Artist Elena Diadenko loves animals. Growing up in the city of Poltava in eastern Ukraine, she had a dog named Barsik and would always feed the stray cats wandering around her neighborhood.
Every summer as a young girl, she would help her grandmother take care of her chickens, geese, two pigs, one cow, a dog and a cat.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Diadenko worried about her relatives, friends and those living throughout the country, but she was also concerned about the pets and other animals.
“Over there [in Ukraine], a lot of people had to leave, and they couldn’t take their animals with them,” she said.
Diadenko’s love for animals led her to partially focus her fundraising efforts for Ukraine on tending to pets and other animals left behind in the war.
This summer, she hopes to raise about $5,000 more by hosting a series of glass-painting classes.
The technique Diadenko practices is a time-honored Ukrainian tradition dating back to the 15th century, she said. Diadenko, who is an art teacher at Carl Schurz High School, said it’s important for her to preserve cultural traditions and pass them on to others, including her students.
When she teaches glass painting during the school year, she encourages students of all cultural backgrounds to reflect on their heritage and use it as inspiration while painting.
“Some kids tell me ‘I don’t have a culture’ or ‘I’m disconnected’ and I tell them ‘no,’” Diadenko said. “Let’s talk about your neighborhood, or what you like to do, where you live or what your grandma did.”
For her students and those taking the glass-painting glasses in the next month, Diadenko said she hopes the process is therapeutic and allows them to tap into an artsy side they may not have known existed.
The summer classes cost $60, last two to three hours and include all art materials. Diadenko said she can teach anyone glass painting, but prefers participants are 13 or older since attendees are painting on glass.
Adrianna Holic, a special education math teacher at Schurz, attended the first class June 25 with her husband. Holic said she was nervous because she doesn’t consider herself to be very artsy, but she left enjoying the experience and plans to go to another class later this month.
“Anyone can do it,” Holic said. “My picture isn’t that beautiful, but I love it. I have a frame for it, and my husband really enjoyed it.”
Holic said participating in the class was important to her because she wanted to help those in Ukraine. As a fellow animal lover and owner of five cats, Holic also said she wanted to give support to the animals in Ukraine being affected by the war.
All proceeds from the glass-painting classes will go to Ukrainian volunteer Iurii Kozachenko, who saves stray animals and delivers blood-stopping bandages to soldiers on the front lines of the war, Diadenko said.
The next class will be at 6 p.m. July 12 at Tryzub Ukrainian Restaurant in Ukrainian Village. Classes also are scheduled for July 21 and July 26. Those interested can register by emailing Diadenko at ElenaDiadenkoArtist@hotmail.com.
Dr. Myron Lewyckyj, an eye doctor and owner of Tryzub Ukrainian Restaurant, said it was a no-brainer for him to open up the restaurant to Diadenko. Lewyckyj said he’s constantly looking out for cultural and humanitarian events to raise money for Ukraine.
Last year, Lewyckyj said he raised about $70,000 for Ukraine through the restaurant and he traveled to the country last summer to perform surgery on wounded soldiers at a military hospital. Lewyckyj said it’s important for people to be aware of the war situation in Ukraine and not feed into misinformation.
“It’s a humanitarian crisis that I think for the average Westerner is just unfathomable,” Lewyckyj said. “I think it’s almost uncomfortable to think about how horrible the whole thing is. I’m not sure that we can even process it – including myself.”
Diadenko said she hopes to continue the glass painting classes to raise money for Ukraine into the fall. She said she already has one class set up for October 7 at 4 p.m. at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art.
“The war is not going to finish right now,” Diadenko said. “The animals still need food. I have to continue with this. A lot of people gave once and they think it’s enough. That’s wonderful, but the war is not over. You have to keep helping.”
