, Toma Kobzei, Oleksander Koshyts, Michael Marunchak, Mykhailo Seleshko) as well as collections on wartime refugees and Ukrainian-Canadian organizations; a full listing of its fonds can be found on the Oseredok Web site. The Centre also stages special exhibitions and holds cultural workshops, public lectures, and language classes. It is governed by a board of directors and supported by a Canada-wide membership, its own foundation, and various grants. Among the many notable people involved with Oseredok have been Tetiana Koshyts, Pavlo Matsenko, Paul Yuzyk, Walter Klymkiw, and Jaroslav Rozumnyj.

[This article was updated in 2009.]