Within the project, board members of ICOM Georgia met with Ukrainian beneficiaries – colleagues to discuss the first project component. Under this facet, Victoria Britt, Svitlana Chepiga, and Alla Stanovikhina are set to work at the State Silk Museum, a project partner, for a duration of 6 months. Financial compensation for their contributions will be covered through the project. The Ukrainian beneficiaries are engaged in crafting unique museum shop items using silk museum collections, cataloging archival materials, and developing educational programs tailored for refugee Ukrainian children.

In May of this year, the ICOM Georgia Council held a productive meeting with project partners from Ukraine, including representatives from ICOM Ukraine and the Maidan Museum. During this significant meeting, our deliberations centered on the second pivotal component of the project. This strategic discourse revolved around collective mission to disseminate information concerning the profound impact on Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and museums. Equally paramount was to heighten awareness and understanding of proactive measures for safeguarding cultural heritage amidst the complexities of armed conflict. To achieve this goal, partners carefully discussed a range of impactful activities. These include a compelling photo exhibition, engaging panel discussions, informative forums, and publication. Following the discussion, the project partners reached an agreement on a photo-exhibition concept. This concept involves showcasing photo-video-audio materials depicting the cultural heritage damage in Georgia and Ukraine due to the armed conflict. This exhibition will be held in three cities of Georgia, accompanied by a panel discussion on the same topic.

ICOM Georgia’s project “Integrate and Empower Ukrainian Heritage Communities in Georgia through employment opportunities and awareness raising campaign” is funded within th ICOM Project extraordinary grant competition #SolidaritytoUkraine and carried out in collaboration with ICOM Ukraine, Blue Shield Georgia, National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity – HERI, State Silk Museum, and the Georgian Heritage Crafts Association.