Resilience and Impact: The Odesa National Fine Arts Museum During Three Years of War

Join us for a special presentation on May 18, a date celebrated globally as International Museum Day. We welcome Oleksandra Kovalchuk, Deputy Director of the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum, Ukraine, and leader of the non-governmental organization Museum for Change who will share a lecture on the work and impact of the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum during the three years of full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. We are privileged to welcome her back for the third year to learn more about how her museum is faring since her first presentation to Heritage visitors in May of 2022. In keeping with the International Museum Day theme ─ The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities ─ this session will explore how the museum, under tremendous pressure, has remained a cultural hub for the community. Discover the strategies employed by the museum team to serve the public, support fellow cultural institutions, and foster resilience among artists and citizens. Learn about their efforts to mitigate the impacts of conflict, including the response to missile strikes that directly affected the museum’s building.

This program is free with museum admission or membership. No advance registration is required. All proceeds from the sale of Ukrainian crafts following the lecture or from voluntary donations will benefit Dobro New England, a non-profit organization providing humanitarian support to the people of Ukraine.

Oleksandra Kovalchuk

Oleksandra Kovalchuk is the Deputy Director of the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum in Ukraine and the founder of the NGO Museum for Change, which provides support for the protection of museum collections across Ukrainian institutions. Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, she has been residing in Salem, Massachusetts. Over the past few years, she has been actively engaged in promoting Ukrainian culture at various institutions including Boston University, The College of New Jersey, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, and the House of Seven Gables.