In response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, a number of artistic organisations in Europe and beyond are offering their support to at risk Ukrainian artists, art workers and cultural activists. Here is a list of 11 initiatives offering help with relocation, living and working spaces and legal aid. Also included are ways in which those not at risk can help.
Artists at Risk (AR)
Artists at Risk (AR) is a non-profit network that focuses on the intersection of human rights and the arts. AR is dedicated to mapping the field of persecuted art practitioners, facilitating their safe passage from their countries of origin, hosting them at AR-Residencies, and curating related projects.
Since 2013, it has created over 25 residencies for artists across 19 countries, from Finland, Germany, and Spain to Tunisia and the Ivory Coast, offering temporary relocation to artists who face persecution or imprisonment for exercising their right to freedom of expression. The network provides residencies for Ukrainian artists, curators, and cultural workers in many European cities and beyond.
For Ukrainian Artists:
The full list of residencies tailored for Ukrainian artists can be found here.
How to Apply:
If you are an artist or culture worker seeking relocation and temporary hosting, fill in this form or write an email: ukraine-applications@artistsatrisk.org
If you are an artist or culture worker whose work puts you at risk of persecution or danger, fill in this form or write an email for relocation within the AR-Network: applications@artistsatirisk.org
How You Can Help
Join as a Hosting Organization:
If you are a cultural organisation willing to host artists from Ukraine, fill out this form or write to this email: info@artistsatrisk.org
Support AR financially:
Donations can be made on their website or directly through PayPal.
Estonian Academy of Arts
The Estonian Academy of Arts offers Ukrainian students free study opportunities in the field of Fine Arts, Design, Architecture, and Art Culture for the spring semester 2022.
The placements will enable students to continue their studies in the fields of fine art, animation, photography, architecture, urban studies, interior architecture, interaction design, graphic design, design and crafts, cultural heritage (in English), and media graphics (in Russian). Both MA and BA level students can apply.
The academy will help to organise housing and offer additional support with land transportation.
How to Apply:
Ukrainian students are welcome to apply by filling out this application form.For enquiries, use the email: international@artun.ee
The Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, Netherlands
This emergency fund supports responses to the illegal destruction of cultural heritage during military operations, including in Ukraine, and urges full adherence to international humanitarian law. Its programme offers expert advice and first aid to cultural heritage that has been damaged or is under threat.
How to Apply:
Requests for assistance to protect heritage can be sent via social media channels or to this email: cer@princeclausfund.nl
VCRC/Kyiv Biennial
This Ukraine-based organisation has launched an emergency support initiative for Ukraine's cultural community. Its goal is to help people who have stayed in Ukraine, providing them with immediate financial support for their basic needs.
How to Apply:
If you are either in need of help or want to contribute to this effort you can contact the VCRC team via email, Facebook or Instagram.
VV Foundation, Latvia
This foundation supports artists and other members of the creative community of Ukraine, offering placements on the PAiR residency in Pāvilosta, Latvia. They will host up to four artists in March and four artists in April. Here, artists, researchers, and curators are encouraged to develop their practice, with a focus on interdisciplinary dialogue.
The PAiR residency offers a studio, living space, access to the library and gallery, administrative support, and, if necessary, materials, tools, and research resources. The PAiR residency will cover travel costs to and from Pāvilosta, as well as accommodation. VV Foundation will also help with relocation, legal matters, and all related costs.
How to Apply:
To apply please send your CV and portfolio to this email: info@vvfoundation.org
Association of Romanian Contemporary Art Galleries, Romania
This association invites artists in the fields of the visual and performing arts, filmmaking, research, sound, or any other disciplines to be part of the programme that takes place in Bucharest, Cluj, and Timisoara. It will provide accommodation and financial support during the stay. Each artist will be supported according to their individual needs. There will be no formal obligations, but the organisation is happy to support the practice of artists at risk in any possible way.
How to Apply:
Due to the state of emergency, please register your interest to this email: agacor.association@gmail.com
Low Air, Vilnius, Lithuania
This residency aims to provide a safe artistic environment, consultations, and support for Ukrainian dance artists, cultural managers, and producers. The organisers will provide private transport from the Polish or Lithuanian borders, accommodation for up to four people (including an artist with a partner or family) free of charge for at least three months. Space and dance studios, consultations and help on further career development are also available.
How to Apply:
To apply, please contact the organisers via Instagram, or Facebook or email: info@lowair.lt
Nida Art Colony, Lithuania
Nida Art Colony of Vilnius Academy of Arts on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania has space to host Ukrainian art institutional teams, artists, and culture professionals along with their families. It also offers full study courses for students to continue with their academic work. They can also help with transportation and logistics.
Nida Art Colony operates all year round and receives about 700 people a year. It provides space for workshops, intensive courses, exhibitions, seminars, rehearsals, artist's talks, and screenings in its premises of 2,500 sq.m. Its activities can result in presentations, exhibitions, broadcasts, and publications.
How to Apply:
Contact the organisers via email: info@nidacolony.lt
Kunsthall Trondheim and Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder's artist-in-residency program, Norway
These organisations are prepared to help culture workers who need to leave Ukraine because of war. They offer a two week residency in Trondheim, Norway. Kunsthall Trondheim will cover flights and provide an official invitation letter if needed. Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder will provide accommodation.
How to Apply:
Write an email to Kunsthall Trondheim: office@kunsthalltrondheim.no
Menu Zona Residency, Lithuania
This is an emergency residency program in Lithuania for Ukrainian artists and families from the war zone. Menu Zona Residency is a creative space in Klaipeda and Nida (Lithuania) dedicated to the experimentation, research, and dissemination of artistic practices in which both local and international artists come together. This residency program can host three artists with their families for one month (between May-August) for free. Accommodation, food, transportation, and materials are provided.
How to Apply:
Send your CV and portfolio by 17 April 2022 by email. Include whether you have a partner of children with you: mezoresidency@gmail.com
How You Can Help:
The residency is looking for possibilities to find financial help for food, materials, and artist fees. If you can contribute please send an email: mezoresidency@gmail.com
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland
The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw has redirected its resources to provide humanitarian aid to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. At the moment their facilities are used as a sorting office for medical aid, which is shipped directly to a hospital in Ukraine.
The Museum has launched three-month-long paid internships for 15 Ukrainian refugees. Together with their Ukrainian partners in Warsaw, they are transforming our facilities at 3 Pańska Street into a cultural and integration centre for refugees fleeing the war. In a partnership with major humanitarian aid and pro-migrant NGO, Fundacja Ocalenie, the Museum will host an auction of artworks with all the proceeds to support refugees
How to Apply:
Contact the Museum on their website.