Ukrainian Art Therapist Stops at Seton Hill as Part of U.S. Goodwill Tour
Local Ukrainian Families Also Welcomed to Event
As Tetiana Myalkovska, an art therapist from Ukraine, led participants through her “master class” in the Seton Hill Arts Center, she generated powerful responses from both the Seton Hill graduate art therapy students and the local Ukrainian families in attendance.
The students and families sat together around a large rectangle of tables with oil pastels and rolls of paper that covered the tables, reflecting on their hopes for the future, their fears from the past and the connection of their experiences with the others in the room.
Even though Tetiana’s words had to be translated into English for the Seton Hill students, her energy was felt by all and her words resonated over the background music and the visible art throughout the classroom. The exercise ended with the room filling with conversation as the participants discussed their experience in pairs before each person separated their art from the larger sheets of paper to take home what they created and reflect on their experience.
Seton Hill was among the stops on Tetiana’s U.S. goodwill tour throughout the month of October. Earlier in the afternoon she was welcomed with a reception, gave a presentation on the work her organization is doing in Ukraine and engaged with the students, faculty and Ukrainian guests who had the opportunity to buy artwork created in the country and help support her work.
The tour was sponsored by the Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute (UCHI) and its founder and president, Stephen Haluszczak, served as Tetiana’s translator during the Seton Hill event.
Tetiana is the founder and director of the Ukrainian non-profit citizens’ organization Pyaternya, which runs the Warm Hands art therapy and skills development. UCHI has funded 16 sessions of Warm Hands helping over 800 children in Ukraine who have lost parents, social networks, support, and security during the war.
She spoke of the great successes in early intervention trauma therapy that she has been applying in Ukraine to help orphaned and displaced children, widows, and soldiers whose lives have been torn apart by the war. Tetiana herself lost her only son to the war in December 2023.
“These soldiers return from the war as different people. They are not the same,” she said through her translator. “Through art therapy, we bring them back to a place of childhood memories so they start fresh and build a new life.”
Some of the art forms they work with are traditional Ukrainian arts and crafts, with the goal being that these art forms continue beyond the war and not be lost in the conflict.
“These are so important to the soul and the culture of Ukraine,” Tetiana said.
During her visit to Seton Hill, Tetiana was particularly delighted to hear guests speaking Ukrainian. Refugees who relocated to the area through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg were invited to attend the reception, presentation, and art making alongside Seton Hill students.
The students found both the presentation and sharing art across languages deeply meaningful.
“Learning about the Warm Hands program and the art therapy work that Tetiana and her team are doing for communities in Ukraine was powerful. In addition, through the art making Master Class demo that Tetiana facilitated, students and local community members experienced the impact of creating art together,” said Emma Jakiela, a first-year art therapy graduate student. “Despite language barriers between us, I was reminded that art making can spark change, passion, and kindness in our communities.”
The students and families sat together around a large rectangle of tables with oil pastels and rolls of paper that covered the tables, reflecting on their hopes for the future, their fears from the past and the connection of their experiences with the others in the room.
Even though Tetiana’s words had to be translated into English for the Seton Hill students, her energy was felt by all and her words resonated over the background music and the visible art throughout the classroom. The exercise ended with the room filling with conversation as the participants discussed their experience in pairs before each person separated their art from the larger sheets of paper to take home what they created and reflect on their experience.
Seton Hill was among the stops on Tetiana’s U.S. goodwill tour throughout the month of October. Earlier in the afternoon she was welcomed with a reception, gave a presentation on the work her organization is doing in Ukraine and engaged with the students, faculty and Ukrainian guests who had the opportunity to buy artwork created in the country and help support her work.
The tour was sponsored by the Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute (UCHI) and its founder and president, Stephen Haluszczak, served as Tetiana’s translator during the Seton Hill event.
Tetiana is the founder and director of the Ukrainian non-profit citizens’ organization Pyaternya, which runs the Warm Hands art therapy and skills development. UCHI has funded 16 sessions of Warm Hands helping over 800 children in Ukraine who have lost parents, social networks, support, and security during the war.
She spoke of the great successes in early intervention trauma therapy that she has been applying in Ukraine to help orphaned and displaced children, widows, and soldiers whose lives have been torn apart by the war. Tetiana herself lost her only son to the war in December 2023.
“These soldiers return from the war as different people. They are not the same,” she said through her translator. “Through art therapy, we bring them back to a place of childhood memories so they start fresh and build a new life.”
Some of the art forms they work with are traditional Ukrainian arts and crafts, with the goal being that these art forms continue beyond the war and not be lost in the conflict.
“These are so important to the soul and the culture of Ukraine,” Tetiana said.
During her visit to Seton Hill, Tetiana was particularly delighted to hear guests speaking Ukrainian. Refugees who relocated to the area through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Greensburg were invited to attend the reception, presentation, and art making alongside Seton Hill students.
The students found both the presentation and sharing art across languages deeply meaningful.
“Learning about the Warm Hands program and the art therapy work that Tetiana and her team are doing for communities in Ukraine was powerful. In addition, through the art making Master Class demo that Tetiana facilitated, students and local community members experienced the impact of creating art together,” said Emma Jakiela, a first-year art therapy graduate student. “Despite language barriers between us, I was reminded that art making can spark change, passion, and kindness in our communities.”