Opening the doors to
UKRAINE
Growing Culture & Community
At The Garden
The Ukrainian Cultural Association of Ohio (UCAO) is cultivating tradition and culture at the Otterbein Community Garden. “The garden has become a space where different generations and backgrounds converge, where our shared Ukrainian heritage becomes a bridge that connects us. Together, we remember and honor our cultural roots, sharing traditions and recipes that have been passed down through the years,” said UCAO garden leader Michael Litvinovich. “Our plot and gardeners inspire reflection and conversation on the current war in Ukraine,” said Associate Professor Megan Chawansky, a UCAO member.
Otterbein & The Arts: Opening Doors to the World invites you to explore Ukraine next spring, as The Frank Museum of Art and Fisher Gallery in Roush Hall feature work by Ukrainian artists Zaryana Bezu and Oleksii Koval, respectively. Both shows explore possibilities of diverse and expansive worlds grounded in and inspired by nature, as well as beauty and balance. The shows will run from Jan. 10-April 19, 2024.
Zaryana Bezu, a fiber and sculpture artist who was born in Kyiv, was 17 years old when the Soviet Union broke apart, and her country was thrown into economic and social chaos. Amid the hardship, Bezu turned for solace to the ancient Ukrainian folktales she found deeply embedded in the country’s history — stories, images, and realities that lived just beneath the surface of communist and orthodox narratives. Her environmental installation in The Frank Museum will introduce visitors to some of the realms and beings she has encountered over three decades.
Also born in Kyiv, Oleksii Koval has worked with hot enamel according to the tradition of Leonardo da Vinci for more than 16 years. Also a mixed-media printmaker, Koval’s art amplifies natural and human-made beauty and harmony, as well as the joy of communication through exploration. The exhibition in the Fisher Gallery will invite viewers into a joyful experience of diversity and call for the care of all living things around us. Koval has had more than 50 solo exhibitions in leading art museums in Ukraine and galleries in Europe and the United States
Koval’s Art
Learn more about Otterbein’s art exhibits at otterbein.edu/artscene/