Cultural heritage is one of the most diverse—and at the same time one of the most vulnerable—areas of the cultural sector. It encompasses everything from museums and historic monuments to music, folklore, traditions, and the communities that keep them alive. In times of war, safeguarding cultural heritage has become not only a cultural responsibility but a broader societal challenge.
Over the past few weeks, we have explored how the cultural heritage sector is evolving, the decisions that will shape its future, the stories that inspire its professionals, and the opportunities already available to Ukrainian cultural organisations and practitioners.
All of the sessions are now available to watch on demand:
How do projects become Europa Nostra Awards winners?
Europa Nostra Vice-President Natalia Moussienko explains how Europe's largest cultural heritage network operates, what international juries look for, the most common mistakes applicants make, and why Ukrainian projects should consider applying for the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards.
Where can you find international partners for a cultural project and become part of Europe's cultural community?
A collection of talks exploring opportunities offered by the EU's Creative Europe programme and other European initiatives supporting cultural professionals—from networks for women artists and mental health projects to mobility funding and international cooperation.
Creative Europe: https://youtu.be/NY5PwW2MIDA?si=7R_4MJcfhwa4f3E2
U-Woman: https://youtu.be/pXkavcrjxXY?si=BmyplvniUem6nsW4
ZMINA: https://youtu.be/3N55shRLrQU?si=DzHKkzf3I9Ud9kq2
Cultural Horizons: https://youtu.be/MO0DJV3jiiI?si=qtKl3oEQnrXgaLOs
Culture Helps: https://youtu.be/M0iTjSanCKc?si=xqjIYXVQ-6zvJPTB
How is cultural heritage protected during wartime?
How is damage documented? Who decides whether a site should be conserved or restored? Which laws had to change after the full-scale invasion, and how will those decisions shape Ukraine's heritage for decades to come?
https://youtu.be/dghnXW40Sy8?si=nT0--ME4V3d7O5T3
Can a monument be restored when almost nothing remains?
The HEMo team demonstrates how 3D models, digital databases, and hundreds of thousands of digitised museum objects are already helping preserve cultural heritage.
https://youtu.be/7UqWLteM61s?si=dDCc-1bxenvyoKci
How do you preserve heritage that cannot be placed in a museum?
A lecture on documenting dance, performance, and other forms of living heritage that exist only in the moment they are performed.
https://youtu.be/mXnAVIUqjG4?si=WyhGoU_6-F6YL4l3
What does a museum need to begin its digital transformation?
Archaic argues that the future of heritage depends on people. How do you equip hundreds of museum professionals with digital skills so that digitalisation becomes a lasting practice rather than a one-off project?
https://youtu.be/h5ffuJv0mGI?si=IOT8Cmcxb2DShd82
Which cultural spaces will remain relevant in the future—and which may disappear?
A panel discussion exploring why cultural institutions are reinventing themselves as places for dialogue, learning, community engagement, and civic participation.
https://youtu.be/aZX-8zDaSM0?si=NQwXhYIRnHweWQR9
Can a museum help a community endure during war?
Milena Chorna shares how cultural institutions become places of support, memory, and connection when everyday life is disrupted by war.
https://youtu.be/vhA1NXU3A3M?si=eJtWWebimea1TN-i
Who will be working in museums ten years from now?
An honest discussion about a profession that fewer young people are choosing, the growing staffing crisis, and what needs to change to secure the future of museums.
https://youtu.be/99XqPFD63eI?si=H2p_gkCK9lDYctrD
What does Ukrainian horror animation reveal about the past?
A fascinating lecture on one of the lesser-known chapters of Ukrainian culture: horror animation from the 1960s–1990s, artistic experimentation, censorship, and films that are now being rediscovered.
https://youtu.be/8rwLfu6i4Qs?si=9Qw0N414AyL4z3YP
What did Ukraine sound like a hundred years ago?
A live performance of traditional music and dance, accompanied by musicians' insights into how these traditions are being revived and why they still resonate today.
https://youtu.be/F17x6sl9VzM?si=8uhqM-iyvQGGvhmE
How do modern folklore expeditions work—and what comes out of them?
The Rys team explains how decades of fieldwork, archival research, and collaboration with tradition bearers have evolved into festivals, concerts, and new ways of bringing Ukrainian traditional music to contemporary audiences.
https://youtu.be/ZLRYaBRYLA4?si=tWRx-Lmz6IcgQOzx
How can museums help shape active citizenship?
A presentation of an international initiative supported by the EU's Creative Europe programme that reimagines museums as platforms for civic engagement, democratic dialogue, and community participation.
https://youtu.be/jGWaOYb9rFQ?si=RzLMRBvUb_p4EguN
What is contemporary folklore—and why should we document it?
Folklore is more than songs and fairy tales. Memes, jokes, wartime stories, urban legends, and new rituals are already becoming part of Ukraine's living folklore. If we don't document them today, they may disappear before we even realise their value.
https://youtu.be/EWvpSBkbcMY?si=uk2_0l-Fc_cK93Kp
Panayir: when a celebration becomes a piece of home
How has a traditional festival become a symbol of belonging for Greeks across Ukraine? And how can a single tradition preserve the memory of the Azov region when many of its historic villages remain under occupation?
