NYC and Ukraine students collaborate on emotional exhibit highlighting war’s impact

Students from the School of Ukrainian Studies in Manhattan and from Ternopil Comprehensive School No. 10 in Ukraine worked together to create “Through the Eyes of Children,” an exhibit that pays homage to Ukraine and the hardships endured under war.

The collaboration was fostered by the Riverdale Y, grassroots group Art for AID, and MRP NetWorking, a nonprofit organization founded by Maria Rose in 1998 that offers educational programs to young people in New York City. Since the pandemic, MRP NetWorking has worked predominantly with Ukrainian children, with help from the Ukrainian American Youth Association, Rose said.

In the wake of World War II, Rose’s paternal grandparents fled Lviv and her maternal grandparents fled Odessa. Rose grew up on the Lower East Side, but stayed connected to her heritage through family traditions and attending Ukrainian summer camps. In her adult life, she began visiting family who still lived in Ukraine.

“Growing up, I always knew the history of [my family] coming over here and everything it took for them to come to the United States,” Rose said. “So I’ve always kept that close to heart.”

After Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, children from the School of Ukrainian Studies learned some Ternopil students had been displaced, and wanted to extend any help they could, Rose said. An eighth grader at the time, Nicolette Shaw, had the idea to create and sell paper cut-out angels as a way to raise money for Ternopil.

Shaw, now an 11th grader, told The Press in an email she wanted the money to go toward art supplies so the Ternopil kids could cope with their trauma through art therapy.

“I realized I wanted to do something that can actually help,” Shaw said. “I felt happy to know that the work I was doing was going to be a part of helping something bigger.”

As time went on, the project grew, and the School of Ukrainian Studies students started making sunflower-themed jewelry — Ukraine’s national flower — painted eggshells and ornaments bearing Ukraine’s national symbol of the “тризуб,” or trident.

Alexander Miller, also an 11th grader at the School of Ukrainian Studies, created several different ornaments painted with blue and yellow. One uses engraving to show two hands surrounding a dove, with the phrase “Слава Україні!” or “Glory to Ukraine!” Another shows a soldier in a wheelchair, holding hands with a woman sitting in a chair across from him.

Miller told The Press in an email he wanted to bring more awareness to the war between Ukraine and Russia.

“I hope to bring a mix of melancholy and hope from my artworks, that peace can return to Ukraine,” Miller said. “That the displaced Ukrainians can return to their home and that the children can return to their home without the trauma from what has happened in the war.”

The larger frames of the exhibit hold paintings, colored pencil art and marker drawings made by Ternopil kids during art therapy, Rose said. The students were given prompts such as “How are you feeling today?” or “What’s bothering you?”

The exhibit is on display at the Riverdale Y at 5625 Arlington Avenue through May 15.

Liliya Snovida, the director of logistics at MRP NetWorking, moved to the United States from Ternopil 30 years ago. Her now 13-year-old son, Markian Snovida, was raised in Riverdale and took part in swimming and basketball at the Riverdale Y.

She met Rose while Markian was a student at the School of Ukrainian Studies. By the time Markian was 5 years old, he was spending summers in Ukraine, including a few months at Ternopil Comprehensive School No. 10. during the pandemic. When he was 10, Markian moved to Ukraine full time.

Markian was a talented pianist and violinist, Snovida said, and he was awarded a scholarship for music school. He lives in Ternopil with his grandparents. 

“We mothers realize that if we give our children means to fight the negativity and turn anything negative into positive, this world will have a better future,” Snovida said. “In the times when a lot of people are trying to escape the war, there are people who feel very connected to the homeland and to their heritage.”

Markian told The Press that before he moved to Ukraine, he loved visiting to spend time with his grandparents and his friends. He said it is a fun and better place for him, and described himself as an athlete who enjoys sports, especially soccer.

Conflict was ongoing in Ukraine when Markian got settled there in 2023, but he said he doesn’t pay much attention to it. About once a week or every two weeks, Markian said there is an air raid. He gets a notification on his phone, and he and his classmates walk to the basement of a nearby nursery school. Sheltering can last anywhere from five minutes to 40 minutes, he shared.

“Usually we just chat together,” Markian said. “Sometimes if we’re in the middle of a test we have to finish it.”

Markian said he doesn’t feel scared, and he’s become accustomed to sheltering procedures. Still, he doesn’t want the rest of the world to forget about his country.

“Don’t give up on us,” Markian said.