The "Culture in the Shelter" Project: Restoration of the Underground Art Gallery Activities at the National University of Ostroh Academy
November 06, 2024
Over the last 4 months, the Museum of the NaUOA History team has been implementing the project "Culture in the Shelter": the restoration of the underground art gallery of the National University of Ostroh Academy.
The idea of the project is to make the underground art gallery, the most dynamic unit of the university museum for the last 13 years, serving after the outbreak of war as a shelter, a place of cultural and artistic events and activities again.
The museum workers submitted a grant application from the Charitable Foundation for the Ostroh Academy Revival to the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation for the "Restoration of Cultural Activities" Programme to implement the idea. The project won first place and received financial support after a competitive selection process.
The main task of the project was to create an educational exhibition, "Ostroh Academy: Cultural Images and Contexts", in all four halls of the gallery and introduce the 448-year history of Ostroh Academy as a unique phenomenon of Ukrainian culture, which for centuries has been a symbol of intellectual progress, new progressive ideas in Ukrainian culture and education. The halls of the gallery are dedicated to different chronological stages of Ostroh Academy's history and have corresponding thematic sections: "Ostroh Academy and the Ukrainian Cultural Renaissance of the 16th-17th centuries", "The New History of the Academy in the Revived Ukraine: A Tradition that Creates the Future", "The University and the War: A Chronology of the New Reality".
The exposition was prepared by three authors: Vitalii Bondarchuk (chief curator of the NaUOA Museum), Bohdan Novak (researcher at the NaUOA Museum) and Anastasiia Kheleniuk (Director of the NaUOA Museum). The exhibition must be designed so that it does not take away from the space of the shelter but fills it. The informational panels on the walls repeat the shapes of the gallery's vaults.
On the tablets, in addition to text and illustrations, there are active links via QR code to digital exhibits, video, and audio content. In addition, technical equipment such as TV sets and projectors are installed in each hall, allowing the exhibition information to be supplemented with thematic videos and photographs from the archives of the Museum of the NaUOА History.
For example, in the hall dedicated to the ancient history of Ostroh Academy, videos from the "Animated History of the Ostroh Princes" Series are being broadcast. "Town Image Studio," a small town's development studio, created them. In the section concerning the history of the Ostroh Academy revival, videos and photographs from the institution's early years, sourced from the archives of the Museum of the History of NaUOA, are presented. Additionally, to complement this exhibition section, the project team, in collaboration with the NGO "Town Image Studio," created a video interview with the founding rector of Ostroh Academy, Hero of Ukraine, Prof. I.D. Pasichnyk. The thematic section dedicated to contemporary events in the university's life, particularly its activities during the full-scale war, is equipped with QR codes that provide access to videos complementing the information displayed on tablets. This interactive feature makes the exhibition more informative.
It is symbolic that the presentation of the updated gallery took place during university-wide events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the revival of Ostroh Academy. A unique conclusion to these events was the evening of memories, "30 Memories of OA," held in the shelter gallery of the NaUOA. During the event, participants could watch archival videos of the revival process of Ostroh Academy. At the same time, the first students, professors, and staff shared memories of how their journey at the university began.
The museum staff organised other events to spread information about the project and present the exhibition. In particular, the creators of the exhibition presented three public lectures.
The curator of the exhibition, Cand. Sc. (History) and Chief Curator of the Collections Vitalii Bondarchuk, in his lecture "Ostroh Academy and the Ukrainian Cultural Revival of the 16th-17th Centuries," focused on the early period of the academy's activity in the 16th-17th centuries, its significance in the history of Ukrainian culture, and its role in the formation of national identity.
The research fellow of the Museum of the History of the NaUOA, Bohdan Novak, presented the lecture "The New History of the Academy in the Revived Ukraine: A Tradition that Creates the Future," focusing on the history of the Ostroh Academy revival and its significance not only as an educational centre but also as an essential cultural phenomenon in independent Ukraine.
The section of the exhibition "University and War: The Chronology of a New Reality" was presented by Cand.Sc. (History), Director of the Museum of the NaUOA History, Anastasiia Kheleniuk. She spoke about the most recent period in the university's life - since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 - its adaptation to the new reality, the experience of working, and the development of emotional resilience through volunteer efforts and charitable events. The topic of memorialising the fallen staff and alumni of the NaUOA was presented in the format of a "Book of Remembrance", which complements the exhibition.
Activities were also held in collaboration with the Ostroh School of Arts as part of the planned events. In particular, the presentation of the updated gallery took place in an unusual format — a combination of an exhibition tour conducted by the Director of the Museum of the NaUOA History, Anastasiia Kheleniuk, with musical performances by the teachers and students of the School of Arts, accompanied by commentary from its director, Nataliia Balaushko.
The final event was the intellectual game “What? Where? When?”, which brought together the cultural institutions of Ostroh, the university, and the local community. In addition to questions related to the architectural landmarks of Ostroh, works of art in general, and specific exhibits from Ostroh's museums, as well as history, music, and more, musical performances by the Ostroh School of Arts were featured in the gallery halls.
The project manager and research fellow of the Museum of the NaUOA History, Cand.Sc. (Philosophy), Olga Shliakhova summarised the project by stating:
"Culture in a shelter is possible and important. We adopted this credo as the foundation and confirmed it in our project. I am very grateful to the entire team and the partners we have worked with over these months. Of course, special thanks go to the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, which supports not only the initiatives of large cultural organisations but also regional cultural and artistic institutions. We are pleased to realise that together we have accomplished an important task – we have brought our gallery back to life. We have transformed the shelter into an interesting location not only for students and locals but also into a quality tourist product for visitors and guests of the university, allowing us to share the history of the academy, the city, their place, and revolutionary role in Ukrainian culture with a larger audience. We believe that our project will serve as an example for creating similar exhibitions or displays in other institutions."
