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8 OUR LIFE • January-February 2026 THE UKRAINIAN MUSEUM 222E6NYC Ukrainian Museum Appoints Elena Siyanko as Transitional Executive Director Internationally recognized arts leader will guide Museum as it celebrates its 50th anniversary The Ukrainian Museum has appointed Elena Siyanko (Олена Сіянко) as Transitional Executive Director. An interna - tionally recognized arts leader and innovator whose exper - tise embraces performing and visual arts management, higher education, and cultural programming and philanthro - py, Elena brings unique fund - raising capabilities and a track record of artistic excellence at both established and emerg - ing organizations. “Elena combines managerial and fundraising success with curatorial acumen,” said Adri - an Hewryk, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Having successfully raised funds from scratch for two in - stitutions in recent years and built high-performing, collab - orative teams at both organ - izations, she is uniquely posi - tioned to lead the Museum’s 50th anniversary fundraising campaign and year of activi - ties in 2026–2027.” Most recently, Elena co-foun- ded the ambitious Down to Earth international festival of free multidisciplinary performances in public spaces throughout New York City. The festival focused on the defense of public space and on forging stra - tegic partnerships with numerous cultural and community organizations, NYC parks and public spaces, and international collaborators. Previously, Elena served as the Inaugural Executive and Artistic Direc - tor of the PS21/Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, NY, where she led the organization from inception to national prominence. During her tenure, she more than doubled the Center’s operating budget; recruited an impressive Board composed of major philanthro - pists, distinguished artists, and subject matter experts; launched a year- round residency program; and transformed the organization into an internationally recognized cultural destination for cutting-edge perfor - mance that The New York Times critic Jesse Greene called a “supercool avant-garde hothouse.” Crucially, she centered this growth on access and inclusion, initiating the PS21 Pathways program, which partnered with over 25 local organizations to bring performances into schools, parks, and public spaces. Under her leadership, PS21 presented hun - dreds of artists from around the world in every conceivable genre, with over 120 distinct productions from 15 countries, more than 250 events for diverse audiences, and upwards of 30 artists’ residencies. Before joining PS21, Elena had served as Director of Advancement Initiatives at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA (2013–2019), where she successfully led new exhibition-funding initiatives following the Clark’s expansion. Based in New York, she worked with trustees and major donors on exhibition funding strategies while envisioning and leading prominent thematic programs linking exhibitions to current so - cial and cultural concerns, including the role of the arts in contemporary politics, evolving views of nature, and the intersections of old and new art forms, such as painting, contemporary music, and film. Her work connected the Clark’s distinguished collection with contemporary cul - ture, attracting new and younger audiences and donors through innova - tive programming that integrated the museum’s distinctive architecture with performance, including a free modern music series and large-scale season-closing festivals. “As a first-generation immigrant from Kyiv, I am delighted and hon - ored to serve the Ukrainian Museum,” said Elena. “In 2026–2027 the Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary with exhibitions, communi - ty outreach, block parties, and programming that honors five extraor - dinary decades of cultural stewardship. We want to make sure that the entire community is invited and feels welcome. And of course, in this moment of ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the Museum’s work of advancing both contemporary Ukrainian artistic expression and cultural memory is more urgent than ever.” Elena holds an M.A. in Arts Administration from Columbia University (in the consortium of the School of the Arts, the Business School, and the Law School) and a B.A. in Asian Studies from Mount Holyoke Col - lege.
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