Artists for Ukraine
Fundraiser at Grace Exhibition Space
On March 5th, Grace Exhibition Space and Creatrix Magazine joined forces to host a day-long event to raise money for — and bring attention to — the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine: an unprovoked, violent and vicious attack.
Tamara Wyndham, Hand Print Blue/Yellow, 2022, Contact handprint, acrylic and watercolor on paper, 8 x 10 in.
Being an effective artist often involves being part of the community — our local community, online community, and simply the larger human family. It is at times such as this that spirituality replaces the strictures of religion. I have found that in this climate the role of the artist is to interpret the meaning of cosmic consciousness for the rest of us, and thus help us build social bonds through community and gathering. That is partially why my art practice is focused primarily on performance art: the most immediate, communal, and participatory of media, and that is why I have invested most of my vital energy into building a community around Creatrix Magazine. Paraphrasing Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, just as a cell cannot function on its own, an artist cannot create in a vacuum. We need our communities — in times of peace and in times of distress.
Katherine Earle, Love Wins II, 2022, Embroidery on fabric, 16 x 20 in.
With the Russian invasion of the sovereign country of Ukraine on February 24th, our community activated within days — artists associated with Creatrix Magazine and Grace Exhibition Space collectively decided to organize a fundraiser in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Through our social networks we reached out with a call for art donations under the initiative Artists for Ukraine. As we helplessly watched this horrifying war unfold in real time on our screens, we all felt the need to do something. Just like animals in nature under stressful situations choose to act rather than do nothing, we gathered together at Grace Exhibition Space, which graciously opened its doors for the fundraiser, with Jill McDermid and Erik Hokanson reaching out to their associated artists. The community response was heartwarming and overwhelming.
Katya Grokhovsky, Untitled with Flower, 2022, Acrylic on paper, 11 x 15 in.
The first artist who answered our call was Katya Grokhovsky, born in Odessa in Ukraine. Katya donated her drawing Untitled with Flower, which is still available to purchase, with $350 as a starting bid.
Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens donated their rare Tit Print from 2003 to benefit the Ukrainian refugees. Annie said in her post on social media:
“I had just a few in my archive, but am happy to give this one to a very important good cause. It’s on special textured paper made in 2003. My breasts have been tapped to raise money for many good causes over the years. My heart is cracked open. This war Russia has started is horrifying. Over a million (over 2.5 million as of March 15th) new refugees in one week! Plus all the dogs, cats, birds, fish, butterflies... being killed and the land becoming polluted. War is the worst environmental destruction. So unnecessary. Peace is possible.”
Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, Tit Print, 2003, Contact print, acrylic and watercolor on paper, 18 x 24 in.
We sold Annie and Beth’s print to a collector from Washington DC, a personal friend of CREATRIX Magazine Rebecca, known for her feminist art collection. She originally offered $500 for the print, but when she realized that all the money was being sent to Anna Senik, a Ukrainian photographer-turned-soldier in Kyiv, she doubled her donation and made a payment directly to Anna.
Another artist, Tamara Wyndham, offered a contact handprint which we used for our poster. Tamara also made a beautiful selection of flower prints on satin that were nearly entirely sold out during the event.
Kathie Halfin, Wide Open #2 English Morse Code, 2021, Cotton, metallic floss, flux, wooden rod, 18 x 17.5 in.
Katy Halfin, a Ukrainian artist born in Crimea and currently residing in Brooklyn, joined me in organizing the Grace Space event. She also offered her outstanding textile piece and invited many of her contacts to participate. In a similar fashion, two other friends and New York based artists originally from Taiwan, Fang-Yu Liu and Arizona Fu, helped organize and generously offered their works: macrame plant holders, bead jewelry, as well as ceramics. Other artists followed by donating their photographs, prints, textiles, paintings, and drawings.
Arizona Fu, Untitled, 2021, Ceramic Vase, 4 x 4 in.
Michael Alan and Jadde of The Living Installation offered to perform a piece called “Make Art Not War” with live drawing. They also donated artwork and t-shirts. Abbey Gelsomina prepared a lyrical set of songs which began with a Ukrainian chant followed by “Pray for Ukraine”, and a selection of arias with “Casta diva,” poetic “En priere,” and “Ave Maria.”
Fang Yu Liu, for peace, 2021, Macramé plant hanger, approx. 50 in. long.
Jeremy Slater helped me print the first run of t-shirts, “Russian Warship, Go Fuck Yourself,” inspired by the Ukranian naval officer who responded to a Russian Navy call for surrender. Nicollette Barsamian, a poetess, helped with the setup. Many people came to participate, donate, and support the people of Ukraine through our fundraiser. I truly cannot fully express my gratitude to all the artists who donated their prints, paintings, drawings, ceramics, jewelry, and books; our thanks go to: Tamara Wyndham, Katy Halfin, Arizona Fu, Fang Yu, Byzantia Harlow, Katherine Earle, Amanda Michele Brown, Tamara Wyndham, Michael Alan, The Living Installation, Amber Heaton, Kledia Spiro, Rachel Kahn, and Lauren Packard.
Amber Heaton, Fibonacci Field, 2015, Woodcut, 8 x 10 in.
This was my first social event since the beginning of the war, and at one point I caught myself observing people and listening to multiple conversations at once. What struck me was that my fellow artist friends, instead of talking about their current shows or complaining about having to do social media all the time, were discussing the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian military defense, Turkish drones, Polish fighter planes, the humanitarian crisis, and the dreadfulness of this war. It felt surreal. The part of the world where I come from, Poland — next to Ukraine, Slovakia, and Lithuania — has been through so much throughout the 20th century. My generation never expected that war would become our reality again. We grew up reading all the war literature, taught about the massacres, the Holocaust, gulags, the Nazification of Europe, and the communist totalitarian system at the end of it which some of us were born into; but we all thought that we were part of a world without war. That is, until Thursday, February 24th, 2022: the first day of the invasion of Ukraine.
Amanda Michele Brown, Speaking in Code, 2021, Watercolor, graphite, and ink on bamboo paper, 14 x 19 in.
It is often said that wars are won and lost not only because of weaponry but also because of who controls the narrative. So let us remember, then, that one of the most powerful and enduring tools of civilization has to communicate with is art, through which the truth will shine through.
So far, thanks to Artists for Ukraine we have raised $5,758.32 with the joint efforts of the events that took place at Grace Exhibition Space on March 5th ($1,630), and also the SUNY New Paltz Art Department on March 9th and 10th ($4,128.32), both fundraisers co-organized by CREATRIX Magazine. I would like to highlight that this amount should be multiplied by five to see the real buying power of our donations in Ukraine and Poland, and based on the current currency fluctuations including Ukrainian Hryvnia, Polish Zloty, and the US Dollar.
The artworks that didn’t sell at Grace were added to the incredible selection of works donated by the art community of SUNY New Paltz. As we are continuing our fundraising efforts, I would like to invite you to the next Fundraiser for Ukraine: Saturday April 2nd at Grace Exhibition Space.
Jana Astanov of Creatrix Magazine and Jill McDermid of Grace Space, photo by Michael Fortenberry at the "Artists for Ukraine" Fundraiser at SUNY New Paltz, March 9th. Jana and Jill holding the ceramic cups by Arizona Fu, in the background Kathy Halfin's "Wide Open" and to the right Amanda Michele Brown's "Speaking in Code"
Among the artworks that are still available is Katya Grokhovsky’s Untitled with Flower. I would like to share a short interview with Katya about this particular artwork to convey all the complex emotions Ukrainian people are dealing with right now.
Jana Astanov: In what circumstances did you make the drawing that became a part of “Artists for Ukraine” fundraiser?
Katya Grokhovsky: I made the drawing whilst in residence at Sculpture Space upstate. The war broke out during my stay there and my inner response began appearing in my work. As soon as I started seeing sunflowers all over the media, the symbol made its way into my consciousness. There is a particular sadness in the work, but also softness, melancholy and tenderness, which I wanted to portray in some way, amongst the brutality, to remember peace, to remember joy, but to also acknowledge tears and inner rage. The flower is a small token of light, of hope, of the future.
JA: The Title "Untitled with Flower" shows a woman with the symbolic flower of Ukraine, what does it mean to you to be Ukrainian?
KG: It means my spirit is free, independent, always was and will be. I am heartbroken of course and being far away and an immigrant, there is a pure feeling of helplessness, it is hard to even begin to comprehend the absolute terror and horror of this war today, but I feel it in my bones, in my gut, in my heart, mind and soul. My whole being hurts. To be from there means to want to fight for freedom, to be enraged at the indifference, ignorance and hatred, to cry, to sing, dance, and stand defiantly tall. I can't explain it somehow, other than to say, I feel like I've been partially asleep. I am fully awake now. My spirit is burning.
JA: What are your most cherished memories of growing up in Odessa?
KG: I remember Odessa as such a uniquely beautiful jewel of a city on the Black Sea coast, where I grew up absolutely loving the water and the beach. It is also considered a capital of humor, so laughter, satire and incredible wit surrounded us there. I cherish the memories of numerous outdoor picnics with family and friends and traveling a lot all over the country with my parents since I was a young child. I hope to skip those streets and swim in those waters joyfully once again.
Katya’s artwork can be purchased via Grace Space Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaxgUrBFSv9/
The next Fundraiser for Ukraine will take place on Saturday April 2nd 4-9pm at Grace Exhibition Space and will be co organized with The Immigrant Artist Biennial and Creatrix Magazine. The evening will include a sale of donated artworks and live performances. All proceeds will go towards organizations supporting those suffering from the war in Ukraine.
