When The Ukrainian Museum opened its doors to the public on October 3, 1976, it marked both a historic first – it was the first Ukrainian museum in New York City – and the culmination of 50 years of work by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. The premiere exhibit, titled “An Introduction to Ukrainian Folk Art” offered visitors a representative sampling of the museum’s collection of folk artifacts: woven and embroidered textiles; wood and metal crafted articles; and ceramics.
As reported on the front page of The Ukrainian Weekly’s issue dated October 10, 1976, the UNWLA had spent five decades collecting, preserving and cataloguing historical Ukrainian artifacts. With the opening of the museum, it now had a home for its priceless collection. That home was located on Second Avenue between 12th and 13th streets, on the fourth and fifth floors of the building purchased jointly by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the UNWLA. UNWLA President Iwanna Rozankowsky noted at the opening ceremonies that the new museum fulfilled the great need for a facility in which to proudly display Ukrainian culture and added: “This museum should be a challenge to the Ukrainian community, to artistic circles and scholarly organizations to work together to develop it to its full potential.” The previous day, the museum’s dedication ceremonies were attended by representatives of some 40 community, women’s and youth organizations – a testament to the significance of this new institution and the community’s awareness of its inestimable value.
In The Weekly’s October 3 issue, in an article written in advance of the museum’s opening, Motria Kushnir noted: “The UNWLA, aware of the formidable responsibility involved, has set the highest possible goals for the museum. For the future they wish to expand the scope of the museum to include high art and a historical collection. …The UNWLA and the museum committee have placed a particular emphasis on the educational-research role The Ukrainian Museum is to play.”
Within a year of its opening thanks to the efforts of the UNWLA, the museum became an independent entity with its own charter and board of trustees, the better to continue fulfilling its founding mission.
In 2005, the dream of a great Ukrainian museum continued to come true. On February 6 of that year, The Ukrainian Museum’s new state-of-the-art facility on East Sixth Street was blessed with about 500 people gathered for the ceremony. The new $9 million building was a three-story brick-and-glass structure – a beautiful addition to the Ukrainian Village section of lower Manhattan. “Finally, we’re going into our new home,” UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj said, noting that the day was particularly meaningful for her organization, which had initiated the museum 28 years earlier with 800 artifacts. The inaugural exhibits at The Ukrainian Museum’s new facility encompassed both fine and folk art: “Alexander Archipenko: Vision and Continuity” and “The Tree of Life, the Sun, the Goddess: Symbolic Motifs in Ukrainian Folk Art.”
An array of outstanding exhibits followed, many of which have been appreciated by our subscribers – either as visitors to the museum or as readers of informative articles about the art or artifacts on display. Among our favorites are two of the most recent: “The Ukrainian Diaspora: Women Artists, 1908-2015,” which presented over 100 works by 44 artists; and “Sixty Years An Artist: A Retrospective Exhibition of Works by Zenowij Onyshkewych,” which revealed the depth and breadth of this unique artist’s work. Now on display are “Pysanka: The Ukrainian Easter Egg” and “Jacques Hnizdovsky: Content and Style, Evolving Perspectives.”
This year, The Ukrainian Museum is marking its 40th anniversary and celebrating four decades of exemplary work in presenting Ukraine and Ukrainians to the world around them. (A visit to the website www.ukrainianmuseum.org is ample evidence of that.) A festive luncheon at the beautiful Tavern on the Green in New York’s Central Park served as the uplifting kick-off to the jubilee year, with promises of more celebratory events to come whose aim is not only to highlight the museum’s laudable achievements but also to raise funds so that The Ukrainian Museum can continue its excellent work for decades more. Mnohaya lita!