The Ukrainian Museum's historic year is reviewed at annual meeting (08/18/02)

The Ukrainian Museum's historic year is reviewed at annual meeting

by Marta Baczynsky

NEW YORK - The new museum building project was the focal point of interest at The Ukrainian Museum's annual meeting. The project, which will culminate in the construction of a modern, three-story facility, is currently being developed on East Sixth Street in the East Village section of Manhattan. The projected multi-million-dollar building, which will house the museum's expanding collections and become its base of operations, is slated to become a major Ukrainian American artistic and cultural center.

About 80 people attended the meeting, held on June 3, at the Ukrainian National Home. This annual event invites members of the museum and guests to participate in the review of the institution's activities during the previous year. Museum members may exercise their privilege to vote on important issues pertaining to the institution and to elect new members to the board of trustees.

This year the presidium included Dr. Bohdan Terleckyj who conducted the meeting, and Motria Milanytch, who recorded the proceedings. Participants received a copy of the institution's 2001 annual report, a comprehensive publication that details the work of the museum, lists members and donors, and provides financial accounting. The museum's treasurer, Dr. Yar Mociuk asked participants to review the financial statements in the annual report for information about the fiscal state of the institution. The report will be mailed to the general membership during the summer.

The president of the board of trustees, Olha Hnateyko, said that 2001 was truly a historic year for the museum. She recounted the major events of the year, citing the museum's celebration of its 25th anniversary and the beginning of construction of its new facility.

The trend of singular events of 2001 continued into the early part of 2002, when the welfare and the development of The Ukrainian Museum in New York City drew enthusiastic interest and a promise of support from the government of Ukraine, especially with reference to the museum's work in its new building.

Representatives of the Ukrainian diplomatic community in New York City, Ambassador Valeriy Kuchinsky, permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, offered his assistance and that of the Mission, as did the Consul General of Ukraine in New York City, Serhiy Pohoreltzev. They offered to assist the museum's future projects with the aim of promoting cooperative endeavors with museums and the arts community in Ukraine.

A few days before the annual meeting, the museum received a grant from the Office of the Manhattan Borough President, in the amount of $125,000. The grant, from Borough President C. Virginia Fields, was designated specifically toward the new building project.

Mrs. Hnateyko said that the year 2001 and the current year also brought unprecedented generous support from the community, encouraged by the $2.5 million gift to the Building Fund from Eugene and Daymel Shklar and their $1 million Challenge Grant. Although the museum met the "challenge" and raised over and above the $1 million required by the Challenge Grant, the board president made it very clear that it does not mean the museum has enough funding for the total building project.

She explained that the money necessary for the construction of the building is in place, but that funds are still needed to furnish and equip the interior. The new museum building will need an efficient security system, as well as a communications system.

She went on to explain that museum furnishings and equipment are specialized, such as exhibition display cases, special lighting, storage shelving and cabinetry, and audio/visual equipment, to cite a few examples. The library, administrative offices, workrooms, the gift shop need to be appropriately furnished to allow for maximum productivity and utilization. "These items must be made or ordered to our specifications and cost a great deal of money. We, therefore, look to the generosity of our community to support this important aspect of the building project," she concluded.

The board president also spoke about museum membership, emphasizing its importance and necessity. Although the emphasis is always on the benefits for the individual, she, however, focused on how membership helps the museum. Dues provide not only financial relief for the museum, but membership itself is a strong moral endorsement of the purpose and agenda of the institution. Membership also plays a vital role in the area of grants.

Grantors - federal, state, municipal and private foundations - are more inclined to support successful organizations, and one of the success indicators that figures prominently on an applications is the size of membership. Mrs. Hnateyko urged both financial and membership support of the museum, saying that, "the quality of work of our institution will depend on the support we receive from the community."

Because the work of the museum and its importance is to a great degree reflected in the quality of its collections, Mrs. Hnateyko explained that it is imperative to keep the collections growing. People who have artifacts that exemplify the Ukrainian culture are invited to donate paintings, folk art objects, photographs, historical documents, etc., to the museum. Currently, the museum has about 8,000 objects in the folk art collection, more than 4,000 in the fine arts and over 28,000 in the photo/documentary collection.

Mrs. Hnateyko, Andrey Hankevych, former chair of the Building Committee, and Nicholas Andreadis, the current chair, explained the status of the building project since the signing of the contract with the construction company S. DiGiacomo & Son in the summer of 2001. There were some delays to contend with the major one due to interruptions in city administrative functions in the aftermath of the September 11 attack, which held up the issuance of the building permit. At this juncture, the past and present chairs noted, everything is proceeding according to schedule with the completion of construction projected for the summer of 2003.

Due to the extensive coverage of museum programs and events for 2001 in the annual report, Director Maria Shust concentrated more on reporting activities in 2002. She said that preparatory work had begun on inaugural exhibitions in the new building. Art historian Dr. Jaroslaw Leshko was engaged to curate the Alexander Archipenko art exhibition. A concurrent inaugural exhibit, curated by Lubow Wolynetz, will be organized from the museum's folk art collection. Two scholars, Dr. Ludmyla Bulhakova from the Museum of Ethnography in Lviv and Prof. Natalia Kononenko from the University of Virginia, will consult on this project. For the year 2002 the museum received a $12,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts for the planning of this exhibition.

Ms. Shust also informed the audience that historian Prof. Orest Subtelny has agreed to curate an exhibit that will detail the cultural contributions of Ukrainian immigrants in America. The exhibit will be organized from the museum's archival collection.

In her report the director covered several other aspects of the institution's activities, among them the newly mounted photographic exhibition from Ukraine, "Ornament is not a Crime," which is currently on view. She described the educational programs, fund-raising endeavors (such as the successful Malanka and the Stride & Ride event), press and public relations efforts.

She particularly underlined the fact that the museum utilizes computer technology to the fullest, resulting in substantial savings, especially in such aspects of work as the preparation of materials for publication. The museum's webpage, created and monitored at no cost to the museum by BRAMA webmasters Hanya Krill and Max Pyziur, gives the institution unprecedented access to the world in terms of outreach, advertising and promotion.

Both the board president and the director expressed their gratitude to The Ukrainian museum's members, supporters and friends in communities near and distant, whose generosity has sustained museum activities for the past 25 years and presently underwrites the construction of the new building. Mrs. Hnateyko and Ms. Shust thanked supporters for the generosity of their spirit, for caring and helping in many ways to make the institution strong, viable and able to carry out its goals.

The president of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Iryna Kurowyckyj, pledged that her organization will continue to support the museum, as it has since the institution was founded in 1976. UNWLA branches located throughout the country not only provide financial help, but promote the work of the museum in their communities.

The chair of the Auditing Committee, Wasyl Sosiak, reported that his committee had conducted a satisfactory audit of the museum's books and noted that its bookkeeping is conducted with competence and excellence.

The board of trustees welcomed two new members for the 2002-2003 term of office. They are Mykola Haliv and Nicholas Andreadis. The museum's board is composed of 25 members, each with a three-year term of office.

The new roster of the executive board includes: Mrs. Hnateyko, president; Mrs. Kurowyckyj, Tatiana Tershakovec and Maria Tomorug, vice-presidents; Dr. Mociuk, treasurer; Katria Czerwoniak and Orysia Woloszyn, secretaries; Mr. Andreadis, Orest Glut and Mr. Hankevych, members-at-large.

Board members are: Anna Alyskewycz, Ulana Baczynskyj, Mr. Haliv, Sophia Hewryk, Ulana Kobzar, Lidia Krushelnytsky, Andrew Lencyk, Zenon Masnyj, Rostislav Milanytch, Maria Pazuniak, Maria Polanskyj, Roma Shuhan, Olga Stawnychy, Oksana Trytjak and Irenaeus Yurchuk.

Auditing Committee members are: Mr. Sosiak, (chair), Donna Czechowycz, Ihor Hayda, Yaroslawa Luchechko and Wolodymyr Magun.

For information on how to support The Ukrainian Museum and its new building project call (212) 228-0110; e-mail info@ukrainianmuseum.org; or log on to www.ukrainianmuseum.org.

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