MOOSE JAW — Tears of joy streamed down Jean Tkatch’s face as she discussed the official unveiling of a sunflower-themed sculpture dedicated to Ukraine and the Ukrainian pioneers who helped build Moose Jaw.
“It’s really, really great. I really love the sculpture. The base is the flag … (of Ukraine) and the beauty of the sunflowers that come and rise from the ground are the people,” she said. “And they will survive.”
Tkatch acknowledged that it was an emotional day because the $10,000 donation from her now-closed parish of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church — it closed in November 2021 and made the donation in 2022 — had gone to a good cause.
“We wanted to leave a symbol that we did exist because we were here for (nearly) 70 years, and this gives us an opportunity to say that we were here,” the former church board president added.
Tkatch was one of about 20 people who attended the unveiling in Crescent Park on Sept. 25. Commissioned by the Downtown Moose Jaw Association, created by artists Bill and Laurette Keen, and installed in June, the sculpture sits at the southwest entrance to Langdon Crescent.
“The sculpture turned out absolutely beautiful and the spot they picked in Crescent Park is amazing … ,” Mr. Keen said. “It was a pleasure (and honour) doing it and I can’t thank (the association) enough.”
The Keens spent more than a year working on the sculpture, which has steel sunflowers in a cement base.
Mrs. Keen recalled that the design changed several times, because as her husband was adding metal leaves, he realized it needed to be vandalism-proof so people didn’t bend the metal stalks. So, he used heavy gauge material and added more steel vines to strengthen the artwork.
“… of course, it’s more expensive to use that, but it’s well worth it because if you can keep it from being vandalized, that’s it,” Mr. Keen added.
Amy Jane Lunov, the former treasurer at St. Vladimir, said after parishioners sold the church in November 2021, it was “by the grace of God” that they could add those funds to their investments and then distribute the proceeds.
When the church’s bishop came from Edmonton for the final service, he encouraged them to distribute the money in Saskatchewan because parishioners had raised it here. So, that’s what Lunov and Tkatch began doing.
They donated to charities in Moose Jaw like Transition House, KidsSport and the hospital foundation, to other Ukrainian Orthodox churches in Saskatchewan, to provincial agencies that supported Ukrainian refugees, and to an Orthodox study camp in Fort Qu’Appelle for renovations.
Chuckling, Lunov said she and Tkatch weren’t interested in dictating to the downtown association how it should spend the money. However, because of the organization’s persistence, the women met with the Keens and brainstormed what the artwork could look like.
They landed on sunflowers since they best represented the Eastern European country.
“Really, they can grow in adverse conditions, and I think the people of Ukraine have faced many adverse conditions over generations,” said Lunov, noting this artwork honours her forefathers who moved here 120 years ago.
Lunov added that she and Tkatch had never imagined a sculpture like the one Keen created, while she thanked the downtown association for commissioning the joyful artwork that contributed to the community and acknowledged past community builders.
Father Volodymyr Feskiv was also present and commended people for donating time, money, and effort to create a sculpture that will forever remember the community’s Ukrainian pioneers. He noted that sunflowers represent heaven and earth since they touch the sky and are rooted in the ground.
“If people have faith, if people have a good heart (and) an open heart to do something, God will bless you to do it … not for ourselves but for others,” he added. “May God bless all of you for this beautiful sculpture.”
