OFN intern and a Fulbright scholar from Ukraine, Iryna Stavynska,
curated a Tiny Gallery exhibit Amplifying Ukrainian Voices, devoted to Ukrainian folk artists in Oregon. The exhibit is part of the Knight Library’s Tiny Galleries project that aimed to transform historic phone booths into places for UO students to present their research and engage with a wider community. Curating this exhibit offered Iryna a chance to present some of the results of her research with OFN, which focused on documenting living Ukrainian heritage in Oregon. Amplifying Ukrainian Voices tells stories of Ukrainian traditional artists living in Oregon and offers a glimpse into Ukraine’s history and culture.
Showing artwork and stories of Ukrainian folk artists provides a chance to both showcase Ukrainian centuries-old heritage, and at the same time – think about the current moment and demonstrate the strength of Ukrainians in their current fight for freedom. Even being thousands of miles away from their homeland, the artists featured in the exhibit are actively doing their part in supporting Ukraine by raising awareness about the war and donating their time and artwork in support of fundraisers for the purchase of medical supplies.
Despite their talent and diligent work, Ukrainian artists are struggling to find platforms and funding to showcase their art and present Ukrainian culture. This is largely due to the aftermath of the Russian colonialism of Ukraine as well as USSR’s efforts to erase Ukrainian culture by silencing Ukrainian voices, prohibiting publishing in Ukrainian, and persecuting and murdering Ukrainian artists. As Russian governments consistently (and successfully) worked to present Russia as the single most important representative of “Slavic people”, even after Ukraine’s independence in 1991 Ukrainian culture remains significantly understudied and underrepresented outside of Ukraine, including the US. Amplifying Ukrainian Voices was designed as a small first step in presenting Ukraine and its history to the wider UO community in a non-colonial way, allowing Ukrainians to speak for themselves and present their culture on their own terms.
The exhibit can be found on the first floor of the Knight Library (main entrance) and will remain on display till June 16th, 2023.