The Influential Legacy of the Kultur-Lige

Kyiv, 1918: under the brief but hopeful tenure of the all-Ukrainian Central Rada, a group of Jewish political and cultural figures founded the Kultur-Lige, a centralized network of social and cultural organizations responsible for the promotion of contemporary Yiddish culture. With a who’s who roster of scholars, artists, and notables enlisted, the Kultur-Lige would grow to represent Jewish autonomy in Ukraine through its robust subdivisions of theater, education, health, arts, publishing, music, and libraries whose activities spread to nearly 100 Ukrainian towns and shtetls. Alexandra Exter’s art studio in Kyiv, with the Kyiv Art School, formed the main breeding grounds for artists committed to developing “Jewish” art. Coinciding with The Ukrainian Museum’s current exhibition Alexandra Exter: The Stage Is a World, this event is part of a series that celebrates Exter’s influence on Ukrainian Jewish artists of her time. Join us at The Ukrainian Museum for a visual presentation by Sara Softness, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.