UKRAINIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM – THE HEART OF UKRAINE IN CHICAGO

DOI 10.17721/2521-1706.2025.20.11

Halyna Parasiuk,

Ph. D.(History), Archivist of the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago, Chicago, IL, U.S.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3061-3275

Abstract. This article is dedicated to the history of the foundation and activities of the Ukrainian National Museum (UNM) of Chicago, one of the richest Ukrainian collections in the United States.

The goal of this research is to bring to a broad audience of scholars in Ukraine the history of the creation of the Ukrainian National Museum as a unique cultural institution, highlight the work of its leading figures who ensured the museum’s success through their dedicated efforts, and its recognition as an institution aimed at presenting Ukraine, its history, and culture in the diverse American environment. An important aspect of the study is shedding light on the conditions under which the Ukrainian National Museum was created against the backdrop of complex historical events. The museum was established during a difficult time for Ukraine’s history, culture, and museology. In Ukraine, which was suffering from wars and under the oppression of the Soviet totalitarian system, when historical monuments were destroyed, and the true history was banned, museums were being created in the democratic world whose purpose was to preserve Ukrainian national heritage outside the borders of Ukraine.

Scientific Novelty. The Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago has been successfully operating for seventy-four years. Over its existence, it has become a symbol of Ukraine in the United States, a place where tourists from all over the world come. At the same time, however, not many in Ukraine are familiar with this institution. This research aims to convey the history of the museum, its main areas of activity, information about the richness of its collections, and the uniqueness of its archival treasures. The research is based on a wide range of sources, including official documents of the Ukrainian National Museum, meeting protocols, correspondence, financial reports, information about the museum’s collections and exhibitions, memoirs of the museum’s creators, manuscripts, and photo archives. The study draws on sources that were previously unknown and are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.

Conclusions. The Ukrainian National Museum was founded by the Ukrainian elite in emigration, its beginning was initiated by well-known leaders and patrons of the Ukrainian community in the USA, who were able to lay a reliable foundation for further successful activities in the direction of preserving the Ukrainian cultural heritage. Until now, there was a stereotypical opinion that the museum in Chicago was created by young Ukrainian emigrants who had just arrived in the United States and had no experience in the field of museum work. A study of the museum archive refutes this opinion – the Ukrainian National Museum was created by experienced people, active in Ukrainian political life, with experience of successful projects, such as Myroslaw Simenowych, president of the exhibition committee of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1933. The founders approached the matter of creating the museum with great responsibility, took care of its documentary basis – the charter, the status of a non-profile organization, exempt from paying taxes in the USA. Ukrainian patrons donated valuable collections to the museum, thereby creating its unique treasury. This explains the phenomenon of the institution receiving the worthy status of an ambassador of Ukrainian culture overseas.

Key words: Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago, Ukrainian diaspora, Myroslaw Simenowych, Kalenyk Lysuk, Ukrainian art in the diaspora.

Submitted: 24.07.2025

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