An exhibition on display until end of May at the Miller Branch library in Ellicott City, with an Artists Talk on May 18 — featuring pottery by Natalia Kormeluk and resident artists from Ukraine’s National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery.
Location: Howard County Public Library – Miller Branch, 9421 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042
Artist Talk: Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 2–3pm ET
Admission: Free; advance registration required
More information & to register: Event page
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery closed temporarily. Through determination and grit, the museum, located in Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast, reopened its doors to the public in 2023 and renewed its ceramics programs in a “business as usual” approach. In the summer of 2024, at the museum’s invitation, Maryland artist Natalia Kormeluk traveled to Opishne to teach pottery to a select group of participants at the Museum’s Summer Academy Pottery Workshop for enthusiastic and charismatic artists. At the Artist Talk on May 18, Natalia shares her experiences at the museum under wartime conditions, highlighting its commitment to continue and expand the cultural tradition of Ukrainian pottery. The museum grounds are home to the world’s largest Open Air Modern Clay Sculpture collection.
Natalia Kormeluk is an experienced potter and art teacher. She is currently an instructor for the Graduate Ceramics program at Hood College and is on the faculty of the Columbia Art Center. Her work is in private collections, at the University of Pittsburgh, the Heritage Center at Manor College in Pennsylviania, and the national museum of Ukrainian Pottery in Opishne, Ukraine.
Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee (BOSCC) invited this artist to display ceramic art at the library and discuss Ukrainian identity and tradition.
