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to a family of pieces, with each piece incorporating the imagined colors and textures. Inspired by music, opera in particular, Masha notes, “I see melodies and repetition of themes in these pieces, and I work to achieve certain harmonies and rhythms. . . . My mother transmitted to me the idea that colors are to be heard in groups as a melody and the same notes and the same colors combine differently and re combine perpetually with each other, producing entirely different music ...” Utilizing her artist’s sense of color and an architect’s attentiveness to structure and function, Masha works with turquoise, coral, antique ivory, malachite, opal, jade, pearl and petrified wood to create three-dimensional jeweled sculptures. Her pieces, when not worn, are displayed by numerous collectors in cases on walls as precious art objects. Her wearable art has also been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe. She has been closely associated with the San Francisco Opera for the past 17 years and her pieces are featured in its shop. A few of her finest pieces can also be found at the Ukrainian Museum’s gift shop in New York City, which also sells copies of her DVD entitled Ritual of the Eye. Masha’s late husband made the interaction of her jewelry and the human body the subject of his most inspired work; he left a legacy of photographs paying tribute to Masha’s talent. A quarter-century relationship with Saks Fifth Avenue has provided Masha Archer a very successful platform to show and sell her wearable art. Her Saks trunk shows are held across the country and draw loyal admirers. She has cultivated a rather extensive celebrity following, and her jewelry has been purchased and worn by Oprah Winfrey, Laura Bush, Placido Domingo, Joan Collins, and other luminaries. One client, painter Ida Kavin, owned 47 distinctive pieces of Masha’s jewelry. In 1997, Masha held an exhibit of her work at Kyiv’s Pecherska Lavra, which she explained was a personal and emotional visit back to her roots. Many of the motifs she creates are strikingly Slavic in style and color. There are Scythian shapes incorporated into necklaces, and folkloric roots traceable to the designs seen in the traditional Ukrainian pysanka or the Cossack Mamai art tradition. She recalls a group of scholars who attended her exhibit at the Lavra and admonished, “Don’t forget - you got all of this from us!” Ten years later, Masha still looks to Ukraine for inspiration and exposure. During our conversation, she expressed her desire to present a piece of her jewelry to then newly elected Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, quipping “I think the style would fit Tymoshenko’s persona.” Masha has two adult daughters, Maya and Larissa, both of whom have clearly inherited an artistic spirit from their Muchyn/Archer parents and grandparents. Maya’s passions are poetry and photography; Larissa’s are the theater and writing. Since our telephone interview, Masha has joined UNWLA as a member at large. An adver tisement featuring her recent work was published in the November 2007 issue of Our Life, and we look forward to seeing what new challenges this dynamic and creative artist will tackle next. Welcome, Masha, to Soyuz Ukrainok. We would like to thank our authors for the wonderful articles that they contribute to Our Life. Please forward articles to English language editor Tamara Stadnychenko c/o UNWLA headquarters. We ask that all contributors include a telephone number to allow us to acknowledge submissions and verify information. We also ask that UNWLA branches and regional councils submit articles about special events no later than three calendar months after those events have occurred. Photographs submitted electronically should have a resolution of at least 300 DPI and should be saved as uncompressed TIFF file. If you cannot submit electronic photos/images as described, please send hard copy.
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