Hart House has always been a place where communities come together; where students deepen their engagement with pressing global issues; and where individuals share ideas, create culture and find fellowship. In keeping with these life-changing experiences, Hart House is hosting Future Folkways: Reclaiming Rituals, Remaking Roots, a celebration of Ukrainian culture this fall until next spring. It features Kosa Folk Arts, a lively Toronto-based collective of artists, cultural activists and diaspora community members. The group explores, reclaims and celebrates Ukrainian and Slavic folk traditions through craft, music, song, dance, ceremony and storytelling.
A Talking Walls exhibition at the House, from November 7, 2025, to February 28, 2026, is one focal point, but there are also many compelling related programs, activities and events offered through next spring.
U of T alum Marichka Galadza, one of the four founding members of Kosa, speaks about the significance of this enormous cultural venture at Hart House.
Where It Began
As an undergrad majoring in Ethics, Society and Law at Victoria College, Marichka frequented the Hart House Library, savouring the “amazing gothic atmosphere” and the Hart House Fitness Centre, “a great central location to decompress.” She adds, “I always appreciated that you could engage both the body and mind in one place. Hart House feels like the heart of the campus. A community hub, it’s a place to meet, learn, sweat, explore and celebrate. It’s a not-to-be missed cultural space in the heart of the campus and city.”
After graduation, Marichka worked in administration at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and attended the School of Continuing Studies. “U of T has been a big part of my educational journey,” she sums up.
Creative Community Galvanized to “make things happen”
The connections and conversations that lead to Kosa were conceived while its members studied at U of T: “As second-generation Ukrainian diaspora, I found my anchor and community in the Ukrainian Students’ Club at U of T,” Marichka explains. “I met other Ukrainian diaspora women and creative people who wanted to make things happen.” Kosa Kolektiv, as it was called originally, took shape through these vital connections.
The word kosa means braid. “We yearned for spaces where we could weave together old rural traditions in a new urban context,” she elaborates. “We were interested in exploring our cultural heritage in an authentic way.”
The small group quickly evolved into a community of artists, musicians and folks who embraced an inclusive version of ancestral folk art. Members collaborated on artistic endeavours and soon became life-long friends. Marichka believes the group’s success is because it offers something unique to people who want to dive deeper into Ukrainian and Eastern European culture.
“It’s amazing to see Ukrainians all over the world take pride in our national heritage and learn more about our regional identities,” she says. “In the face of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian cultural practices, art forms and regionally specific knowledge are being documented and preserved.”
“Ukraine will always be:” The Political and Cultural Significance of this Venture
Marichka’s work with Hart House has focused on the Talking Walls exhibit, a retrospective of seasonal art and craft, created collaboratively over many years. She believes this show, and the many related activities, are timely. “The strength of the Ukrainian people lies in knowing who we are; carrying a collection of songs, poems and sayings that bind us as a people; standing together through the hardship of our traumatic histories; and witnessing the beauty of our ancient traditions,” she says, adding, “Our culture lives on when it is practiced.
“Despite years of attempted annihilation and assimilation, Ukrainians are still here and all over the planet. There is a Ukrainian saying that translates roughly as ‘Ukraine will always be.’ This exhibit is about honouring the ancestral knowledge and practices that will carry us into the future.”
Marichka hopes people engage with Kosa Folk Arts at Hart House through the many song and craft workshops. She encourages everyone to check out the schedule of events. “Whether you're looking to engage your head, heart, hands or voice, there will be something for all abilities.”
She emphasizes the grief ritual taking place on February 24, 2026 — the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “This will be a beautiful gathering around the collective grief we've been carrying — not just for the war in Ukraine, but also for the many injustices around the world.”
“Thank you, Hart House”
Returning to U of T and Hart House truly resonates. “This will be a trip down memory lane!” Marichka says. “It feels surreal to go from an anonymous undergrad to being highlighted in a major exhibit. It’s amazing to have our work honoured here, and to share it in such an historic and inclusive atmosphere.
“Thank you, Hart House, and thank you, Saša Rajšić [coordinator, Integrated Arts Education], for the incredible platform. It’s wonderful to see the breadth of programming at the House in general and as part of this exhibit. It's a true gift to share Kosa with such a large, open-minded community.”
Future Folkways partners include Kosa Folk Arts, Folk Camp, the Kryva Kosa Band, the Hart House Student Art Committee, the Hart House Student Literary & Library Committee, Hart House Theatre, St. Volodymyr Institute and the Ukrainian Zine Library.