The organization Borshch of Art has announced the launch of a new cycle of the “Ukrainian-American Arts Research Fellowship,” a 12-week program. The initiative supports research into Ukrainian artistic heritage in the United States and the diaspora, and is aimed at fostering a new generation of art historians and curators.
This was reported by Borshch of Art.
The fourth cycle of the Ukrainian-American research fellowship has brought together a new generation of researchers and curators working on themes of decolonizing art, cultural memory, and diasporic experience.
This year’s participants are Mila Antkevych and Nina Chkareuli—researchers based in New York who represent different approaches to the study of Eastern European art.
Mila Antkevych (pictured left in the collage) is a Ukrainian artist, researcher, and educator, and a student at Columbia University, where she studies Visual Arts and Art History. She also works as a teaching assistant and peer advisor, and is currently completing an internship in the Department of Special Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Starting in September 2026, Mila will begin a Master’s program in Art History and Archaeology at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts.
"I am focused on exploring the work of modernist Ukrainian Jewish painters from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially those active in Ungvar (Uzhhorod) between 1867 and 1918. My research aims to understand how hybrid cultural identities—formed by Jewish heritage, imperial histories, and shifting national borders—have shaped artistic expression, subject matter, and modernist experimentation in their artworks,” the researcher notes.
The other participant, Nina Chkareuli (pictured right in the collage), is an independent curator, writer, and researcher of Georgian origin, working at the intersection of art history, museum studies, and decolonial studies. She is the author of the book King is Female, which explores female identity in Eastern European art. In January 2024, she founded Hot Coffee Conversations, an independent cultural initiative dedicated to interdisciplinary dialogue among artists, writers, curators, and other cultural practitioners.
"The research paper will investigate the sculptural and installation-based practice of Ukrainian-American artist Alina Tenser and the connection to other Ukrainian artists within the historical and political timeframes. Tenser’s interventions are particularly relevant in the context of post-industrial, post-Soviet, and diasporic spatialities, where cultural memory is fragmented, and historical narratives are contested. By activating ordinary materials—textiles, fabrics, or cast objects—her work interrogates the social and political conditions that produce and erase memory,” Chkareuli explains.
The program lasts 12 weeks and combines independent research with regular consultations with experts and online meetings with the Borshch of Art team.
Participants are expected to prepare an academic paper of 15–20 pages, which may be published on the organization’s platforms or presented at conferences. The fellowship also provides financial support in the amount of $500 upon successful completion of the program, as well as opportunities for professional networking.
It is also noted that Borshch of Art systematically works to promote Ukrainian artistic heritage in the United States, particularly through research programs, publications, and the development of a database of artists of Ukrainian origin.
“The fellowship is an important tool for returning Ukrainian cultural heritage to the global artistic context,” the organizers emphasize.
According to representatives of the organization, the program also contributes to building an international professional community of researchers, curators, and artists, as well as fostering dialogue between Ukraine and the United States in the field of culture.
Photo: Borshch of Art
Author: Inna Mikhno