Throughout 2023, UKRAINE! UNMUTED became somewhat of a motto for (CSI) Cultural Strategy Institute, keeping the focus from 2022. It served as the theme for a series of projects, aimed particularly at foreign audiences: the Culture Congress, the triennial of Ukrainian contemporary art “Ukrainian Cross Section”, and a collection of essays on Ukrainian culture. We are pleased that this book was nominated for the Lviv Literary Award — UNESCO City of Literature 2022-2023 and is now in the hands of readers from the USA to Japan!
Our research interests from the past year — relocated culture, culture in the Lviv agglomeration and its communities, and the experience of ECoC cities (European Capitals of Culture), and in education — a comprehensive intensive programme for beginners in the cultural sphere, thematic lectures for students and schoolchildren. We are delighted that, together with cultural institutions in Lviv, we were able to implement a timely initiative for blood donation in Ukraine (and that it has since grown!), and thanks to Jazz Bez — we can view music as a source of resilience in challenging times. We also continued initiatives to support children, especially those affected by war (“Sounds into Hands”, “Brushes into Hands”, JazzBez Kids).
In terms of numbers, in 2023, CSI successfully implemented 5 large-scale projects lasting several days (the “Fulfillment” campaign, the Summer School, the Culture Congress, the triennial “Ukrainian Cross-Section”, Jazz Bez), one of which took place in Lublin (Poland). Additionally, we held 25 thematic events, aimed specifically at strengthening professional communities and finding ways to support the cultural sector in Ukraine during the war. We introduced new sections, such as “New on the Map” (with 8 episodes released), “Cultural Map of Lviv. Dialogues” (25 interviews with representatives of institutions/initiatives, including new and relocated ones).
We report interaction with nearly 100 institutions/initiatives in Lviv, throughout the country, and abroad; and this involves not only culture (but also, for example, fields of education, medicine, IT). A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed with the ZMIN Foundation (a private Ukrainian foundation established to enhance social transformations and sustainable development in Ukraine). CSI representatives participated in events in Warsaw (presenting Lublin’s application for the 2029 ECoC competition), Lublin, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Drohobych, and Lviv. Regarding CSI’s finances in 2023: the Institute’s budget amounted to 3,900,000 UAH, with funds raised through grant programmes and sponsorship totaling 3,563,618 UAH.
The following individuals worked on project implementation and activities in 2023: Yulia Khomchyn, Lida Savchenko-Duda, Iryna Shutka, Marta Bilska, Solomiya Tkach, Lavrin Shymin, Nazar Bakovych, Orest Kravchyk, Sofia Lenartovych, Yulia Dycka, Yaryna Korotkevych, Maryana Kuzemska, Mariia Kravchenko, Roman Lytvyn.
And now, let’s delve into 2023 — more consequently and specifically.
Blood Donation Campaign “Fulfillment”
“Fulfillment” is a campaign aimed at encouraging and supporting blood donation for both military and civilians. Within the initiative, over 270 individuals received tickets to concerts, exhibitions, performances, and tours at around 20 cultural establishments in Lviv during February-March 2023. The campaign became a way for Lviv’s cultural community to thank donors and promote the culture of donation. Later, the idea was embraced and implemented on a larger scale in the Lviv region and within Lviv’s IT community.
Relocated Culture: Experiences, Challenges, Connections
“Relocated Culture” is an observation that attempts to document certain processes in Lviv’s cultural sphere following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It discusses the challenges faced by activists and cultural institutions in Ukraine, including those relocated to Lviv from cities like Kherson and Mariupol, and their role and interaction with the local context.
Strategic Management in Culture: Lviv Agglomeration
In recent years, there has been an increased dynamic in the process of formalization of the Lviv Agglomeration and the development of a strategy for its development, ultimately adopted at the end of 2023. Last year, with the support of the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Stability in Ukraine,” a thematic discussion on the Lviv Agglomeration and the place of culture within it was held at CSI. At the end of 2023, the study “Strategic Management in Culture: Lviv Agglomeration” was presented. Its goal was to clarify the cultural potential of the Lviv Agglomeration, the place of culture in the development strategies of agglomeration communities, and the problems and opportunities for the development of the cultural sphere locally.
ECoC Program: Experience of Others, Opportunities for Ukrainian Cities
CSI is developing contacts with European Capitals of Culture: currently, these include Wroclaw, Kaunas, Matera, San Sebastian, Timișoara, and Brno. We have initiated and maintained dialogue with colleagues from the offices of Chemnitz ECoC 2025andTartu ECoC 2024. We closely monitor Lublin: if Lublin wins the title of ECoC 2029, it will be a victory for us as well, as Lublin’s program as a candidatefor ECoC 2029 includes activities involving Lviv! In 2023, two documents on the topic of ECoC were developed. The first one is “ECoC: European Capital of Culture. Why This Title Matters,” which discusses the evolution of the ECoC program, factors for successful application, and Lviv’s chances in this context. The document is available here: https://bit.ly/3BYk5ze. The second document is “ECoC: Checklist for Ukrainian Cities,” prepared by Kateryna Krawchuk (Lanka) as part of the Culture Congress UKRAINE! UNMUTED. It includes self-assessment points for cities, advice on participating in the program, and descriptions of the effects of the ECoC title for the city and community. Link to the text: https://bit.ly/3FLJ7Dy.
CSI Summer School
CSI Summer School is a three-day educational intensive programme that responds to the requests we most frequently hear in our environment. At the School, experienced professionals covered topics such as global trends in culture, communication, project management, and fundraising, Ukrainian culture in times of war, international partnerships, and legal issues. The intensive was primarily aimed at beginners in the cultural and creative industries, as well as relocated cultural activists and NGOs in Lviv, who, in addition to improving their professional level, need immersion in the local context. Two editions of the School took place: June 30 – July 2 for students and industry representatives, and later a one-day programme for library workers. In total, 70 people have graduated from the School!
Independence Lecture by Yurko Vovkohon
“To Be Yourself” was a lecture delivered in August 2023 — ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day — by Yurko Vovkohon, a person with a background in culture and military experience. The event took place on August 24th in Lviv, at the territory of the Memorial to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. This was the third Independence Lecture — a format initiated by CSI in 2021 for the date symbolizing the restoration of Ukraine’s independence. The meeting became part of the Culture Congress UKRAINE! UNMUTED.
III Culture Congress UKRAINE! UNMUTED
This was the third Culture Congress in Lviv. Its theme was UKRAINE! UNMUTED. For three days — September 7-9 — the Congress brought together around 300 participants from various cities in Ukraine and countries such as Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, Great Britain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan, etc. Inspirational speeches were delivered by Olexandra Matviychuk, a human rights activist and the head of the Center for Civil Liberties, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (2022), and Anatoliy Dnistrovyi, a writer, artist, and officer; since 2022 — in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The theme was traditionally explored through two components — discussion and art. Within the discussion program, there were thematic blocks such as “Language of War,” “Migration,” “Awakening of Voice,” accompanied by practical focuses (preservation of heritage during war, experience of ЕCoC Cities, etc.). The art component featured the triennial of contemporary Ukrainian art “Ukrainian Cross-section”. More info on the web site of Congress.
5th Ukrainian Cross-Section UKRAINE! UNMUTED
The story that began in Kaunas ECoC 2022, continued in 2023. The 5th Ukrainian Cross-Section UKRAINE! UNMUTED was exhibited in Lviv as part of the Culture Congress in September 2023. Additionally, an expanded exposition was presented in Lublin: from September 22nd to November 10th, art projects and works by over 20 authors were showcased at Galeria Biała. The exhibition component was complemented by thematic discussions, including those within the Congress of Cross-Border Cooperation and at Galeria Biała. Speakers from Ukraine, Poland, Great Britain, and the USA deliberated on Ukraine and Ukrainian culture in times of war. Recordings: https://bit.ly/3rbnJ76.
Book of Essays UKRAINE! UNMUTED
This collection features 10 texts on Ukrainian arts, literature, cinema, fashion, etc., particularly in the context of (post)colonialism; it also includes forward-looking thoughts. The authors of the essays include Mykola Riabchuk, Iaroslava Strikha, Kateryna Botanova, Taras Lyuty, Ivan Kozlenko, and others. The compiler and editor — Oksana Forostyna. It is primarily addressed to foreign readers. Currently, the book has been published in Ukrainian, English, Lithuanian, and Polish languages and is available in private and public libraries in the USA, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Japan, etc. The English version by Anna Vovchenko is available here: https://bit.ly/48EGDDU.
Podcast UKRAINE! UNMUTED
The UKRAINE UNMUTED podcast [Season 2] is a collaborative project of CSI focusing on how Ukraine interacts with the world through culture during wartime. The author and the host of the podcast is Evgenia Nesterovych. Eight episodes have been released, and are now available on the CSI YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3HnmA0C.
Jazz Bez 2023 “Jazz Therapy”
The 23rd Jazz Bez under the slogan “Jazz Therapy” united Lviv, Drohobych, Vynnyky, Ternopil, Rivne, and Uman, and in Poland — Przemyśl, Kraków, and Lublin. From December 3rd to 12th in Lviv, over 30 musicians from Ukraine, Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA performed. Educational events were also organized (lecture “Why does favorite music restore?”), as well as the Jazz Bez Kids programme (approximately 50 children from Lviv participated in musical improvisation sessions, including those who had left their homes due to the full-scale invasion). The International Festival of Contemporary Improvised Music Jazz Bez is one of the largest and longest-running festivals in Ukraine (since 2001!) and the only cross-border one: it takes place in Ukraine and Poland.
Initiatives for Children-IDPs (internally displaced persons) “Sounds in Hands” and “Brushes in Hands”
“Sounds in Hands” is a project aimed at finding and providing musical instruments to Ukrainian children and teenagers who have lost the opportunity to engage in music due to the war. Both private benefactors and institutions from Ukraine and abroad have joined the initiative. To date, approximately a hundred musical instruments have been handed over to children as part of the campaign (ranging from flutes to violins and guitars). “Brushes in Hands” is an CSI project that emerged in response to the desire of NY4UKRAINE — an organization from the USA providing support to the military and IDPs in Ukraine — to provide drawing materials to Ukrainian children, particularly in art therapy groups. The children received supplies in modular towns for IDPs in Lviv, at the “YA Mariupol” center, and thanks to partners, in various regions of Ukraine. These initiatives continue the CSI program for children-IDPs, initiated in 2022.
Community Strengthening
In 2023, a series of events took place to strengthen the cultural environment and networking. These include meetings of Lviv cultural activists with French and Polish colleagues, representatives of Creative Europe in France/Relais Culture Europe (led by Pascal Brunett), discussions on support opportunities for Ukrainian culture with representatives of the culture ministries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and meetings with representatives of local and regional development agencies from different cities and regions of Ukraine. Also worth mentioning are the working meeting on updating the Lviv Culture Development Strategy 2025 in the context of COVID experience and war-related challenges, monitoring the election process for the new Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and the discussion “Mariupol: Yesterday’s Tomorrow” (about culture as a significant part of future de-occupation and recovery). CSI, as a partner, participated in supporting the Music StartUp educational program, presenting the Organizer’s Guide for organizing art residencies, and more. We also host internships for students from Lviv universities — we are glad to gain such a cooperation!
Partnerships and Networking
We identify various types of partnerships. Among institutional partners are organizations such as ZMIN Foundation, Renaissance International Foundation, Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, Kredobank, America House Lviv, Consulate General of Poland in Lviv, Polish Institute in Kyiv, Centrum Kultury w Lublinie, Strefa Kultury Wrocław, and TIC Brno. Project/event partnerships include the Ukrainian Institute, Lanka, Lviv Media Forum, UNESCO Cultural Center in Lviv, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Czech Committee of the International Council of Museums, Galeria Biała in Lublin, etc. Many initiatives have become possible thanks to the proactivity of municipal cultural institutions. We are grateful to technical partners for their reliability and media partners for their attention to cultural topics.
The CSI team is convinced that amidst these challenging times for Ukrainians — marked by profound losses and uncertainty — culture can (and should) be our soft power, one of the pillars both at the personal and societal levels, a space for dialogue with others — a dialogue about the authenticity of Ukrainian culture and the struggle of Ukrainians today.
This is a shortened version of the CSI 2023 annual report in Ukrainian.