In this coming April, we will be exhibiting a collective show with Viktoriya Samoylov, Natalia Verko, and numerous contributions from local refugees from Ukraine. We are very grateful for the Arts Council of the Valley for providing us with a generous grant to turn this idea into reality! Here is a little bit about our exhibit narrative: This exhibition will be giving a glimpse of the background story of many local immigrants, whether they immigrated in the 90’s, or recently after the start of the war starting February this year. The Shenandoah Valley has had a large Slavic population which particularly rose in the early ‘90s. Many locals helped these refugee families get set up with housing, medical care, and employment. However, being somewhat private, the culture hasn’t been shared much with the local community and sadly, did not always extend outside of their own familiar circles.
With the Ukrainian war that started early last year, many community members became more aware of the extent of the slavic community around them. Many places began raising money for those affected by the war and so much kindness was shown by our community. Once again, we are experiencing an influx of refugees from the same country. In an effort to bridge the gap between many newcoming immigrants, those that came twenty years ago, and the friendly community around us, we want to create a space for conversation, understanding, gratitude, and awareness of realities happening on the other side.
Both Natalie and Viktoriya have many connections in the slavic community via family, churches, and being residents of this area for the past 20+ years. Natalie has traveled recently to Ukraine and still has many personal connections to the areas at risk.
The exhibition will also strive to create an area where recent Ukrainian immigrants will contribute artworks reflecting their experiences and emotions in the past year. Contributions would be illustrations, poetry, paintings, or photographs.
This show will be opening the first week of April, 2023. More details to follow.