Have you ever seen 1,”000 hand-painted and wax decorated eggs at one time? Rodica Perciali of West Windsor coordinated the ninth annual exhibit of Easter eggs at the Romanian Folk Art Museum at 1606 Spruce, in Philadelphia.##M:[more]##
“Easter Eggs: Tradition and Culture” features designs by artisans from Bucovina, a region in northeast Romania. The painted ones are blue, green, yellow, or red with only 10 percent white background. Most of the waxed eggs, with 20 percent white background, are decorated in beige and brown designs with birds and animals. Large ostrich eggs are decorated with village folk life scenery. Other eggs depict religious figures. Duck eggs range from $12 to $20; goose eggs are $35. Egg painting demonstrations by Romanian artisan Gheorghe Gardu will be on going.
Perciali founded the Romanian Folk Art Museum in Chicago in 1983 and moved it to Philadelphia in 1999. The museum features more than 250 contemporary items and European folkloric artifacts. Visit www.romanianculture.us for more information.
“The Easter Eggs with very intricate geometric designs were promoted in the U.S. mainly by Ukrainian-Americans as Pysanki — as being just ‘Ukrainian’ when in fact they belong mostly to the region of Bucovina and not to the whole country of Ukraine,” says Perciali. “One can say that now they belong to two cultures, though it is the Romanian side of Bucovina that has been producing much more and of better quality and exporting large quantities to Western Europe, the U. S., and Asia.”
Perciali is also looking for other artists, artisans, collectors, art dealers, and crafts and antiques vendors to form a group to rent space in the area for a show. To volunteer, get details on the Orthodox traditions for Easter, register for a Romanian Easter Dinner, or obtain information about summer programs and participation in festivals, E-mail office@romanianculture.us or call Perciali at 609-720-0393.
Easter Eggs: Tradition and Culture, Romanian Folk Art Museum, 1606 Spruce, Philadelphia, www.romanianculture.us, 215-732-6780. On view through Thursday, April 20, during gallery hours or by appointment. Gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 1 to 7 p.m.
