A shared expression of the Ukrainian and American experience.

Founded in 1971 by sculptors Konstantin Milonadis and Mychajlo Urban, together with art collectors Dr. Achilles and Vera Chreptowsky, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) was created to give Ukrainian artists working within the international contemporary art movement greater visibility and a platform for artistic expression, experimentation, and cultural exchange.

It became an important alternative venue for artists whose work was overlooked by mainstream institutions, showing Ukrainian, Canadian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Chicago-based artists, including emerging talents, and experimental forms from early computer-generated art and artists' books to fiber art and ceramics. From the start it was more than an exhibition space: about eight exhibitions a year, plus literary and musical programs, artist workshops, children's activities, and studio space for local artists.

UIMA first occupied two floors of a brownstone at the southeast corner of Oakley and Chicago Avenues in Chicago's Ukrainian Village. As its programs and collection grew, a property diagonally across the street was acquired and renovated, with a distinctive minimalist façade by Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman. UIMA moved in 1978, and later renovations have expanded its galleries, library, and archives.

Over the decades UIMA has built a significant permanent collection reflecting its Ukrainian roots and international perspective, with works by Alexander Archipenko, Alexis Gritchenko, Michel Andreenko, and Ukrainian Nonconformist artists of the Soviet era, alongside Jules Olitski, Patrick Caulfield, and Chicago artists including Richard Hunt, Thomas Kapsalis, and Michiko Itatani. Explore the collection.

The night was a resounding success. View the Annual Benefit Gala Highlights to see how our community came together to celebrate this milestone and support our ongoing mission.