Kule Folklore Centre
Peter & Doris Kule Centre for Ukrainian & Canadian Foklore | Центр українського та канадського фольклору iм. Петра i Дорис Кулів
Collecting, sharing, and preserving culture
The Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta focuses on research that connects Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian communities on a global scale. Based upon endowments and archives existing since the 1980s, the Kule Folklore Centre is a permanently endowed institution and home to the Huculak Chair in Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography and the Kule Chair of Ukrainian Ethnography. It is also home to the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives.
55
Supported graduates
330+
Archival collections
24
Years of operation
13
Exhibitions
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Medwidsky Archives
The Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives are integral to enhancing understanding of Ukrainian diaspora culture in general and of Ukrainian Canadian history and culture in particular. The mandate of the BMUFA is to document, preserve, and study Ukrainian folklore in Ukraine, Canada, and around the world as it changes over time.
"A photographic Prairie trilogy: collective Identity, personal memory and arriving at the Ukrainian-Canadian Homeplace"
Join us on November 7 for a conversation with Kyler Zeleny, a photographer, educator, and writer who traces a decade-long exploration of the Canadian Prairies through his trilogy—Out West (2014), Crown Ditch & The Prairie Castle (2020), and the culminating Bury Me in the Back Forty (2025). Centering on his hometown of Mundare, Alberta—a Ukrainian-settler community in transition—the talk considers how photographs and interwoven texts can honour complexity without nostalgia or caricature on the Canadian Prairies.
"Ukrainian Winter Celebrations: Who
Brings Presents to Ukrainian Children?"
In her folkore lecture Daria Antsybor will explore the transformation of winter holiday traditions in Ukraine. She will trace the roles of magical gift-givers such as St. Nicholas (Mykolai) and Grandfather Frost (Did Moroz), examining their origins, the impact of the Soviet era, and their use as political symbols. In the context of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the talk will also reflect on how Ukrainian society is re-evaluating these figures in its pursuit of cultural decolonization and authentic expression.
Kule News
The Kule Folklore Centre welcomed world-renowned Canadian artist Natalka Husar!
On October 3, the Kule Folklore Centre welcomed world-renowned Canadian artist Natalka Husar! As a child of Ukrainian immigrants, Natalka Husar has long explored themes of identity, displacement, and cultural memory in her work.
Congratulations to Dr. Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn — 2025 Hetman Award Recipient
The Kule Folklore Centre is proud to share that Dr. Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn, former Kule Chair of Ukrainian Ethnography and Acting Director of the Kule Folklore Centre, has been awarded the 2025 Hetman Award for Professional Achievement Recognition by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council (UCC-APC).
Epidemics in Word and Imagination
Discover how Ukrainian writers Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko turned epidemics into powerful stories shaped by folklore, newspapers, and science in a new blog post by Dmytro Yesypenko, research assistant and coordinator of the Sustainable Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Program at the Kule Folklore Centre.
such program
Sustainable Ukrainian Canadian Heritage (SUCH) is a multifaceted collections research and community education program of the Kule Folklore Centre at the University of Alberta.
Anna's Dream
By Maria Mayerchyk & Lesia Savedchuk
Anna's Dream tells the story of a nine-year-old girl growing up on a farm in Western Canada in the 1930s.
Lena and Thomas Gushul: Life in Front of and Behind the Camera
By Mariya Mayerchyk, Jelena Pogosjan, and Dmytro Yesypenko
Lena and Thomas Gushul immigrated to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century, married in 1914, and opened their first photo studio in Coleman, Alberta in 1917 or 1918.
Kule Folklore Centre - library
We invite you to explore our extensive collection, which includes books on Ukrainian dance, music, clothing, textiles, embroidery, and much more. Please consult our Finding Guides to find books on the topics that interest you.