From March 20 through May 20 Vancouver’s Corridor Gallery showed a selection of pieces from Ukrainian painters Tatyana Ostapenko and Anya Mironets Keyes. The exhibition, titled “Love for Ukraine,” showcased each artist’s personal view of the world.
Keyes and Ostapenko are contributing all the proceeds of the showing to GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
GlobalGiving is an international non-profit organization that distributes funds to smaller nonprofits already operating in affected areas. This approach is used to cut down on overhead and get more funds where they are needed fast.
In addition to the funds raised by the exhibition, Ostapenko started selling every surplus painting she has, totaling $65,000 donated so far. The fund set up by GlobalGiving currently sits at $41.3 million of its $43 million goal.
“I wanted to make sure that we were there immediately,” Ostapenko said. “I knew that the attention span and this crisis fatigue that will set in with people reading the news and being aware here in the United States, I knew that the opportunity was very short.”
When deciding which organization to help fund, Ostapenko knew speed and efficiency were important factors. Aid organizations on the ground in Ukraine needed support right away, and she knew the longer she waited the less likely people would be to donate.
“We’re not sitting on this money, we’re sending it like right now,” Ostapenko said. “I’m going to be donating to Ukraine in one form or another for the foreseeable future.”
More information and a link to donate can be found on Ostapenko’s website as well as GlobalGiving’s website.
