MY ART Platform
The power of civil society manifested in extremely difficult circumstances is able to save not only lives, but also cultural assets. People of Mykolaiv Region, supported by the EU, managed to jointly evacuate a unique seascape painting collection under enemy fire, so that their children and grandchildren could see these masterpieces one day.
Russian war will not stop Ukrainian culture
About the project
In the spring of 2022 Russian troops rushed to Mykolaiv, while trying to destroy as many buildings and infrastructure facilities as they possibly could with bombs, missiles and artillery fire. There was an urgent issue of saving not only the people of Mykolaiv themselves, but also that part of the national cultural heritage that was kept in the numerous museums of the city of Ukrainian ships. It was obvious that in such a dramatic situation, the importance, number and complexity of the tasks were not commensurate with the capabilities of the responsible bodies. And here, international partners and civil society organisations responded quickly.
The European Union allocated significant funds for this purpose, and the local resource centre for public initiatives MY ART immediately began to use them effectively in three main areas. Within one of them, five Mykolaiv museums were provided with packing for exhibits, storage equipment and boxes for transporting collections in case of evacuation, and the collection of the marine painting museum was managed to be taken out of enemy shelling in Ochakiv and brought to a safe place. Another area of work was the urgent renovation of a local dormitory premises as a temporary shelter for internally displaced persons. Finally, thanks to the support provided, 10 new computers were procured for the local humanitarian call centre, which has significantly increased its efficiency. In the near future, MY ART activists are planning to digitise the seascape collection of the Ochakiv Museum for the reliable preservation of this invaluable heritage of Ukrainian pictorial art.
Project timeline: May – June 2022
Project supported by
House of Europe is an EU-funded programme fostering professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in EU countries and the UK. The programme focuses on different professional fields: culture and creative industries, education and youth work, social entrepreneurship, and media. This encompasses 20+ separate programme lines enabling to keep working despite the war, to carry out personal projects, or to enrol in courses, conferences, and internships in the EU and the UK. The programme funds cultural cooperation and literature translation between Ukraine and the EU and the UK, along with the revitalisation of cultural infrastructure. House of Europe supports the safeguarding of Ukrainian cultural heritage and the development of creative and educational start-ups. Various learning and matchmaking opportunities such as Digital Labs, workshops, discussions, conferences, and hackathons are offered.
Learn more: https://houseofeurope.org.ua/
Project implemented by
MY ART Resource Centre for Public Initiatives is a creative platform engaged in development and support of culture projects in Mykolaiv, networking with the public and the artistic community, as well as strengthening connections between the physical and digital dimensions of modern art. The platform was created in 2017 on the eve of the first Mykolaiv Art Week festival, which was widely reported in the city and received a wave of positive feedback from both event participants and city administration, invited artists and cultural luminaries.
https://www.facebook.com/myartweek
https://www.instagram.com/myart.lab/
https://www.youtube.com/@myartplatforma/about