a gang extorted money from archaeologists for work in eastern Ukraine

An extortionist, who targeted archaeologists through their work, has been imprisoned for six-and-a-half years. The Mikolayev/Nikolaev District Court had previously convicted him of (and put him on probation for) ‘fraud [мошенничество]’. On the 29th of April 2014, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and sentence, which reflected the extortion and the violation of the conditions of his probation. This is not related to the crisis.

Ukrainian museum workers: wise rats that bear ancient knowledge

Ukrainian cultural worker Leonid Liptuga and sculptor Oleg Chernoivanov have built a monument to museum workers who, ‘despite the low wages and low prestige of their profession, remain faithful to their work [які попри низьку заробітну плату і невеликий престиж професії, залишаються вірні своїй справі]’. It is a sculpture of a pyramid born aloft by rats. Archaeologist Yakov Gershkovich has been kind enough to explain that they are ‘wise rats‘, which bear ‘an ancient pyramid of knowledge’, and their young.(1)

EuroMaidan propaganda in Moscow Museum

Discussing “I am a drop in the ocean”, its co-curator – the Deputy Director of Art Arsenal (Mystetskyi Arsenal), Alisa Lozhkina – regretted that they had not been able to find ‘at least one artist who would support the other side…. The other side had no face.’ Moscow Museum (Музее Москвы) has produced an ‘exhibition of artefacts from Maidan [Выставка артефактов с Майдана]’ that tells the story only from the other side. But its centrepiece, at least, is a most despicable lie.

‘I am a drop in the ocean’ – protest art and documentation of EuroMaidan

Vienna’s Künstlerhaus is hosting an exhibition, “I am a drop in the ocean“, which displays protest art ‘inspired by or eerily prescient of the clashes’ in the EuroMaidan revolution. They include the ‘Strike Posters’ that symbolised the movement, the performances of resistance that advanced it – such as the literal holding up of mirrors to the police – and ‘barricades with barbed wire and sandbags’, a model of the trebuchet…

Posters from EuroMaidan: a (diaspora) Ukrainian museum exhibition

The Ukrainian Museum (in New York @UkrMuseum) has extended its temporary exhibition of Posters from EuroMaidan, which presents art from the protests for corruption-free democracy. The displayed posters are catalogued in the exhibition’s brochure (via Mary Beth Griggs (@marybethgriggs) at the Smithsonian Magazine).

Elsewhere, the Ukrainian Museum-Archives (in Cleveland @UMACleveland) has held View from the Maidan, a benefit for the Fund to Aid Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (in Saskatoon @UkrMuseumCA) has used social media to promote understanding of events.

museums, politics and power in Ukraine

Once-Ukraine-based museum consultant Linda B. Norris (@lindabnorris), who is part of the ICOM conference/project on Museums, Politics and Power (#museumspolitics)), has been discussing the role of museums in democratic revolutions.

Maidan Museum: a revolution in history, a revolution in thought

Maidan Self-Defence, the National Centre of Folk Culture Ivan Honchar Museum, the “Tustan” State Historical-Cultural Park and the Cultural Policies Agency NGO have established the Maidan Museum [Музей Майдану], in order ‘to preserve artefacts that show the significant social changes in Ukraine in 2013-2014 [збереження артефактів, які стали свідченням відчутних суспільних зрушень в Україні 2013-2014]’, ‘to preserve the memory of the events that changed Ukraine and to elucidate[?] the values ​​that motivate people who seek change [увічнити пам’ять про події, що змінили Україну і вияскравити цінності мотивації людей, що прагнуть змін]’.

Ukraine: democratic and transparent government, democratic and transparent management

Ukrainian cultural workers have petitioned parliament for expert and democratic, clean and transparent management of the cultural sector.