One to One

From World Heritage Sites to tiny village museums, Ukraine has thousands of places of memory and identity. Already, hundreds of cultural heritage sites have been damaged by Russian aggression, and numerous international organizations have mobilized to ensure that collections are safeguarded.

In addition to signing up to be a partner, please share your news, activities, connections, and questions on this open bulletin board.

Your Ukrainian colleagues are just like you: they work in all kinds of museums and cultural heritage institutions: art, history, science, technology, zoos, historic villages and more. They work as curators, educators, conservators, managers and more. But the difference is that they are now working in a country at war, in a time of stress and sorrow. Despite that, they continue their work and continue to learn new approaches and care for their communities. They need our support!

Connections begin person to person–or, as we say, one to one. If you work at a museum, historic site, or affiliated type of organization (including independent consultants), become a one-to-one partner! Just click the button below to take you to a simple google form.

WINTER IN UKRAINE, JOIN One2One UKRAINE MUSEUMS AND FIND A PAL

A letter from Elaine Heumann Gurian and Linda Norris

Dear Museum Colleagues, our museum compatriots, who have chosen to stay in or return to Ukraine, face the fast-approaching winter. The Russian war policy intentionally destroys civilian housing and urban infrastructure. One day, they go home to an entire apartment, and the next day, the front wall of the apartment complex is destroyed. Every day the news changes and new worries emerge.

We (Linda Noris and Elaine Heumann Gurian) write to you today about One2One. One2One is not an organization. It is an idea. It is not an official charity. Our initial idea was to match museums to museums. But now we are changing our strategy to focus on individuals because trust isn’t built between institutions but between people. And One2One requires taking on a relationship that grows from strangers to, we hope, professional allies and colleagues.

We feel strongly that One2One is the antidote to being a bystander and feeling helpless. Museum colleagues are notoriously friendly. We offer you a chance to make your own professional friend. We do not expect you to do more than is comfortable for you. But knowing someone and giving direct encouragement and aid is better than reading the terrible news (even when Ukraine is winning) and doing nothing.

A few weeks ago, we, and our new bilingual coordinator in Ukraine, Dara Serota, held a Zoom meeting with 15 museum colleagues from all over Ukraine, many of whose museums have been damaged. They expressed interest in meeting a person who could help with knowledge on topics such as new exhibition development, the use of technology to share research, roof repair, and the recovery of materials damaged in flooding just for starters.

We hope you will consider being a One2One partner. We will try to find an appropriate Ukrainian match so please tell us what your personal interest and skills are in the museum field. We will introduce you to each other on email in both Ukrainian and English. After that initial conversation, you and your pal will determine what comes next. We will not monitor the outcome but are always available to help. We hope ultimately that many people in Ukraine will know they have a pal in the US they can trust and that they are not forgotten.

This could—but does not have to—involve financial support. But if you wish to provide material support transferring funds currently works best and we can advise you. We keep hearing that a personal connection and advice are as important, if not more important, than funds.

To sign up to be matched with your own pal, write to Elaine Heumann Gurian egurian@egurian.com, Linda Norris linda@lindabnorris.com or directly to Dara Sereta seredache2000@tutanota.com

If you are not in the museum business but want a pal, we will help you too. Everyone in this world needs company. Thank you for wanting to help.

Reach us by email: Elaine Heumann Gurian egurian@egurian.com, Linda Norris linda@lindabnorris.com Dara Sereda seredache2000@tutanota.com , seredache2000@gmail.com,