CHICOPEE -Imagine using a pair of sheep shears - meant to cut thick wool from an animal - to cut intricate paper designs.
That is the Polish art of paper cutting known as wycinanki.
Though some practitioners of the art form use scissors, wycinanki traditionally are made with sheep shears.
This art form will be the topic of several events at the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at 33 South St. in Chicopee.
There will be a free exhibit of more than 100 examples of the work Monday through Sunday, April 15 through April 30, from 1-5 p.m. at the center. On Friday, April 17, at 7 p.m. there will be lecture by Susan A. Urban (no relation to the writer of this story) of West Springfield, an art teacher and local expert in the art of paper cutting. She will give a "guided tour" of the different wycinanki at the exhibit, noting the two basic styles: those with layered colors and those with a single-colored design.
The event is open to the general public at no charge; funding was provided by a grant from Berkshire Bank.
Then, there will be a class with Urban on Polish paper cutting on Saturday, April 25, from 2-4 p.m. There is no fee for the paper-cutting class, but registration is requested.
Urban likes working with the brilliant colors of the wycinanki and creating a design that begins with a basic motif--like a rooster as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In earlier times, the paper cuttings were used to decorate kitchens and "no doubt began as a decorative object to ward away the evil eye," noted Stas Radosz, executive director of the Polish Center. "Old ones were often hung in the barn. Today, they are only decorative. All are hand-done by country folk, and most are sold to town folk and tourists. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer are being made."
Styles of wycinanki differ one from another depending upon the region in which they are made.
The origin of paper cutting in Poland is unclear. "The art form grew especially popular in villages as multi-colored paper became more readily available during the last half of the 19th Century," Radosz said. "It is possible that Polish paper cuts once functioned to deter the evil eye. Some believe that the much older Jewish tradition of paper cutting may have played a role in the origin of the Polish wycinanki, whose easily recognizable motifs may in fact embody images with more ancient Slavic nuances."
It is important to pass this art form on because "it is an expression of who we are as a people," Radosz commented.
Staff at the Polish Center will work with art teachers who want to introduce this art form to their students. "We will be pleased to loan examples for exhibits in their schools," Radosz said.
For more information call (413) 592-0001.