Marianna Staśkiewicz

Crocheted poetess.

The creative power came to her quite late, only when she turned 50,which, as she says, was ‘after her children were reared’. She performed various jobs in her life: she worked on a farm and – as every wife and mother – she ran the household, where she also sewed and wove on a loom. She worked as a ward attendant in a delivery ward as well as in a municipal cooperatives’ shop. Marianna Staśkiewicz is a Nestor of one of the eldest Kurpie families from Kadzidło and she is a very modest, but prominent artist. Crocheted sculptures and the poetry written in the Kurpie dialect are her domain.

The crocheted wonders and poems make her a large-format master, hidden in a tender, joyful and hearty woman. Just being with her and listening to what she says allows you to experience the life wisdom of a person who has seen and been through a lot and is able to transfer those experiences into art and poetry. The work of Marianna has both, local and global dimension, as the artist, growing up from the Kurpie roots, is able to show the universality of faith in God as well as ordinariness of man on earth in her works.

Her poems and products grow out of her personal memories. She writes beautifully and wisely about God, suffering, work, but also about human joy. She is an author of the ‘Poziewaj zietrecku’ book of poems, published by the Municipal Office Publishing House in Kadzidło. Her poems are being published in regional magazines and very often chosen by young reciters for presentation in Kurpie poetry competitions.

her vivid imagination also creates crocheted, unique sculptures, inspired by both biblical and earthly world. These include some wonderful angels, which she likes to surround herself with as, according to her, they’re needed; crocheted figurines of Virgin Mary and the Pope, but also hens, storks, trees and scenes with Kurpie characters. One cannot pass indifferently by those crocheted sculptures. Her daughters believe that their mother was the forerunner of creating these spatial forms.

Marianna also creates palms, flowers made of tissue paper, bouquets and kierce. Her works can be found in the collections of ethnographic museums in Warszawa, Toruń, Ostrołęka and Nowogód. They have been presented at many Kurpie folk events as well as during regional competitions, workshops and educational programmes. Since 1981 she collaborates with the ‘Kurpianka – Cepelia’ folk group where she co-authors its repertoire and is also an author of the ceremonial performance scripts. She is an outstanding storyteller – her stories, told in Kurpie dialect, picture the local colour and atmosphere in a simple and impeccable manner.

Mrs Marianna Staśkiewicz, over the years of creation, has gained a great recognition and the highest awards, including the Ministry_of_Culture_and_National_Heritage (MKiDN) ‘Merit for Polish Culture’ (Zasłużony dla Kultury Polskiej) honor as well as Oskar Kolberg’s award. In 2013 she has been awarded the Medal ‘Merit for Culture Gloria Artis’ (Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis); Commemorative Medal ‘Pro Masovia’ is also in her possession.

She was also described in a thesis ‘Marianna Staśkiewicz – a Poetess and Authoress from Kadzidło’.