Draft:Art Shield
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Art Shield is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to protecting and nurturing art in conflict zones[1]. The organization was started by English-Franco actor and artist Edward Akrout in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine[2], with its inaugural chapter focused on cultural preservation of Ukrainian art.
Conception
[edit]Akrout first visited Ukraine in 2013 while filming the movie Bitter Harvest (released in 2017) about the Holodomor genocide, wherein he played a Soviet art professor. The filming coincided with the Revolution of Dignity, which Akrout described as "very transformative" in an interview with Art Newspaper[3].
“I was thrown into the middle of very transformative events happening in Ukraine, while doing a film about Ukrainian national identity and the subsequent genocide that Stalin had done... Even though I was exposed to all this, I think I failed to understand in many ways the real struggle for Ukrainian national identity.”[4]
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Akrout returned to Kyiv and launched Art Shield with the assistance of Kathy Eldon at Creative Visions[5].
Art Shield's Cultural Initiatives
[edit]Kyiv Art Sessions
[edit]Art Shield hosted Kyiv Art Sessions, a series of art festivals, at the Old Sessions House[6] venue in London's Clerkenwell district throughout 2024 and 2025. The festivals promoted roughly 30 Ukrainian artists, including Hanna Kryvolap, Akhtem Seitablayev[7], and Kharkiv street muralist Gamlet.
Programming for Kyiv Art Sessions included a photo series from American-Ukrainian photographer Sasha Maslov[8], a presentation of the Ukrainian wine brand Deocoupage[9] featuring grapes harvested from recently liberated Ukrainian territories such as Izium[10], and a solo show of the Ukrainian sixties painter Oleksandr Dubovyk.
Produced alongside partner Dom Master Klass (the Ukrainian cultural institute run by IT entrepreneur Evgeni Utkin), the Kyiv Art Sessions festivals were endorsed by Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi as a "powerful testament to the unyielding spirit of Ukrainian art and culture."[11][12]
PRovoke Media awarded Art Shield, Dom Master Klass, and Paradox Public Relations the SABRE North America gold award for "Educational and Cultural Institutions" for Kyiv Art Sessions[13].
Intermission
[edit]Art Shield is producing a documentary, titled Intermission, about Ukrainian actors who left their professions to join the Ukrainian Army[14].
References
[edit]- ^ "War and Art in Modern Ukraine". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "Anglo-French actor brings Ukrainian art to London with new festival". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "Anglo-French actor brings Ukrainian art to London with new festival". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "Anglo-French actor brings Ukrainian art to London with new festival". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ Bregman, Alexandra (2024-10-21). "War, one artwork at a time". The Spectator World. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ Kaylan, Melik. "How Supporting Ukraine's Culture Helps Fight Back Against Russia". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ Makarevych, Myroslava (May 24th 2025). "Kyiv Festival of Ukrainian Art Receives International Recognition". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 7/1/2025.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help) - ^ Bregman, Alexandra (2024-10-21). "War, one artwork at a time". The Spectator World. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ Saladino, Emily. "Wine Is Political. Just Ask This Ukrainian Activist". Wine Enthusiast. p. 1. Retrieved 7/1/2025.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ^ "War and Art in Modern Ukraine". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "PR Firms News: Spoken Voice PR Debuts". O'Dwyers PR. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "We are pleased to share that His Excellency Ambassador Valerii Zaluzhnyi from the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK acknowledged Art Shield's impact through "Kyiv Art Sessions" | Art Shield". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "2025 Winners". PRovoke Media. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- ^ "War and Art in Modern Ukraine". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.