ART School of Olga Verbitska: 10 Years of Children Painting the World and Love

When I received the invitation to the anniversary meeting at ART-School, to be honest, I didn't quite know what to expect, who I would see, or what impressions I would gather. I was certain of one thing: it would be a meeting filled with light, warmth, love, creativity, and inspiration. After all, it was organized by the founder of this school — the sincere and kind Olga Verbitska.

I'm not very close with Ms. Olga, but over the past few years, we have met at many Ukrainian festivals in Chicago and various creative events. It was enough to exchange a few words, hear about what she does, and even see the fruits of her labor to understand that Olga Verbitska is one of those people who willingly share the goodness they have in abundance in their soul, positivity, readiness to help, and, of course, their talents and professional skills.

Olga is an artist of decorative and applied arts by education. Artistic embroidery, painting, artistic weaving, clothing modeling — these are also her domains. Where does such a passion for art come from? Probably from her grandmother Gina, born in America, whose parents once emigrated and then returned to Ukraine with their children. Her grandmother was good at drawing, embroidery, and was a skilled craftswoman, and together with her sister Mary, she knew: if there are two daughters in the family, there must be two chests, and in them, the dowry prepared by the girls... Thus, Olga inherited many rarities from her grandmother's chest, along with the passion for beauty and the ability to create it with her own hands. Moreover, her native Vyzhnytsia in Bukovina, where Olga was born, was a place that inspired, evoking beautiful images in her imagination and the desire to transform them into beautiful things.

Thus, she followed this path: relevant creative faculties in college, in the institute, work at a factory of artistic products, pedagogical activity, teaching experience in art educational institutions, and alongside all this — self-realization in the same creative direction. Therefore, today Olga Verbitska is an active participant in national and international exhibitions; her works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Canada, Poland, Romania, Spain. She is a member of the Union of Designers of Ukraine and several Ukrainian women's and art organizations in the USA, as in 2015, fate brought her to the United States. And then she thought she would do everything to engage in her favorite work here as well.

This is the prehistory of the creation of Olga Verbitska's art school in Chicago, because, despite self-realization, the artist decided to work with children. She always felt a special attraction to them. And they always felt the kindness of her heart and her ability to patiently explain, tell, show, teach. She even managed to connect with special children. She recalls how, among ten candidates for individual work in an American family, a boy with cerebral palsy chose her...

The decision to open an art studio came almost immediately after arriving in America: she wanted to work on a larger scale than just in a single family or even a few. Moreover, she wanted to work with Ukrainian children. Her daughter Natalya — her first advisor and assistant — supported her, adding confidence. Thus, ART-School appeared in Olga Verbitska's life and creative biography. It became work that has brought her immense satisfaction for 10 years now.

Although implementing her plans is not easy. At least because Ms. Olga still dreams of having her own premises for the school. In the meantime, without complaining about the circumstances, she travels to locations in Chicago and surrounding towns where even a few students gather for classes. She works at Ukrainian studies schools, at church parishes. She uses every opportunity to teach, to share, to discover talents, to enrich the lives of others with a touch of the art world.

In the 10 years of the school's existence, it has had about three hundred students. Organizing the 10th-anniversary celebrations, Ms. Olga wanted everyone to come, but she was immensely pleased with the few who managed to attend the meeting. These were mainly her current students with their parents. They, along with invited guests, felt truly festive in the exhibition space of the visual arts exhibition "10 Long Years of Art School with Olga Verbitska".

On the exhibition stands were works of her current students. Perhaps timid, uncertain, funny, comical, but so lively and sincere! That's why Ms. Olga said in her speech: "These works were not created by artificial intelligence, they were created by your children's hands, by their hearts..." She always advises parents: do not cripple your children by allowing them to sit for hours in gadgets almost from birth. Let them draw, sing, jump, engage in sports and music... They may not become artists or singers in the future, but activities in any art studio will make their lives interesting, meaningful, and lively.

Ms. Olga rejoices in every greater or lesser success of her protégés, naming, for example, Zlata Huzar, Dmytro Perehynets, Zlata Lantsuta, whose works were recognized at competitions outside their school. Last year, the school participated in the International Educational and Art Festival-Competition of Ukrainian Diaspora Schools and Educational Institutions of Ukraine "Ukrainian Embroidery Unites Friends", organized by Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (Ivano-Frankivsk), and Olga Verbitska was awarded a diploma for preparing prize-winners in the category "Visual and Decorative-Applied Arts".

That's why at the current celebrations, words of gratitude were addressed to Ms. Olga from the children, from the parents, from the teachers of the Ukrainian studies school "Dyvosvit", from artist friends and friends who attended the celebration with artistic performances. And she presented her students with commemorative awards, warmly inviting everyone to a delicious feast, thanking her daughter Natalya, son-in-law Nazar, nephew Valentyn for their help in organizing and conducting the celebration, and thanking the mother of her student Iryna Volosiuk for the wonderful anniversary cake.

An anniversary celebration is an event about which one can talk for a long time and a lot. But one cannot overlook another aspect of Olga Verbitska's activity — volunteering, although it was practically not mentioned at the celebration. She raises funds by selling both her handmade items (decorative and applied art objects, embroidered shirts, motanka dolls, Christmas decorations) and those brought or received from Ukraine (with all this merchandise, she attends festival fairs). She is always grateful to everyone who supports her collections, who actively participates in them, as this allows organizing assistance to the defenders of our native land. She even had a special permit from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for transporting military equipment, which is never too much there, if anything, the opposite. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Olga has made more than ten volunteer trips to Ukraine. And she does not intend to stop there. Because she is one of those who are not on the front line, but for the front...

Thus, the children who work alongside such mentors are truly fortunate, as they teach them something more than just drawing, as in our case. Therefore, it remains to wish the ART studio of Olga Verbitska and her students to celebrate many more glorious anniversaries.

Photos by Petro Kovtun and the newspaper's editorial team.