Creative Clippings: Polish Paper Cuts

• Event Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
• Time: 1:00 pm–3:30 pm (CDT)
• Location: Collaboration and Community Gallery, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Age: Ages 5 and above
• Cost: Free

• Hands-on
• Family-Friendly tag

This free family event is a celebration of wycinanki, the Polish folk art of paper cutting. Activities will be available for family members age 5 and above and include coloring pages and cutting sheets of designs ranging from simple to intricate. Polish folk music will provide a lively background for the fun.

Polish papercuts come in two distinct formats, each based in a different region of the country. Those from Kurpie are cut from a single piece of paper, folded once, resulting in a symmetrical design. Those from Lowicz start with a design base that is then covered in multiple layers of cut, colored paper. Plants and animals serve as common design motifs, with roosters and multilayered flowers as traditional favorites.

This event is a collaboration of the Spurlock Museum and the UIUC Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center. The Spurlock Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency for this program.