Representatives of more than 100 Ukrainian museums meeting in Berlin called on international donors to accord more recognition to their contribution to rebuilding the country, pledging to create a modern, visitor-oriented and inclusive cultural sector.
The two-day conference, called From Crisis to Future: New Responsibilities for Museums in Ukraine, was initiated by Ukraine’s OBMIN foundation, which represents the country’s museums, and was supported by the Ukrainian, Polish and German governments. It was the largest gathering of Ukrainian museum workers since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Delegates developed a set of 10 proposals to put forward to the Unesco conference in Vilnius on 6-7 June and the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin on 11-12 June, an international meeting addressing a wide range of issues ranging from economic stability and infrastructure to education, health and the environment.
Anastasia Bondar, Ukraine’s deputy minister of culture and information policy, said it was the first time “culture and heritage finally had a voice and the opportunity to be heard” at a conference dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine. “Museums should play a crucial role in rebuilding Ukraine and they should be better included in the various programmes for the reconstruction of the Ukraine,” OBMIN said in a statement.
The foundation said that 102 Ukrainian museums and art galleries have been damaged, 12 of which were completely destroyed. In total, more than 1,000 heritage sites have been damaged, the foundation said.
“This destruction is very often targeted attacks on Ukrainian culture and identity by Putin’s Russia,” German culture minister Claudia Roth said in a statement. “That makes it all the more important that we support Ukraine, wherever we can, to protect, strengthen and rebuild cultural heritage and cultural institutions.”
Despite the war, museums remain open as much as possible, OBMIN said. Challenges include the absence of male employees called to military service, which means that “today, more than ever, museum work is performed mainly by female teams,” the foundation said.
“The experience of war has already forced many museums to radically change the way they work: some museums from currently occupied territories have already moved their activities from physical buildings with physical exhibits to interactive online platforms,” the statement said.
The delegates proposed creating a fund for private donations to help small and medium-sized local and regional museums and museum professionals from areas currently occupied by Russia.
They also called for the creation of a “system of secure external servers for the preservation of our digitalised heritage and a national effort to quickly and completely digitalise all museum content” as well as “a network of reliable storage facilities with the necessary technical equipment, which can become local hubs for securing collections in the event of a threat.”
