From the blog Hexaemeron...
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Recently I became acquainted with a very talented master of the ancient art of ecclesiastical embroidery. Olga Fishchuck is a Ukrainian who learned the art from nuns at Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery in Sergiev Posad. I was able to meet with Olga and hold some of her treasures during her 2010 visit to the United States. Though I had seen examples of such work on display in museums in Russia, cleric robes, altarpieces and epitaphios, I assumed there could hardly be anyone living outside the rarefied environment of a few monasteries who practiced this art. Blindness is a common occupational hazard for nuns doing stitch work.
Olga wanted to know if there were markets for ecclesiastical embroidery in North America. My opinion, based on our disappointing experience with finding churches willing to commission the high quality of work in iconography that our teachers and students produce, was hardly encouraging (laminated photographs of icons mounted on particle board typically satisfy many churches and most individuals). I told Olga that no one in America would offer even minimum wages for her work (you must remember it takes months, sometimes years of painstaking needlework to produce these masterpieces). Olga returned to the Ukraine, hoping to establish a relationship with Orthodox seminaries and churches that might help her set up a school to train others her accomplished skills. Much to my surprise and delight, this determined master artist has found a venue in the Netherlands. Here is an article she wrote describing this exquisite art...
Olga wanted to know if there were markets for ecclesiastical embroidery in North America. My opinion, based on our disappointing experience with finding churches willing to commission the high quality of work in iconography that our teachers and students produce, was hardly encouraging (laminated photographs of icons mounted on particle board typically satisfy many churches and most individuals). I told Olga that no one in America would offer even minimum wages for her work (you must remember it takes months, sometimes years of painstaking needlework to produce these masterpieces). Olga returned to the Ukraine, hoping to establish a relationship with Orthodox seminaries and churches that might help her set up a school to train others her accomplished skills. Much to my surprise and delight, this determined master artist has found a venue in the Netherlands. Here is an article she wrote describing this exquisite art...
Complete article here.
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I am very glad that you shared this information because it is something I am very interested in learning. Thank you!
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