The Ukrainian Museum

Past Event

AFTER DARK at The Ukrainian Museum — A KOLO event co-hosted with the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival

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AFTER DARK at The Ukrainian Museum

A KOLO event co-hosted with the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival

AFTER DARK is brought to you by KOLO, a dynamic event series for young members of our community, offering a space to connect over art, culture, and wine. KOLO (Ukrainian for circle, as in circle of friends) nurtures the next generation of artists and thinkers. These events give young art enthusiasts a space to both engage with Ukrainian culture and build lasting relationships with artists, art enthusiasts, East Village neighbors, Hromada (Ukrainian for “community”) and their fellow peers.

8:00 pm

KOLO Celebration with Wine Reception
Featuring a presentation by TISTO Acting Studio

9:30 -10:30 pm

UCMF Music Concert
With performance by Ukrainian-Crimean jazz pianist Usein Bekirov

Saturday 21 March
8 – 11 pm

Admission:

$20 before March 14
$25 after March 14

Free for UCMF Ticket Holders

TICKETS

TISTO, Ukrainian for “dough,” is a metaphor for human potential – that can be shaped, strengthened, expanded, and rise through the right conditions. Created by professional actors, TISTO is a studio for anyone who wants to feel more present, more connected, and more themselves — in conversations, in rooms, in life. Unlike traditional acting schools, improv theaters, or coaching programs, TISTO is not about performance or technique. It’s about practicing being human — present, flexible, and genuinely connected — in real time. TISTO – where theater meets real life. 

UCMF 2026 celebrates the theme of Mosaics, the rich variety of peoples, places and traditions that make up Ukraine’s identity today. Epitomizing Ukraine’s unique multicultural composition, this year’s Afterdark concert will feature a performance by Ukrainian-Crimean jazz pianist Usein Bekirov. He will be joined by New York jazz musicians Akili Bradley on trumpet, Wayne Escoffery on tenor saxophone, Bar Filipowicz on bass guitar and David Hawkins on drums. 

Usein Bekirov is a recognized pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and one of the few Ukrainian artists endorsed by KORG synthesizers. His music experiments with jazz fusion, funk, and ethno-jazz styles and his original compositions are strongly influenced by Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani and Balkan folk music. The original recording of “Eastern Kaleidoscope” featured legendary American jazz guitarist and six-time Grammy nominated musician Mike Stern. In addition to Stern, Bekirov has also collaborated with such internationally recognized artists as Bill Evans, Dennis Chambers, Ada Rovatti, and Randy Brecker.

We do not wish to exclude anyone who wants to join us. Therefore, if the admission price is not possible for you, please let us know and we will accommodate. We can also waive the admission fee for volunteers at this event. Please contact the Learning Curator at [email protected].

Tryzub: Day of Resilience. 4th Anniversary Commemoration of the Full-scale Invasion

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Tryzub: Day of Resilience – 4th Anniversary Commemoration of the Full-scale Invasion

The Ukrainian Museum will open its doors for a daylong free community event in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In partnership with artist Maya Hayuk, UNWLA, Razom, Yara Arts Group, and New York Bandura School, we’ll gather for workshops, film screenings, poetry readings, musical performances, and more. This is a day to come together, reflect, and stand in solidarity with Ukraine. All are welcome. Light refreshments provided. Registration is requested on Eventbrite but walk-ins are welcome.

Saturday 21 February
12 – 5 pm

REGISTER

There will be ample opportunities at this event to make donations to important causes to help Ukraine! Each participating organization will have information available about various projects helping Ukrainians during the war. Donations are optional and not required to enjoy this free event.

Schedule of Programs
Tryzub Project Workshop with artist Maya Hayuk

12 – 5 pm (Rolling Basis)
Location: 1st Floor Boutique Gallery

The Tryzub Project (Тризуб Терапія) launched in 2022 as a casual drawing jam for members of the public to create their own versions of this ancient, pre-Christian trident symbol. This intergenerational initiative changes for every setting, whether it’s on the street with graffiti artists, with children at Project Soniashnyk (Sunflower), or working with Ukrainian soldiers in rehabilitation at The Unbroken Hospital in Lviv. Hayuk invites you to draw your very own Tryzub in her workshop, which will then be added to the growing archive of over 300 unique takes on this incredibly powerful symbol. These workshops will run on a rolling basis, with a new session starting as soon as the previous one concludes. 

The Power of Embroidery Workshop with UNWLA Branch 1

12 – 5 pm (Rolling Basis)
Location: Lower-Level Gallery

UNWLA Branch 1 will hold workshops on traditional Ukrainian embroidery, where all participants will be able to try embroidery for themselves and learn more about this beautiful cultural tradition. The workshop is designed for participants aged 10 years and older. Younger children under 10 are welcome to participate if accompanied by a parent. These workshops will run on a rolling basis, with a new session starting as soon as the previous one concludes. The UNWLA will also share a slide presentation about Ukraine’s coat of arms, the tryzub, and about the organization. In addition, craft items will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going directly to the UNWLA’s fundraising efforts to aid Ukraine.

Selected Short Films from the Documentary Series Vidbuduyemo (We Will Rebuild)

12 – 1 pm
Location: 1st Floor Center Hall

Russia’s war on Ukraine has a horrific goal:  the destruction of Ukrainians as a nation on all fronts, including Ukrainian identity, history, and culture. These selected films from the documentary series Vidbuduyemo (We Will Rebuild), directed by Kornii Hrytsjuk, tell the story of cultural institutions destroyed by Russian attacks and the communities impacted by their destruction. They are visually powerful accounts of how this once prosperous country in the center of Europe is experiencing cultural genocide. The films are subtitled in English. We are grateful to the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America for graciously sharing these extraordinary films with The Ukrainian Museum. 

Musical Performance with New York Bandura School

1 – 2 pm
Location: 1st Floor Center Hall

From Ukrainian folk traditions to modern and classical interpretations, Terenia Kuzma and Zoya Shepko will share parts of their unique musical journeys through Ukraine’s culture. The program will weave together soldiers’ folk songs, traditional melodies, and one of Terenia’s original compositions. Audiences will experience music that celebrates spring and renewal, honors Crimean heritage, and brings the spirit of community through shared singing moments together. 

Unbroken Threads: Short Film Screenings with Razom

2 – 3 pm
Location: 1st Floor Center Hall 

This program presents a selection of contemporary Ukrainian short films made since 2022 that capture everyday connections shaped by war. Through documentary, narrative, and animation, these films follow individuals and communities as they navigate identity, memory, and connection amid the ongoing full-scale invasion. Together, these films portray war not as spectacle, but as lived experience, revealing moments of tenderness, creativity, and solidarity. The program invites audiences to witness how Ukrainians continue to create, care, and dream —even as life remains under threat.

Resilience: Performance with Yara Arts Group

3 – 4 pm
Location: 1st Floor Center Hall

The Yara Arts Group will perform the newest poetry from Ukraine in its signature bilingual style. Resilience features George Drance, Darien Fiorino, Bob Holman, Svitlana Kosolapova, Stefka Nazarkewycz, Wanda Phipps, and Martha Preve, as well as Julian Kytasty playing and singing with Lesya Verba. The event is directed by Virlana Tkacz. All the poems are by Serhiy Zhadan, with translations by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps. Graphics by Waldemart Klyuzko and projections by Darien Fiorino.

Selected Short Films from the Documentary Series Vidbuduyemo (We Will Rebuild)

4 – 5 pm
Location: 1st Floor Center Hall 

Russia’s war on Ukraine has a horrific goal:  the destruction of Ukrainians as a nation on all fronts, including Ukrainian identity, history, and culture. These selected films from the documentary series Vidbuduyemo (We Will Rebuild), directed by Kornii Hrytsjuk, tell the story of cultural institutions destroyed by Russian attacks and the communities impacted by their destruction. They are visually powerful accounts of how this once prosperous country in the center of Europe is experiencing cultural genocide. The films are subtitled in English. We are grateful to the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America for graciously sharing these extraordinary films with The Ukrainian Museum.

Museum Lifelines: Directors on the Frontline SAFE Virtual Symposium

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Museum Lifelines: Directors on the Frontline
SAFE Virtual Symposium

Join us for an illuminating live virtual symposium featuring a panel of five museum directors from Ukraine’s frontline cities whose extraordinary leadership became crucial for the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage during the full-scale Russian invasion. 

Representing institutions across the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, these directors executed emergency evacuations, rebuilt destroyed museums, created new cultural hubs, and sustained community engagement despite displacement, bombardments, and personal loss. These women will discuss frontline cultural stewardship and emergency collections care at a time when cultural sites across Ukraine remain under threat. 

Organized by the Ukrainian Museum in New York in partnership with the Association of Ukrainian Museums (Kyiv), this inaugural symposium is part of the Ukrainian Museum’s SAFE program. The featured speakers were acknowledged in late 2025 with individual SAFE fellowships. Their moral clarity and stamina embody the mission of the Ukrainian Museum’s SAFE program:  to protect cultural workers, safeguard museum collections, and affirm the future of Ukrainian heritage in times of profound risk. 

This event is free and open to the public. Please register to receive a link via email to join the event on Zoom. The program will be in Ukrainian with English translation. If the guest speakers are impacted due to the ongoing war, this event will be rescheduled to the following day, Monday, February 16, at 1 pm. 

Sunday 15 February
1 pm

REGISTER

The Ukrainian Museum at 50: Imagining the Future

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The Ukrainian Museum at 50: Imagining the Future

A Conversation with Olha Tykhonova

The Ukrainian Museum is pleased to announce the first public program hosted by the newly appointed Executive Director, Elena V. Siyanko.

Join us for an evening of conversation, wine, and cheese.

As The Ukrainian Museum marks its 50th anniversary, we invite the community to engage in a forward-looking dialogue about the future of cultural institutions. Guest speaker Kyiv-born and raised Olha Tykhonova, Head of Strategic Development at MUSEUM BOOSTER in Vienna, Austria, will share insights from her groundbreaking work reimagining museums for a changing world.

About the Speaker

Olha Tykhonova is a research curator for the “Future Museum” project and founder of The Museum Leadership House (Vienna, Austria), a non-profit platform that brings together museum leaders with futurists, scientists, artists, and sociologists to develop actionable strategies for the museum sector. Her work addresses critical contemporary challenges, including:

  • Leadership in disruption and the evolving skills required for museum directors
  • The public role of museums in an age of polarization and declining institutional trust
  • The future of work, including automation, AI integration, and staff wellbeing

Through the Museum Leadership House initiative, Tykhonova has developed frameworks for the mindsets, skills, and knowledge that will define museum leadership in the years ahead.

Event Details

Wine and cheese reception before and after the talk. All are welcome.

For more information about Elena V. Siyanko’s appointment, visit this page.

All are welcome to this free event, but registration on Eventbrite is requested. RSVP

Friday 23 January
5 pm

RSVP

Between the Bowery and the East River:Germans, Jews, and Ukrainians

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Between the Bowery and the East River:
Germans, Jews, and Ukrainians

The Ukrainian Museum seeks to bring our communities together by highlighting the shared multi-cultural history of our neighborhood. Join us for a seminal presentation by author, artist, and professor of political science, Alexander J. Motyl, who will discuss how waves of German, Jewish, and Ukrainian immigrants interacted with New York City’s geography, economy, politics, and culture to shape the Lower East Side and its gentrified progeny, the East Village. Prof. Motyl’s visual presentation will be followed by a Q&A and light refreshments. More information and tickets are available on Eventbrite. 

Saturday 10 January
2 — 3:30 pm

TICKETS

Members Holiday Open House

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Members Holiday Open House Sunday, 14 Decmber

The Ukrainian Museum is grateful to all our members for their continued support. As a sincere thank-you and in the holiday spirit, we invite you to an open house to enjoy our current exhibitions, a festive atmosphere, and light refreshments.

As a special perk, members will receive a 20% discount on all in-store purchases made that day — perfect for holiday shopping! (Please note: this offer applies to in-person purchases only and is not available online.)

We look forward to celebrating the holiday season together with you. This is a complimentary members-only event, and registration on Eventbrite is requested.

14

December
1 – 5 pm

Register

ERASE THE NATION A Documentary Film by Tomasz Grzywaczewski

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ERASE THE NATION
A Documentary Film by Tomasz Grzywaczewski

Join us for a seminal film about Ukraine’s fight to preserve its cultural heritage from historical erasure. Erase the Nation is a documentary war film that sheds light on the tragic chapter of Russian war crimes committed against Ukraine’s national and multicultural heritage. This powerful film highlights the devastation inflicted on museums, monuments, archaeological sites and sacred religious places ruthlessly destroyed by Russian forces who are trying to rewrite history in the name of Russian chauvinist ideology. We are delighted that war journalist, award-winning author, and the film’s director Tomasz Grzywaczewski will join us for the screening to introduce his film and to answer questions from the audience. Through compelling interviews, Tomasz’s film reveals the resilience and determination of brave individuals in the Ukrainian cultural sphere and underscores how in the face of devastation, the spirit of art and heritage can shine through, offering hope and a path toward restoration. Erase the Nation has been screened at international forums such as OSCE and UNESCO, as well as in cities worldwide. This film was produced by Maciej Pawelczyk and Mark V. Vlasic and is in English and Ukrainian with English subtitles. More information and registration are available on Eventbrite. Admission to the Museum’s galleries is included in the ticket price for the screening.

Saturday 6 December
4 — 5:30 pm

REGISTER

Black Square Fete

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You are cordially invited to the inaugural Black Square Fête, an annual gathering of art supporters, collectors, and connoisseurs for an evening celebrating the vital work of our institution. 

Experience the Museum like never before. The ambiance of avant-garde style will be showcased through decor, interactive art, and food art by a Cordon Bleu–trained chef, culminating in the grand finale: an auction of exclusive artworks by contemporary American artists inspired by a dialogue with Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square.

This annual event will provide crucial support for the beautiful building that the Museum has called home since 2005, as well as the Museum’s programs, including KOLO and SHKOLA.

Join this legacy to ensure the Museum’s bright and prosperous future and its essential role in the New York cultural scene.

7

November
6 – 9 pm

Admission:
$300 / $500 

Dress code:
Avant-Garde Chic

Tickets
Program

6:00 – 7:00

Welcome hour

Celebratory toast from Artwinery, Interactive art zones and food experience by a Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Ksenia Radkevich

7:00 – 7:15

Opening remarks and a keynote speech

7:15 – 8:00

Curated auction

of exclusive art works and experiences inspired by Malevich legacy. Artworks by Peter Halley, Maya Hayuk, Misha Tyutyunik, Synchrodogs.

8:00 – 9:00

Cocktail party

Live entertainment, music, mingling, open bar, and desserts. Art station.

Auction Catalog

Maya Hayuk

Open Hatch, 2025
8-color hand-pulled screen print, signed and numbered by the artist
40 x 30 in, framed
Monoprint edition

Peter Heley

Untitled, 2025
Acrylic paint and pencil on paper
21 x 16 in, framed

Synchrodogs

Untitled, 2014
Color photograph printed on paper
40 x 30 in, framed

Set of Six Pre-War Artwine Rare Bottles from Bakhmut

Misha Tyutyunik

Number 1, 2025
Hand painted acrylic on wood
24.5 x 15.5 in
Unique work created for The Ukrainian Museum

Set of three books about Kazimir Malechiv

Set of Six Artwine Brut White 2018 Vintage

Misha Tyutyunik

Number 2, 2025
Hand painted acrylic on wood
24.5 x 15.5 in
Unique work created for The Ukrainian Museum

Single ticket $300

  • Admission to the party for one person

Dynamic duo $500 

  • Admission to the party for two people 

Influencer $1,000

  • Admission to the party for two people
  • Inclusion on the host committee list
  • Tax deduction letter for $500

Patron $2,500

  • Admission to the party for four people
  • Inclusion on the host committee list
  • Recognition in selected event materials
  • A copy of the book with the autograph “HE AND I WERE UKRAINIANS”. Autobiographical Text by Kazimir Malevich. Rodovid 2025 
  • Tax deduction letter acknowledging the donation of  $1,500

Visioner $5,000

  • Admission to the party for four people
  • Inclusion on the host committee list
  • Recognition in selected event materials
  • A copy of the book with the autograph “HE AND I WERE UKRAINIANS”. Autobiographical Text by Kazimir Malevich. Rodovid 2025 
  • Tax deduction letter acknowledging the donation of  $3,500
  • A bottle of Artwinery’s flagship sparkling wines
Purchase Tickets
Black Square Theme

Kazimir Malevich, born in Kyiv and inspired by a Ukrainian village, created works exhibited in museums around the world. More importantly, his art conveyed ideas of freedom, unburdened by pragmatism, manipulation, or propaganda. It envisioned a future that transcended the outdated past. His iconic Black Square marked a new era, and his Suprematism movement greatly influenced

modern architecture and design worldwide.
The Museum draws inspiration from the pioneering vision of this legendary artist and aims to offer New Yorkers a chance to celebrate its incredible legacy while learning about Ukrainian art and its impact on the global art scene. The inaugural event in 2025 is intended to become an annual tradition that brings together Museum friends and patrons.

Museum Programs

Through its signature educational program SHKOLA (School in Ukrainian), the Museum hosts over 50 public programs each year, including folk art and culinary workshops, oral history and visual presentations, guest speaker tours, film screenings, bilingual tours, expert roundtables, and neighborhood walking tours. Designed for families, students, seniors, and newly arrived refugees, SHKOLA focuses on accessibility through multilingual content, affordable admission, and partnerships with local schools and community organizations. Our aim is not only to preserve Ukrainian heritage but also to strengthen the civic and cultural fabric of New York City by connecting Ukrainian stories to the broader histories of the East Village and beyond.

KOLO is a networking series for young professionals that offers a space for meeting, exchanging ideas, and building community.

The lead sponsor of the inaugural Black Square Fête – Artwinery and its brand Artwine. These sparkling wines were handcrafted using the “méthode traditionnelle” and rescued from Bakhmut cellars just before the occupation. Available in limited quantities in the United States, Artwine is a Ukrainian export that embodies the culture and spirit of a country that celebrates quiet victories and cherishes each moment with family and friends.

Please email [email protected] to inquire about other payment methods, including check and bank transfers. Sponsorship opportunities are available and can be provided upon request.