Curated by Hanna Melnyczuk, a Ukrainian-American artist, and Halyna Andrusenko, an artist from Kyiv, The Umbrella Arts Center’s iteration of the traveling exhibition Don’t Close Your Eyes features the work of 27 artists from various regions of Ukraine responding to the invasion of their country, which began February 24, 2022. Expressions of grief, loss, survival, and hope range from surrealism to expressionism and include drawings, paintings, mixed media, papercuts, lithographs, and a six-minute video, Protected, in which Halyna Andrusenko echoes the wrapping of monuments in Kyiv by wrapping her parents in cloth.

Don’t Close Your Eyes features a broad spectrum of powerful work in response to the war in Ukraine. This work is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the abilities of artists to synthesize powerful emotions and responses into works that transcend boundaries of time, geography, and space.

An Opening Reception with curator remarks will be open to the public on Wednesday, January 17, 5-7PM. Proceeds from artwork sales will be split between the creators and Ukraine Forward, which provides life-saving resources to the people of Ukraine.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Indoor gallery hours are 9AM-9PM daily. The Umbrella is ADA accessible, offers free lot and street parking, and is conveniently located off Route 2 and two blocks from the Fitchburg Line.

Photo credit: Ilya Yarovoy, Amounts, Public educational institution of vocational and technical education, Sumy, Ukraine, Watercolor, 2023

Opened until February 17, 2024