About Ukraine Culture Network
The purpose of the Ukraine Culture Network (UCN), an association under Swiss law, is to initiate and nurture partnerships between the culture spheres of Ukraine and other European countries to increase visibility of Ukrainian culture and cultural heritage. With the support of UCN, Ukrainian artists can access new audiences and markets. UCN can also support the development of art education in Ukraine through exchange programs and sharing of best practices.
On a practical level, UCN facilitates matchmaking between Ukrainian artists/culture institutions and partners (such as curators, event organisers, culture institutions, other artists, and sponsors) from other European countries. Through UCN, they meet and explore potential collaborations, e.g. productions, exhibitions, concerts, funding, artist-in-residence positions, inclusion of Ukrainian artists into productions, ensembles, or casts, and temporary exile for Ukrainian artists and artefacts. UCN encourages cultural institutions to include Ukrainian components as a natural part of their operations. In addition, UCN organises its own culture events to raise awareness of Ukrainian culture and raises funds to these ends.
The Ukraine Culture Network (formerly Legato Bern-Odessa) is a non-profit organisation that has been operating for over 20 years. Originally created through a partnership between the Stolyarsky Special Music School in Odesa and the Bern Conservatory Music School, Legato Bern–Odessa fostered numerous cultural exchanges and lasting friendships.
UCN has launched a Ukraine Relief Fund for war victims. It has also organized the International Conference 'Renaissance of Arts and Culture in Ukraine, exemplified by Odesa and the Odesa Region' in Bern in 2023.
In its activities, the Ukraine Culture Network is guided by the following principles and values as resulting from the Conclusions of the Conference:
- We recognize the paramount role of culture, as the “backbone of society”, for the national identity and cohesion, resilience, recovery, development and prosperity of Ukraine, as well as for its recognition abroad;
- We recognize the urgent need for the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and the need for Ukrainian cultural and educational actors for the supply of practical equipment and funding from official and private sources in partner countries as well as for long-term cooperation with counterparts in partner countries;
- We support the priority of Ukrainian policymakers to integrate Ukraine into the European cultural and educational space;
- We recommend Ukrainian decision-makers in the area of culture and education to “build back better” after the war, by combining recovery and reconstruction with reforms;
- We encourage a participatory approach towards formulating strategies in the area of culture and education, involving stakeholders from local government, cultural and educational institutions, academia, civil society and others.
The Board
Werner Schmitt, President
Christian Frei
Anna Kuznetsova
Tetiana Markova
Stas Sagdeyev
Christian Schoenenberger
Maria Söderberg
Volodymyr Yefimov
