Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists

Office Ukraine.
Shelter for Ukrainian Artists

In response to the war against Ukraine and the hardship many artists art facing as a result of it, the Republic of Austria shows solidarity: a coordination office – the »Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists« – is being set up for Ukrainian artists. It serves as a platform for the coordination of various initiatives by civil society as well as by institutions and acts as a liaison between the institutions in Austria and cultural workers from Ukraine.

The »Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists« will have its central point of contact in the Museumsquartier in Vienna (tranzit.at), with liaison offices in the Austrian provinces, especially in Graz (< rotor >) and Innsbruck (Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen). It provides assistance to people from the cultural environment of Ukraine who are looking for help – both online and on-site as a mediation and coordination center. The platform connects the cultural workers from Ukraine with institutions, individuals and initiatives in Austria who are willing to support them in crisis situations.

On the one hand, »Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists« is aimed at all Austrian people and institutions who want to provide work, accommodation and project opportunities for cultural workers who have fled Ukraine, while the Office offers help mediating them. On the other hand, the Austrian art and cultural landscape is encouraged to increasingly involve Ukrainian artists and cultural workers – both refugees and those who have remained in the country – through the awarding of exhibition participations, commissions for works, texts, concerts, invitations to competitions, etc.

With a special budget provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS), it is also possible for refugee Ukrainian artists to apply for work grants and project funding. These can be submitted to the BMKÖS by art organizations and artists working in Austria. These grants benefit only Ukrainian artists; they do not cover the fixed costs of the applying institutions.

All individuals, initiatives and institutions that want to express their solidarity with Ukrainian artists and the artistic field in this situation of war are invited to join this platform.

»Office Ukraine. Shelter for Ukrainian Artists« is created in cooperation with civil society, BMKÖS (Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sports), tranzit.at, BMEIA (Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs), < rotor > Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, springerin, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen and other initiatives.

PROJECT TEAM:
Larissa Agel (tranzit.at), Michaela Geboltsberger (tranzit.at, IG Architektur), Margarethe Makovec & Anton Lederer (< rotor >), Simon Mraz (BMEIA), Georg Schöllhammer (tranzit.at), Andrei Siclodi (Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen), Karin Zimmer (BMKÖS)

CONTACTS FOR THE INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO AGREED TO OFFER ASSISTANCE:

Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria:
office(at)artistshelp-ukraine.at

Styria, Carinthia, Burgenland:
office.graz(at)artistshelp-ukraine.at

Tyrol, Salzburg, Vorarlberg:
office.innsbruck(at)artistshelp-ukraine.at