Ukraine: Help Elevate Art Lives
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Dear Friends,
My name is Polina Ivko . I am an American art & entertainment attorney, a native of Ukraine, an artist, and a New York transplant, helping to preserve cultural heritage in places that need it most. I am asking you to join me on this journey specifically with respect to Ukrainian arts.
My motherland, Ukraine, is fighting to keep its freedom and prevent the eradication of its cultural identity. Putin’s blood-thirsty war is killing innocent people, shelling the museums and institutions all over Ukraine, burning Ukrainian books, and stealing art and artifact collections. The Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum that housed the collection of renowned artist Maria Prymachenko is destroyed. Hundreds of archival documents and books of Viacheslav Chornovil and Mykola Plakhotnyuk , critical Ukrainian politicians and avid supporters of the artistic community, have been burned. These are only a few recent crimes against the arts and culture of Ukraine, but similar crimes date back to the sixteenth century.
Russia’s lists enumerate Ukrainian creatives and scholars to be tortured, imprisoned, killed and silenced. Despite these horrors looming over them, none of the creatives gave up. Some have turned to armor, helping to save the country from the Ruscist attack. Their single offense is promoting Ukrainian culture through their art and teachings. Andriy Khlyvnuk, front man of the popular band Boombox and an old friend, has been serving in the territorial defense and singing folk songs to uplift the spirits of the Ukrainian people. “The Red Viburnum in the Meadow” that he sang revived Pink Floyd from its hibernation, who went on to create a viral song, “Hey Hey Rise Up ,” featuring Khlyvnuk’s vocals to raise awareness and funds for Ukraine.
Other artists have also been utilizing their art to aid the military, the wounded, and the families of the killed. Like many designers from Ukraine, Anton Belinskiy , one of the most celebrated Ukrainian designers and a childhood friend, has successfully used his platform for humanitarian relief. Instead of carrying on business as usual in his atelier, his team has been cooped up on the shop making thermal wear for soldiers. Further, he has been selling various limited editions of his coveted designs depicting Ukrainian passports and other folk imagery to raise funds for local charities.
My family, friends, and I have been assisting our “brothers and sisters” relentlessly since the onset of the war. Together, we have secured medical supplies for the sick, sent funds and food to the hungry, safely relocated those in need of evacuation, and provided housing to refugees worldwide (a special thank you for that one to my colleagues as well). Of course, we’ve also assisted with keeping the precious art safe.
Today, I am calling upon you as a passionate advocate for the arts to join me on a mission to save Ukrainian creatives, scholars, and support teams, thereby preserving Ukrainian cultural identity.
Ukrainian arts and culture must survive. I plead with you to help me raise funds to assist the creative and cultural community of Ukraine. Every penny donated will be held in a public trust account managed by my law firm . All funds will go towards the emergency needs, such as medical assistance, housing, food, childcare, and other necessities of creatives and academics, vetted by my firm. In the future, with your invaluable engagement, this initiative will evolve into a nonprofit that will aid the creative community of Ukraine to rebuild their studios, businesses, and careers as creatives after the war, enabling smiles on the faces of our future generations.
This fundraiser is dedicated to all brave Ukrainians brutally murdered by the Russian army, including actor and entertainer Pasha Lee in Irpin, my lost relatives and friends.
Yours truly,
Polina Ivko
Credits:
Contributing editors: Maryna Rauer and Jonathan Illari
Photo: Luke Jones
My name is Polina Ivko . I am an American art & entertainment attorney, a native of Ukraine, an artist, and a New York transplant, helping to preserve cultural heritage in places that need it most. I am asking you to join me on this journey specifically with respect to Ukrainian arts.
My motherland, Ukraine, is fighting to keep its freedom and prevent the eradication of its cultural identity. Putin’s blood-thirsty war is killing innocent people, shelling the museums and institutions all over Ukraine, burning Ukrainian books, and stealing art and artifact collections. The Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum that housed the collection of renowned artist Maria Prymachenko is destroyed. Hundreds of archival documents and books of Viacheslav Chornovil and Mykola Plakhotnyuk , critical Ukrainian politicians and avid supporters of the artistic community, have been burned. These are only a few recent crimes against the arts and culture of Ukraine, but similar crimes date back to the sixteenth century.
Russia’s lists enumerate Ukrainian creatives and scholars to be tortured, imprisoned, killed and silenced. Despite these horrors looming over them, none of the creatives gave up. Some have turned to armor, helping to save the country from the Ruscist attack. Their single offense is promoting Ukrainian culture through their art and teachings. Andriy Khlyvnuk, front man of the popular band Boombox and an old friend, has been serving in the territorial defense and singing folk songs to uplift the spirits of the Ukrainian people. “The Red Viburnum in the Meadow” that he sang revived Pink Floyd from its hibernation, who went on to create a viral song, “Hey Hey Rise Up ,” featuring Khlyvnuk’s vocals to raise awareness and funds for Ukraine.
Other artists have also been utilizing their art to aid the military, the wounded, and the families of the killed. Like many designers from Ukraine, Anton Belinskiy , one of the most celebrated Ukrainian designers and a childhood friend, has successfully used his platform for humanitarian relief. Instead of carrying on business as usual in his atelier, his team has been cooped up on the shop making thermal wear for soldiers. Further, he has been selling various limited editions of his coveted designs depicting Ukrainian passports and other folk imagery to raise funds for local charities.
My family, friends, and I have been assisting our “brothers and sisters” relentlessly since the onset of the war. Together, we have secured medical supplies for the sick, sent funds and food to the hungry, safely relocated those in need of evacuation, and provided housing to refugees worldwide (a special thank you for that one to my colleagues as well). Of course, we’ve also assisted with keeping the precious art safe.
Today, I am calling upon you as a passionate advocate for the arts to join me on a mission to save Ukrainian creatives, scholars, and support teams, thereby preserving Ukrainian cultural identity.
Ukrainian arts and culture must survive. I plead with you to help me raise funds to assist the creative and cultural community of Ukraine. Every penny donated will be held in a public trust account managed by my law firm . All funds will go towards the emergency needs, such as medical assistance, housing, food, childcare, and other necessities of creatives and academics, vetted by my firm. In the future, with your invaluable engagement, this initiative will evolve into a nonprofit that will aid the creative community of Ukraine to rebuild their studios, businesses, and careers as creatives after the war, enabling smiles on the faces of our future generations.
This fundraiser is dedicated to all brave Ukrainians brutally murdered by the Russian army, including actor and entertainer Pasha Lee in Irpin, my lost relatives and friends.
Yours truly,
Polina Ivko
Credits:
Contributing editors: Maryna Rauer and Jonathan Illari
Photo: Luke Jones
Organizer
Polina Ivko
Organizer
New York, NY