The non-profit organization Borshch of Art organized a walking tour "Ukrainian Roots of American Art" in Greenwich Village and East Village. Participants learned the stories of artists with ties to Ukraine, such as Philip Guston, Janet Sobel, and Lee Krasner, and visited iconic art sites. The tour is a part of Borshch of Art's mission of researching and properly acknowledging American artists of Ukrainian heritage and origin.
Vilni media told about it founder and president of the board of directors of Borshch of Art Anastasia Gudko.
"Tour attendees learned about artists who shaped American art with a new perspective. The artists included in the tour had one thing in common - they all had some relationship with Ukraine. As Slava Shpigel, the tour guide who led the experience, pointed out, the artists they chose to highlight in this tour had Ukraine listed in their biography, either as a place of birth or because their parents or grandparents fled Ukraine due to wars and antisemitism. Many of the artists, if asked, might not self-identify as Ukrainian-Americans; they would probably say they were Jewish or American. However, Borshch of Art ascertains that their Ukrainian connection is not just a distant data point but an intrinsic cultural thread to be examined and considered within a larger historical context” — said Anastasia Gudko.
Intending to educate people on less-known parts of artists' legacies, Borshch of Art Founder and President Anastasia Gudko created this program as a reflection of the organizational mission.
Borshch of Art was launched in May 2024 to research and recognize American artists of Ukrainian descent.Its main program the Discover-Database.org, has already revealed profiles of 23 artists and plans to add 103 more.
"The Discover Database is a living organism and is a starting point and inspiration for more profound research. We decided that a walking tour was an excellent opportunity to show and tell many places connected to artists who contributed to the American art canon” - Anastasia Gudko, Founder and President of the Board.
The tour started in Washington Square Park and finished near Cooper Triangle, with almost a dozen stops in between. The stories of the two New York Art School giants, Philip Guston and Lee Krasner, as well as prominent artists who left their mark, such as Janet Sobel and John D. Graham were shared.
Tour attendees saw a building where Peter Hujar had his studio. It was also a perfect location to highlight two other photography icons of the 20th century: Weegee and Diane Arbus. The group stopped by the New York Studio School and the building which housed Hans Hoffman's school in the late 1930s. The tour also touched upon contemporary Ukrainian-American artists Misha Tyutyunyk, Vasyl Barabash, Andriana Farmiga, and Yuri Masnyj.
At the end of the tour, participants were invited to eat a cup of borshch together at the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant, offering an element of community-building in the spirit of Ukrainian hospitality.
“I was already familiar with the neighborhoods and knew quite a bit about art history and NYC artists. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that looking at these histories through the specific lens of artists with Ukrainian roots, and how they left their mark on art history, was a fresh and super interesting perspective” said one of the participants.
For those who missed the Ukrainian Roots of American Art walking tour, not to worry - Borshch of Art will continue to present a variety of intriguing programs focussing on emerging and established artists such as Louise Nevelson and Chaim Gross, who were born in Ukraine.
Photo: Iana Guzhyk
Author: Inna Mikhno