Cleveland Selected for ACPC Convention

CLEVELAND – The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC), a national non-profit, charitable, cultural and educational organization that serves as a network and body of national leadership among affiliated Polish-American cultural organizations throughout the United States, today announced the schedule for ACPC’s 63rd Annual Convention to take place July 14-17, 2011 in Cleveland, Ohio by launching a special event website. The event will be hosted by the John Paul II Polish American Cultural Center in Slavic Village. Event Co-chairs are Aundréa Cika, director of PolishYoungstown and Ben Stefanski II , Cultural Center Board Member. In December, Stefanski received the Knights Cross of Merit for his service to Polonia from Polish President Bronisław Komorowski.

The event theme, “Celebrating the Maestro,” was selected to honor  Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941), one of the most important figures in Polish history. His multifaceted activities as a composer, pianist, politician, statesman, and generous philanthropist distinguished him as one of the greatest personalities of the cultural and political scenes in Poland, and indeed the world, during the first half of the past century. 

“Paderewski was a devoted and effective activist and a politician who worked for his homeland in its most difficult times,” says Stefanski, explaining that Paderewski was an architect of the Second Republic of Poland, a country that was reborn at the end of World War I, after 123 years of captivity. Paderewski fought for the New Republic as a member of the Polish National Committee, during meetings in the White House and in the U.S. State Department. He was the ideological leader of Polish Americans.  In 1919, Paderewski became the head of the Polish government. “His efforts in this arena and his numerous 
accomplishments in the arts are why we have selected his bust to be the next to be replaced in the Polish Garden in the city’s expansive Cultural Gardens.

The Polish Cultural Garden was dedicated in 1934, and is located in Rockefeller Park on Cleveland's east side. It contains a hexagonal sunken court with colorful flowerbeds, shrubs and trees imported from Poland, including a tree from Chopin's Polish estate. 

Originally, six busts of internationally famous Poles were placed in the outer circle of the garden. All of the busts were destroyed by vandals and sold for scrap in the 1970's. The Polish American Cultural Center continues their project of raising funds to restore and replace the missing original busts.

Three bronze busts of prestigious members of the Polish nation are currently mounted on granite pedestals. They are of Copernicus, Curie; and Sienkiewicz. On Saturday July 16th at 2:30 PM the celebratory dedication of the new Paderewski bust will take place. As part of the re-dedication ceremonies, there will be a piano recital and a short talk by Dr. James S. Pula, professor of history at Purdue University North Central and editor of the recently published The Polish American Encyclopedia. 

To learn about the rest of the event, including the exciting line up of speakers or register, visit polishcultureacpc.org or call 216-431-0913.

Aundrea Cika Heschmeyer
Director, Polish Youngstown
Your source for all things Polish in the Mahoning Valley
P.O. Box 684 Youngstown, OH 44501-0684
www.polishyoungstown.com
aundrea@polishyoungstown.com
Cell: 330-646-4082

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