Heritage at Risk: National art collections of Ukraine and the 2022 war

Yulia is an art critic and curator. She is the General Director of the National Art Museum of Ukraine, as well as a member of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Committee “ICOM”. From 2004 to 2016, Yulia was chief keeper of the National Art Museum of Ukraine. She is also a researcher of Special Fund 1937 – 1939 from the collection of NAMU and losses of the museum during the Second World War.

Dr. Hanna Rudyk is a Deputy Director General and a Curator of Islamic arts at The Khanenko Museum (officially named “The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts”) in Kyiv, Ukraine. Dr. Rudyk graduated from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (MA, 1998, Cultural Studies). In 2001 she completed her Ph.D in Art History at the same university. Her work for the Khanenko Museum (since 2002 until now) included the development of new permanent exhibition of Islamic art (2006), as well as multiple (more than 25 up to now) research, curatorial and publication projects on Islamic and other non-European art collections, the history of the Khanenko Museum and its founders. Appointed Deputy Director on education and public programs in 2011 Dr. Rudyk initiated and coordinated the first museum large-scale visitors’ survey (2013, grant of “Development of Ukraine” Foundation) that allowed to develop within next decade a multifaceted museum programming strategy addressed to schoolchildren, families with kids, seniors, people with mental and eyesight disabilities, homeless people, etc. Dr. Rudyk was a project leader of the new museum inclusive website (2019) and of “Accessibility of museums for people with intellectual disabilities” (2020) grant projects. Currently Dr. Hanna Rudyk is working on a research project “Decolonizing Museums of Asian Art: European Experience for Ukraine” (grants of Prussian Culture Heritage Foundation and Volkswagen Foundation, hosted by Museum for Islamic art and Technical University, Berlin, Germany). Dr. Rudyk’s key professional interests include history and museology of Islamic art, museum decolonizaion; history of the Khanenko family and the Khanenko Museum; innovative ideas and practices of museum education, inclusion, and participation.

Dr. Nadia Tymchuk (Pavlichenko) received a professional education in the field of Cultural Studies at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (Bachelor and Master Levels 2006–2012; Postgraduate Studies 2012–2015). 

Since 2010, Dr. Tymchuk has been working as the researcher at the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU). Since 2017 combines scientific work with charity work as CEO of “Charitable Foundation of NAMU”.

In March 2017, Dr. Tymchuk successfully defended a dissertation thesis for the degree of PhD in Cultural Studies. She then became a Senior Lecturer at the Cultural Studies Department and later as Deputy Dean (since 2019) of the Faculty of Humanities at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”.

Dr. Tymchuk is also an independent curator and art critic who has participated in different projects, among which the OgoArt project (2016–2018) which promoted the development of young Ukrainian artists, and number of personal exhibitions. Dr. Tymchuk is also published as a freelance art-critic at “The Day” newspaper in the section of culture (2019–2022).

Yulia is an art-historian, art-manager, and curator. She is acting director at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Arts Museum. Previously, Yulia was deputy director for exhibition and museum projects in Mystetskyi Arsenal; and from 2013-2016 she was deputy director in exhibition, partnership, and international relation of the National Art Museum of Ukraine. Previously is Director of the Center for Contemporary Art at NaUKMA, KyivFor these institutions, Yulia has been part of the strategic development  and implementation teams.

Yulia has initiated, organized and served as a leader for a number of trainings on art management focused on institution development and site-specific activities. She has been invited lecturer at the National Ukrainian Art Academy and Kyiv Academy of Media Art. She has also run several international trainings for museums (transformation of museums, exposition, communication).  

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp, M.A., M.Mus., Ph.D. is an experienced, multi-lingual academic administrator who is highly skilled in the design and management of executive programs, graduate advanced education, public policy, and governance.

Dr. Durier-Copp joined NSCAD in March 2020 as Academic Dean, from Dalhousie University, where she served as Director, Centre for Executive and Graduate Education in the Faculty of Management, and Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Administration. Prior to that, she worked for the Federal and Provincial governments in senior leadership positions.  She is a published researcher/author in digital learning strategies. She has served on the board of the Institute on Governance for 5 years.

Dr. Durier-Copp has long been a supporter and practitioner of the arts for her entire career. She is a member of the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, Chair of Strategic Arts Management, and has been artistic director and choreographer of Canada Council for the Arts-supported Flamenco en Rouge for close to ten years. She trains regularly and intensively every year in Spain under flamenco masters.