Workshop "Modern Museum Methods"

Illustration

When: July 7th and 8th, 10:00 – 16:00
Where: Diya Business Kryvyi Rih (Petrya Kalnyshyevskogo St., 1) and "YaMariupol" Kryvyi Rih (Heroes of ATO St., 11)

The project "Modern Museum Methods" aims to provide practical knowledge and skills for museum professionals, cultural managers, researchers, and all those interested in contemporary approaches to working with museum collections, communications, as well as during extreme situations such as war. During the workshop, special attention will be paid to cultural heritage preservation practices, organizing museum exhibitions, displays, and the safety of museum collections in crisis conditions.
The workshop combines a series of lectures and practical sessions from experts in museology, history, design, and communications. Participants will also have the opportunity to work in groups on real-life cases, exchange experiences, and find joint solutions to challenges faced by museums in the context of war and instability.
The goal of the "Modern Museum Methods" workshop is to provide participants with tools to improve the effectiveness of museum work and the preservation of cultural values during emergency situations. The workshop will contribute to the development of new museum practices that respond to contemporary challenges and help strengthen cooperation between museums, cultural initiatives, and communities.
This project is supported by the Vidnova Support Fund.

Key Topics:
About the "Museum Open for Repairs" ProjectSpeakers: Marta Bilas, Dana Brezhneva, Natalka Dyachenko, Leonid Marushchak.Presentation of the activities of the "Museum Open for Repairs" NGO, which supports museums in wartime through expeditions, interventions, and documenting cultural heritage under threat.
About "DE NE DE," Residency, and ExpeditionsSpeakers: Dana Brezhneva, Leonid Marushchak, Natalka Dyachenko.Overview of the artistic residency and expeditionary approach: how artists and researchers work with local context, archives, and communities within the "DE NE DE" artistic initiative. Examples of practices of engaging with space and history.
Museum CommunicationsSpeaker: Marta Bilas.Introduction to museum communications for workers without PR education. Basics of working with the public, visual language, social media, and the community. Practical advice for improving museum visibility and attracting visitors.
Preserving/Protecting/Evacuating CollectionsSpeaker: Leonid Marushchak.Methodologies for protecting museum collections under threat: organizing safe storage, packaging, evacuation, and documentation. Practical cases from experience working in combat zones.
About Alla Horska, Viktor Zaretsky, and Their CircleSpeaker: Olena Zaretska.Lecture on the life and work of key figures in Ukrainian Sixtiers, their cultural legacy, circle of communication, and influence on contemporary Ukraine. The importance of preserving their archive and memory.
Exhibition DesignSpeaker: Dasha Podolceva.Basics of museum exhibition design: working with space, visual language of exhibitions, and emotional perception by the viewer. Practical advice for creating modern, dynamic, and accessible exhibition solutions.
Developing and Creating Modern Exhibitions. Collecting and Processing War MaterialsSpeakers: Dana Brezhneva, Zhanna Kadyrova.Designing exhibitions that deal with the theme of war. How to collect, process, and represent materials without traumatizing but fostering understanding. An artistic approach to documenting reality.
Exploitation of Museum Buildings in Emergency Situations, Including WartimeSpeaker: Leonid Marushchak.Advice on maintaining museum functions in extreme conditions: shelter, ventilation, safe placement of collections, organizing access, and evacuation.
Inventorying Museum Operation Issues During Wartime (Group Work)Speakers: Marta Bilas, Dana Brezhneva, Natalka Dyachenko.Group work on identifying and generalizing the main problems museums face during war. Discussion of local cases, developing joint solutions.
Musealization and Accounting of Non-Museum (Private) Collections/ArchivesSpeakers: Leonid Marushchak, Serhiy Lukovenko.How to work with private collections and archives: principles of accounting, ownership rights, ethical issues, possibilities of collaboration with museum institutions. Mechanisms of transfer, digitization, and representation.


About the Speakers:
Dana Brezhneva – Independent curator, co-founder of the "Museum Open for Repairs" NGO, member of the "DE NE DE" art initiative. Since the full-scale invasion, Dana has been enhancing qualifications in the field of "psychology" and working with people in challenging life circumstances as part of the "Photo Atelier of Wonders" project.
Leonid Marushchak – Historian, curator, and public figure, founder of the "Museum Open for Repairs" organization. During the war, he organized the evacuation of over 2 million works of art from frontline areas. Marushchak is actively working on preserving cultural heritage, advocating for the development of contemporary museum practices in Ukraine, and initiated the cultural and artistic residency "Nad Bohom." Member of the expert council of the Museum of Contemporary Art and collaborates with other cultural initiatives.
Natalka Dyachenko – Photographer, video artist, and visual archive researcher. Co-founder of the "Museum Open for Repairs" NGO, participant in the "DE NE DE" art initiative, co-founder of the social volunteer project "Photo Atelier of Wonders by Dana and Natalka."
Marta Bilas – Donor project coordinator and communications manager at the "Museum Open for Repairs" NGO. She works as a donor assistance coordinator at the State Customs Service under the EU4PFM project. Previously, she led the support team for reforms at the State Customs Service and was the head of the press center of the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center. Marta has significant experience in communications, public institution reforms, and supporting cultural initiatives.
Dasha Podolceva – Artist and graphic designer. Works on topics such as public space, urban paradoxes, infrastructural absurdities, functional changes, recycling, and "temporary inconveniences." Co-founder of the project "Seryia__," dedicated to Ukrainian panel houses. Winner of the gold medal at the Warsaw Biennale of Posters and the Toyama International Poster Triennale (Japan).
Zhanna Kadyrova – Ukrainian artist and sculptor. A graduate of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, she works with various materials to create sculptures that interact with urban space. Her works have been featured in international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale. Winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine (2025), Kadyrova actively explores social and political themes, including through series dedicated to the war in Ukraine.
Serhiy Lukovenko – Local historian, participant in the "DE NE DE" initiative, and the "Museum Open for Repairs" NGO.
Olena Zaretska – Artist, granddaughter of Ukrainian artists Alla Horska and Viktor Zaretsky. Olena was born after the death of her grandmother, Alla Horska, a prominent artist, dissident, and public figure.
Alevtina Kakhidze – Born in 1973 in Zhdanivka, Donetsk region, USSR, Alevtina is an artist living in Muzychi, Ukraine, 26 km from Kyiv. Growing up in the coal mining region of Donetsk, she witnessed the dramatic changes in Ukraine from the USSR era to post-Soviet struggles, including the ongoing war with Russia. Kakhidze studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv (1999-2004) and at the Jan van Eyck Academy in the Netherlands (2004-2006). She has been the UN Tolerance Envoy in Ukraine since 2018. She won the Kazimir Malevich Artist Award in 2008 and first prize at the Young Curators and Artists Competition at the Center for Contemporary Art in Kyiv (2002).
Alina Yakubenko – Born in 1983 in Kyiv, Alina graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. She is the author of paintings, videos, installations, and photos, working with public space and urban environments. A curator and participant in the groups R.E.P., Ubik, and "unstable group Soshenko 33." In 2017, she participated in the RESÒ/Lab 2 project (BIRUCHIY contemporary art project with RESÒ International Network for Art Residencies and Educational Programs), during which she visited the Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto residency. She lives and works in Kyiv.

Kryvyi Rih Cultural Centre / KRCC is a civic initiative aimed at fostering culture, art, and the creative industries in Kryvyi Rih. The center’s mission is to unlock the city’s cultural potential by creating an inspiring environment for innovation and creativity through the work of the KRCC institution.

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