Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Resistance and Remembrance
History Is Now
The 18-month initiative, which is ffunded by the U.S. State Department’s Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative, will address urgent needs in the country’s museum and heritage field which, despite gains made since independence, still suffers from the effects of Russia’s nearly 70-year rule. Many sites in the country adhere to outdated management and public engagement approaches that position museums as elite places for experts and expertise, rather than for the community. Museums Strengthen Democracy will transform this landscape by building the capacity of these sites to launch transformative projects in their communities that preserve the country’s unique cultural heritage and empower Ukrainians to promote a rights-based future for their country. Focusing primarily on mid-size history, local lore, ethnographic museums and historic sites that are primarily outside of the urban centers like Kyiv and L’viv where most of the country’s resources are centered, the initiative will provide training to address gaps identified by participants such as strengthening critical thinking skills; collections and community engagement; developing community dialogues; and developing theories of change.
Ihor Poshyvailo, Director of the Maidan Museum in Ukraine, holding up a ceramic object found shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, explained to The Guardian , “We try to collect objects that tell symbolic and emotional stories, symbols of the te rror and of resistance.” Mr. Poshyvailo will serve on Museums Strengthen Democracy ’s advisory committee of Ukrainian museum and heritage professionals who inform the project’s curriculum and implementation.
Once the training is complete, ICSC will provide catalytic financial support for project participants to design and implement public-facing civic engagement projects – such as exhibitions, public dialogues and other programming – that foster social cohesion and respect for inclusion and democratic values.
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