On December 8, another exhibition of “War Up Close” took place at Old Dominion University, one of the most prestigious universities in Virginia, as part of the team’s American tour.
The project was presented by Yulia Matiash, Oleksiy Syvak, Nazar Sivak, and Winnie Huang.
When we first presented the virtual museum “War Up Close” in Washington on February 22, 2023, we were advised to convey information about the situation in Ukraine to American voters, engage more with communities, and connect with the youth. We call this format of interaction “from people to people,” and we implemented it again at Old Dominion University.
The event was attended by a large number of students and professors who sincerely empathized with our photo and video materials. Some were in tears, and others couldn’t bear to watch footage of destruction because they were so moved by what they saw. Towards the end, we were invited to the Department of International Relations and were engaged in discussions and expressions of support for the heroic Ukrainian people for over an hour after the allocated exhibition time: people asked questions, debated, expressed support, and wrote notes with wishes:
“Stay strong,” “Wishing you strength, resilience, and hope for a bright future,” “You are an inspiration to the whole world,” “Glory to Ukraine.”
After the exhibition, the “War Up Close” team had a meeting at the office of Congressman Mark Warner, who has represented the state of Virginia in the U.S. Senate since 2009, is the co-chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee. We discussed the understanding of the unequivocal support for Ukraine and the vision of the world after Ukraine’s victory. We also presented 3D tours and videos from de-occupied territories of Ukraine.
«The War Up Close exhibit provides the stark illustration of a nation under violent attack and how its brave people respond. I am confident the exhibit will expand during the coming months with photos and videos of Ukrainians being liberated from the terror of Russian occupation”, – Mark Arnold, Brigadier General (retired), US Army, Special Forces.
We thank Anna Makhorkina for organizing the program of events for the virtual museum “War Up Close” in Virginia and are getting ready for new exhibitions. The next one is just a few days away at the National Press Club in Washington.
