country
activities

Country Director
Paul Elicker

Activities Summary

Following up on renewed interest on the part of several cultural leaders in Ukraine, Paul Elicker spent a week in Odessa in November to assess the need for The Fund’s services in that country. An important aspect of this assessment was to determine whether the cultural institutions in Ukraine are at a point where they can benefit from any assistance The Fund might provide.

The review of institutions was extensive with visits to the Charitable Foundation Museum, Bleshchunor Museum, West-East Museum, Odessa Philharmonic, Odessa State Scientific Library, Odessa Fine Arts Museum and Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.

Evaluation

Cultural shortcomings in Odessa and the rest of the Ukraine are due in large part to the fact that the country is still in the initial awkward stages of implementing a free market approach to arts and culture. Many of the institutions visited appear to be at an appropriate stage of development to benefit from the kind of expertise that The Fund can provide. Moreover, many of the problems faced by these institutions are within the scope of Fund work.

Future Plans

The Fund will explore the possibility of conducting a seminar for cultural managers in Ukraine similar to the regional museum seminars held in recent years in Russia. This initial approach has been encouraged by the U.S. Attache for Public Relations and Cultural Affairs in Kiev and would appear to be the most cost effective means of reaching the largest audience of cultural institutions.