Opening Reception
Saturday, November 7

2 pm and 4 pm
$20 Admission
Monograph included with price of admission

About

Heorhii Narbut is the most important Ukrainian modernist graphic designer of the twentieth century. UIMA in partnership with Rodovid Press is proud to host an event, funded by the Ukrainian Culture Foundation of Kyiv, honoring Narbut's enduring artistic legacy. The event will consist of a screening of the film Brendari [Brand Makers] directed by Nadia Parfan and the presentation of a newly published book by Professor Myroslava M. Mudrak, entitled, The Imaginative World of Heorhii Narbut and the Making of a Ukrainian Brand. Both the film and the presentation will analyze Narbut’s graphic designs as they impacted Ukraine’s national and cultural identities and also defined the branding of a newly independent Ukraine in 1918 and now in 2020. The objective is to explore Narbut’s work, his creative and cultural legacy, how it impacts contemporary Ukraine’s brand and affects the world’s perception of Ukraine. 

Join us for this special event at UIMA on Saturday, November 7, 2020 with an introduction about the collaborative project by Rodovid Press publisher and UIMA board member Lidia Lykhach along with guest speaker Myroslava Mudrak, curator and author of “The Imaginative World of Heorhii Narbut and the Making of a Ukrainian Brand.” An English version of her monograph will be distributed to those attending the event. Priority will be based on order of registration through Eventbrite until supplies last.

 With adhering to Covid guidelines and social distancing, UIMA allows for a limited capacity. Masks must be worn to attend the opening. There will be two sessions of the presentation at 2:00 and 4:00 pm. Pre-registration is required.

For More Information on this project and the accompanying online exhibition visit Rodovid’s Site HERE

Check Out The Teaser Trailer to Brand Makers (Brendari) directed by Nadia Parfan

October 8
4pm - 6pm
Online
$25 Tickets Here

Missed it the first time? No problem! Join us for another evening of mindful reflection and artistry as we find stillness, comfort and creativity within nature with Gunjan Kumar.

About
This workshop focuses on our engagement with nature as we aim to better understand our shared resources and psychological functions in the face of current times. As we work towards this ambition, participants are asked to pause and observe their surroundings, sensitizing themselves to the environment around them. They will be collecting materials, preferably natural or naturally derived, from their homes, gardens, alleys, worktables, etc. prior to the workshop. These materials will then be interwoven with techniques of art-making, some that have existed for over a thousand years, across various cultures and geographies. By adopting these simple methods, the workshop aims to bring to awareness some of nature’s core principles and our interconnectedness with them. We will be focusing on playing with elements, doodling with nature, and more. For each of these activities, relevant examples from history and artworks that use these techniques will be shared. Participants will then be given time for self-exploration. No prior experience in art-making required. This will be hosted on zoom and all are welcome.   

This workshop is $25 with donations to artist greatly encouraged.

Join us for a virtual artist talk and Q&A session led by our curator Adrienne Kochman. Learn more about Yana’s work, inspiration, and more about The External Eye Exhibition.

Saturday, Oct. 3
12 pm CT
Free

On Yana:

Yana was born 1966 in Kyiv, Ukraine to a family of artists. She attended Kyiv School of Fine Arts and the Kyiv Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture earning a diploma in Monumental Art. She has lived and worked between Paris, New York and Kyiv since 1991. Through her work Bystrova studies the ambiguity of perception and interpretation through painting, photography, silkscreen and multimedia.

Featuring artist: Gunjan Kumar

We're thrilled to announce that we're partnering with the local Chicago artist, Gunjan Kumar to offer our visitors a quiet and relaxing session of mindful art making and the opportunity to attend the virtual workshop, Working with Nature - Inside Out.

August 26, 2020
2pm - 4pm

About
This workshop focuses on our engagement with nature as we aim to better understand our shared resources and psychological functions in the face of current times. As we work towards this ambition, participants are asked to pause and observe their surroundings, sensitizing themselves to the environment around them. They will be collecting materials, preferably natural or naturally derived, from their homes, gardens, alleys, worktables, etc. prior to the workshop. These materials will then be interwoven with techniques of art-making, some that have existed for over a thousand years, across various cultures and geographies. By adopting these simple methods, the workshop aims to bring to awareness some of nature’s core principles and our interconnectedness with them. We will be focusing on playing with elements, doodling with nature, and more. For each of these activities, relevant examples from history and artworks that use these techniques will be shared. Participants will then be given time for self-exploration. No prior experience in art-making required. This will be hosted on zoom and all are welcome.   

This workshop is $25 with donations to artist greatly encouraged.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST HERE

For questions please email ulyana@uima-chicago.org 

CSI deadline for submissions has been extended from August 1st to August 5th

UIMA and On The Real Film are thrilled to co-host a virtual screening of The First Lions! The film will be live-streamed on Facebook, April 30th at 7pm. Free, link below!

Check out the trailer and learn more about the film here: https://www.thefirstlions.com

In 1971 the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art was founded in Chicago by a doctor, two artists, and a misfit group of volunteers. This is their story.

The First Lions uncovers the history of the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art’s founding in 1971 in Chicago and the Institute's early years. Exploring the stories of Ukrainian-American artists working in modern and contemporary art methods in post-WWII Chicago, The First Lions follows the handful of founding members still living and utilizes archival photographs, films and documents. The film serves as a time capsule for the oral histories of the aging founders,  as well as a catalyst for new conversations and research of Ukrainian-American art in Chicago.

The First Lions is co-directed by Erin Babbin and Michael Sullivan of On The Real Film.

Gallery tour with artist Yana Bystrova

Artist Paula Henderson in conversation with Lynne Warren, MCA curator.

February 29th, 2020
7 pm
$20 online tickets here
$25 at the door

Back by popular demand, UIMA welcomes Chicago Jazz Icon Leandro Lopez Varady in a tantalizing evening of melodies. Lopez Varady pays tribute to two renowned jazz greats, Chick Correa and Bill Evans. It's a tip of the hat from one artist to another. Join us to what is sure to be a spectacular evening, featuring Leandro Lopez Varady on the piano, Rob Dicke on drums, and Kevyn Miller on bass.

Starting at 2:00 pm
Tickets $10 online and at the door
Click here for tickets

Come and listen to the outstanding and very talented young local musicians. These junior virtuosi will enchant your ears with their melodies.

We invite you to join us at UIMA as we present our community young artists as they showcase their musical talents in a concert of well known classical compositions. Our featured performers include Evangelina But on piano, Julie Perekhozhuk on violin, Christian Tsikhun on flute, Iryna Petryk on cello and Myroslav Mykailenko on piano. Among the compositions they have chosen to perform are such classics such as: F. Chopin Ballade No. 2, F. J Haydn Violin concerto in G Major, G.P. Telemann Sonata in F Major for Flute and Piano, J.S. Bach Cello Suite in No.2 in D Minor, and Levko Revutsky, "Song" Op. 17 in G Minor. A full program will be available on our website in the coming days.

Halyna Kohut, Associate Professor on the Faculty of Culture and Arts at the Ivan Franko National University in Lviv, Ukraine

Sunday, February 9th, 2020
1-2:30 pm
Tickets: $20, Students Free

Click Here For Tickets

What is the role of art in times of war? This question is especially relevant in the current context of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, when we witness how Russia uses visual images to spread the ideology of the "Russian world". This lecture focuses on a historical example from the 18th century – portraits of the Ukrainian-born Orthodox Saint Dmytrii Tuptalo. During the Russo-Turkish wars, his cult was used to propagate Russian imperial ideology and create an image of the enemy for the purpose of future conquests. This example helps to understand the power and role of artworks, which despite their aesthetic form and "peaceful" content, prove to be tools of ideological propaganda.

Lecture Given In Ukrainian

Nazar Kozak, Senior Research Scholar at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Friday, February 7th, 2020
7:30 pm 
Tickets: $20, Students Free 

Tickets Found Here

Coping with the challenges of exile, Ukrainian refugee artists that escaped the Russian invasion in Crimea and Donbas responded to the events with illegal public performance and installations that engaged in an unequal image war with Russia's military visual complex. Based on interviews with the artists, this lecture investigates the impact of displacement and war on modes of artistic expression and problematizes art's relation to propaganda. The discussed examples include Maria Kulykivska's intervention at Manifesta in Saint Petersburg, Serhii Zakharov's guerrilla images on the streets of occupied Donetsk (both 2014), and  the Izolyatsia (Isolation) group's mock occupation of the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2015).

Join us Sunday, January 12th, 2pm, for a discussion with Beth Shadur and Bonnie Peterson, artists featured in Wild Fragility.