Cecylia and Wincenty Staśkiewicz

Perfect married couple

It is one of the most enchanting pictures: creative mess on a table, colourful cuttings, shredded paper and spouses sitting at both sides of the table, totally immersed in their creative work that requires great attention to detail. These are Mr and Mrs Staśkiewicz, who diligently cut out with scissors elaborate shapes from construction paper. It is an unusual couple, as one can say, a perfect married couple. They are bound not only by their marriage vow, but also by a great part of life lived together. They share a common, creative passion …for cutting out. They are both members of the Union of Kurpie and the Association of Folk Artists. Although they do not have regional costumes and they live in a big, district city, they are greatly attached to the Kurpie need of creation and deluging the world with cut-outs. Since folk art is not connected only with the country, as the common belief suggests. It is an issue of origin, connection with tradition, identity.

Let’s remind the scene at the table – Cecylia cuts out “independent” birds and Wincenty cuts out “kissy” ones. They stick wings and decorate with elaborate punched dots from a punch. These and other unusual works have been made in their house for over 60 years.

Cut-outs have been always in their lives. Wincenty started to cut out when he was only 10 years old. Stanisława Olender, the famous Kurpie artist, is his sister. Over the years, he has developed his own style that matches the Kurpie cut-out canon. A pair of birds made by him is on one of the covers of the Association of Folk Artists’ quarterly.

Cecylia used to work as a teacher and an elementary school head teacher. She was reared in the family of living art traditions. She is a real master of cutting out parchment net curtains. First, she draws patterns on white paper and then she is patiently cutting them out with small scissors for hours. Cecylia’s net curtains are unique. Nevertheless, it is not a complete list of her talents. She writes also poems, translating them usually into the local dialect.

There was a time when they earned money, selling their works to the “Kurpianka” Folk and Artistic Handicraft Cooperative. Cecyia used to weave tray cloths and curtains on frames. Now, they do not do art work for money. They enjoy giving away decorations made by them – to their family, friends and museums. They say that “without cutting out you cannot stand for a longer time”, so they do it every day, even during stays at sanatoriums, giving cut-outs to doctors and nurses.

Mr and Mrs Staśkiewicz, together and individually, take part in a number of regional and nationwide contests and reviews. Even if they do not win a prize, the participation itself is an incentive for them to create something new. You can meet them at folk art bazaars, e.g. in the Kurpie Culture Centre in Kadzidło. In 2015, Wincenty was awarded the Oskar Kolberg Award for Merit to Folk Art, the most prestigious award for a folk art artist.