February 4, 2021

Crafter’s Panel

with Susan Lind-Sinanian, Regina Laskowski, and Liz Levin

7 - 8:30pm EST

online via Zoom

Buy access to this presentation in the SOFA section of the FAC Music Shop.

About the Presentation

Join three of FAC’s friends for a look at some of the fascinating handcrafts to be found in eastern Europe.

  • Susan Lind-Sinanian, who has already shared Armenian dancing and puklavah making with us, returns for a show-and-tell on Armenian Marash-Kordz embroidery.
  • Regina Laskowski, who studied wycinanki (Polish papercutting) at the ethnographic museum in Warsaw, will share traditions of this paper cutout folk art, show regional design variations, and look at paper cutout art in other cultures.
  • Liz Levin, folk dancer, prolific knitter, and member of Divi Zheni Bulgarian women’s chorus, will show different styles of Bulgarian embroidery and crochet work, as well as her in-progress Afghani Nomads dress with its embroidered yoke.

About Susan, Regina, and Liz

Susan is Textile Curator at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown MA, where she oversees a diverse collection of Armenian and Middle Eastern rugs, costumes, laces, and other textiles, including historical embroideries. She also teaches classes in various Armenian needle works.

Regina is a long-time folk dancer and former performer with the Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston and Mandala Folk Dance Ensemble who became interested in Wycinanki during the 1970s. She taught residencies in Wycinanki as a Massachusetts cultural artist in schools and has also given workshops in museums, camps, and other community settings.

Liz started folk dancing in the 1970s. She soon took note of the wonderful Balkan costuming and was particularly interested in the embroidery and other forms of needlework, and began embroidering costume pieces for herself and others. Her first and continuing love has been music and dance from the Balkans.