In 1951 the Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit and Windsor formed the Pysanka Committee. Its purpose was to organize pysanka exhibits and teach pysanka classes throughout the area.  The first chairman was Martha Wichorek, and she put together, over the years, various teaching materials, including pysanka instruction and design sheets.

The Pysanka Committee gave presentations annually at the Detroit Children’s Museum, and organized programs, classes and demonstrations at all sorts of Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian venues throughout the Detroit metropolitan area.

While the art of pysankarstvo had been passed along from mother to daughter in Ukraine, in the Diaspora most of us learned it at these sorts of classes, either at church or at Ukrainian school. The graduates used to come to St. Mary’s in Southfield regularly in the 1970s; I remember attending sessions, and still have some of the design sheets we used (you can find them here). They also sold supplies–dyes, waxes, pysachky, post cards (including those from Surma)–which were difficult to obtain otherwise in the pre-internet area.

This booklet by Martha Wichorek was published in 1975; my copy is a reprint made for me by a friend.  I have scanned those parts of it having to do with patterns and designs, and shared them on the following pages. The pages not included here are those with pysanka writing-instructions and background materials.

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