Museum Open for Renovation NGO
The NGO Museum Open for Renovation was created by participants of the DE NE DE art initiative to rethink and revitalise Ukraine’s museums. The organisation brought together artists, researchers, curators and civic activists to support regional museums often operating with limited resources. Through workshops, exhibition redesign and professional exchange, it worked with nearly 200 institutions across the country. More than 125 museums benefited directly from capacity-building programmes that modernised displays and transformed museums into active community spaces connected to local audiences.
The war in Ukraine in 2022 transformed this work into a courageous front-line mission to safeguard cultural heritage. Its ability to mobilise rapidly allowed urgent evacuations of historical and cultural heritage from museums and private collections in areas affected by active combat or under imminent threat. Objects ranged from fragile icons and textiles to ceramics, archives and monumental sculptures. One of the most demanding operations involved removing a medieval stone lion from the ruins of the Bakhmut Local History Museum while street fighting was taking place nearby. Such missions required discretion and extraordinary civic courage, with team members often putting their lives on the line.
The team entered high-risk zones to dismantle exhibitions, stabilise damaged objects, pack collections and coordinate transport to safer locations. Protective materials and equipment were supplied to museums near the frontline. Staff facing displacement received practical support. At the same time, cases of destruction and looting were documented to contribute to national and international awareness.
In response to urgent needs, the organisation developed a practical methodology for packing, labelling and evacuating museum collections under emergency conditions. The methodology adapts international conservation standards to situations marked by limited funding, disrupted infrastructure and the need to act quickly under active shelling attacks. It has been tested in frontline regions and disseminated through on-site sessions and online training for museum professionals across Ukraine.
Alongside emergency action, research and public history projects have continued. The organisation has initiated exhibitions and studies exploring shared Ukrainian-European heritage and identifying objects connected to shared European historical links in several Ukrainian regions, including the Donbas.
The Awards’ Jury stated: “The NGO Museum Open for Renovation has shown exceptional courage and dedication in the defence of cultural heritage during wartime. Acting when institutions could not intervene immediately, its team safeguarded museum collections under extreme conditions and developed practical methods for packing, marking and evacuating objects in active conflict zones.”
Contact: Marta Bilas | NGO “Museum Open For Renovation” | zubmamonta@ukr.net | www.zubmamonta.com