Events | Speakers | Music | Exhibits
Ambassador Taylor Opens Curtis Exhibit in Lviv
On February 20, Ambassador Taylor's opened an exhibit by famed American photographer Edward Curtis. At a ceremony attended by city and regional government representatives, local arts figures, media, NGO representatives, students, and Peace Corps volunteers, the Ambassador emphasized the need for tolerance and recognition of different ethnic groups, and drew parallels between the American and Ukrainian experiences.
Ambassador Taylor opens "Sacred Legacy"
On January 26, 2008, Ambassador William Taylor opened "Sacred Legacy," a collection of 60 photographs taken by famed American photographer Edward Curtis on exhibit at Kyiv's Ivan Honchar ethnographic museum. He was joined by Museum Director Petro Honchar and Deputy Minister of Culture Olha Bench. This exhibit celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the North American peoples through the compelling images of Edward Curtis. Exhibited in conjunction with photographs and paintings honoring Ukraine's rich social history, "Sacred Legacy" draws strong parallels between the need to preserve and appreciate native cultures and traditions. Ambassador Taylor gave several media interviews stressing this, which aired on national television and appeared in the print media.
A Photographic Exhibit: "Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian"
In 1900, Edward S. Curtis set out to document the history, spirituality, and culture of all intact Native American tribes west of the Mississippi. Curtis understood the urgency of his endeavor and wrote:
"The passing of every old man or woman means the passing of some tradition, some knowledge of sacred rites possessed by no other; consequently, the information that is to be gathered, for the benefit of future generations, respecting one of the great races of mankind, must be collected at once or the opportunity will be lost for all time."
More About Exhibition
Kyiv CAO Opens Photo Exhibit
CAO Courtney Austrian participated in the opening of a series of photographs of the United States taken by Ukrainian photographer Ivan Dudkin on September 27. Present at the opening were approximately 35 students from Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. The exhibit, which opened on International Tourism Day, will run for one month. Dudkin received Public Affairs support for the creation of his exhibit on the United States.
"Good Grief!"-Ukraine Finally Meets Charlie Brown
An exhibit on the life and work of American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz opened in Lviv, Ukraine on September 15, 2007, to an enthusiastic crowd of the 12-year-old set and to local media. Supported with a contribution of cartoons from the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, the exhibit showed the history of Schulz's work, introduced the visitors to Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and their pals, and explained the inspiration and humor of this American icon. DCM James Pettit, Deputy Mayor of Lviv Vasyl Kosiv and others spoke of the rich humor and humanity of Schulz and his characters. Attending the opening were the 80 winners of the all-Ukraine Bookmania competition, aged 11-13, who had won a trip to the Lviv Book Forum and related events by being star readers from all over Ukraine. The kids swarmed the DCM and PAO after the opening, asking for autographs in their Charlie Brown exhibit books published through the grant.
Native American Handicrafts Exhibit Draws Crowd in Kirovohrad:
On June 8, the Kirovohrad Oblast Library held an official presentation of an exhibit of Native American handicrafts. The exhibit, assembled in the 1990s by the United States Information Agency and featuring Native American jewelry, clothing, pottery, and artworks, will be displayed at Window on America Centers throughout Ukraine in 2006. Over 50 people attended the presentation, including journalists.
Peace Corps Photo Exhibit in Vinnytsia Dedicated to Children with Disabilities:
On June 5, 2006, a photo exhibition dedicated to children with disabilities, entitled “The World through the Eyes of a Special Child” took place in Vinnytsia Regional Scientific Library. It was jointly organized by local alumni club members, the Vinnytsia IATP center, and a group of Peace Corps Volunteers, and supported by PAS funding. The exhibition was dedicated to the work of Peace Corps Volunteers in Ukrainian rehabilitation centers for children with physical and mental disabilities. Ludmyla Danelyan (CC alumna, 2002) presented a film of a project her NGO “Nadiya” is carrying out with autistic children. Numerous NGO members, youth leaders and students attended the exhibit.
Kyiv Cultural Experts Gather to Address Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Collections:
On June 8-9, more than 50 cultural experts, academicians and archive professionals gathered at the Fulbright program office in Kyiv to participate in a seminar entitled Networking Cultural Heritage Collections in Ukraine. This two-day workshop is the first stage of a larger project organized by a group of Ukrainian and U.S. Fulbright scholars with financial support from the PAS-Kyiv Alumni Grants Program. The goal of the project is to facilitate the development of a national forum for cultural organizations to address pressing issues regarding their cultural heritage collections. Other project components include compiling a Directory of Cultural Heritage Collections, and creating an Internet information resource (www.folk.org.ua). Several printed and broadcast media outlets (among them newspaper "Young Ukraine," journals "Museum of Ukraine" and TERRA Ukrainiana," radio company "ERA," radio "Kultura," Ukrainian National Radio company) sent representatives to this event, which attracted the participation of prominent Ukrainian cultural figures and influential cultural organizations.
Photo Exhibit Focusing on Special Needs Kids Draws Crowds in Lviv
On November 17, the Lviv Window on America Center hosted the official opening of a
traveling photo exhibit highlighting the work of Peace Corps volunteers with special
needs Ukrainian children. Forty-six people attended the event, including local
government officials, NGO leaders, and media representatives. With financial support
from Public Affairs Kyiv, the exhibit will be displayed at several Window on America
centers throughout Ukraine.
Native American Handicraft Exhibit Begins Encore Round
On September 13, Embassy Kyiv Cultural Affairs Officer opened an exhibit of Native
American handicrafts at the Museum of Art in the city of Cherkasy in central Ukraine.
The exhibit - featuring native American jewelry, rugs, clothing, masks, baskets,
ceramics, headware and a really impressive decorated buffalo skin, was collected many
years ago by the United States Information Agency. After touring the world for many
years, it finished its travel with exhibits in Ukraine in the late 1990s and has been
in storage. Recently, regional museums that hosted the exhibit several years ago have
asked if it might be made available again. Accordingly, Public Affairs Kyiv will be
circulating the collection among museums and Windows on America Centers in the coming
months. The opening ceremony was covered by journalists from local stations in the
Cherkasy Oblast. Results: A new generation of Ukrainians will be exposed to this
fascinating collection. The artworks in the exhibit demonstrate that American art
forms are not all derived from European sources and underline the diverse and
distinctive multi-ethnic nature of American culture.
American Posters on View in Lviv, Ukraine
The art of the American poster in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was represented
at an exhibit opened in the Lviv Ethnographic Museum on July 5. PAS/Kyiv sponsored all
restoration works and printing of full-color catalogs for this exhibit. The exhibit
consists of 30 posters which mostly advertise various American magazines and newspapers.
In cooperation with PAS/Kyiv, the Lviv Ethnographic Museum plans to show this exhibit
in other museums around the country.
"America: Culture and Civilization"
Photo Exhibit
Ivan Dudkin is a cultural ambassador between U.S. and Ukraine. Last year, he took his
previous exhibit "America: Still Life" on a journey throughout Ukraine to relate his
American experiences to local audiences.
American Roadside Architecture
Exhibit
The exhibit is a photographic chronicle of the roadside architecture of America during
the 1940s and 1950s, when gas stations, restaurants and hotels were built in fanciful
shapes to attract the attention of passing automobiles.
American Patchwork Quilts and
Ukrainian Decorative Art
From the United States to Ukraine, two distinctive traditions of decorative art come
together in an unusual exhibition: patchwork quilts and Ukrainian decorative art.
Photo Exhibit "Ukraine through
the Eyes of an American Peace Corps Volunteer"
The photos were taken by Richard Krauze, a young American who spent two years teaching
business development in Rivne. His photos capture the beauty and diversity of Ukraine
and its people, as well as the spirit of cooperation and understanding that Peace Corps
embodies.
Exhibition "Headlines
of History"
The newspaper stories displayed here represent the immediate visual and written record of
September 11. They recall not only the factual events, but also the thoughts and
emotions of that day. Produced by the Newseum and the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.
Photo Exhibit "Images from
Ground Zero"
A photo exhibit by eminent American photographer Joel Meyerowitz was opened at the
National Art Museum in Kyiv on September 11 in a ceremony marking the anniversary of
the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Public Affairs Section (PAS)
Counselor for Public Affairs: Christopher Fitzgerald
Cultural Affairs Officer: Courtney Austrian
Press Attache: Nancy Pettit
Contact: 380-44-490-4026/4042 -- 490-4050 (fax)
4 Hlybochyts'ka St.
Kyiv 04050 Ukraine
