This week ELIA warmly welcomes thirty UAx Abakanowicz fellows selected as part of the newly launched UAx Abakanowicz Fellowship Programme 2023. Through this fellowship, students are offered a host of resources and benefits towards the advancement of their artistic practices in Ukraine while being encouraged to explore new horizons as they establish a solid foundation for their prospective careers.  

 

Chosen from a diverse pool of ninety applicants, the fellowship programme supports 30 war-affected art students, allowing them to continue with their degree studies in Ukraine, and develop their artistic practices through bursaries and mentorship. This years’ selected participants are students from five Ukrainian institutions affiliated with ELIA’s UAx platform, namely A.V. Nezhdanova Odesa National Academy of Music, the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, the Kharkiv I.P. Kotlyarevskyy National University of Arts, the Kyiv National I.K. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatre, Cinema, and Television, as well as the Lviv National Academy of Arts.  

 

At the heart of the fellowship programme is a three-pronged approach. Foremost, the awardee is given a stipend of up to €2,000 for the 2023-24 academic year to address any academic/artistic research or personal financial need. Further, they are provided with the opportunity to engage in a reciprocal mentorship and knowledge exchange with mentors from five UAx Sister Schools across Europe which include the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn, Estonia, Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Potsdam, Germany,  HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, The Netherlands, and Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden.  

 

The aim of the UAx Abakanowicz Fellowship Programme is to support and empower the next generation of artists in Ukraine through a process of reciprocal artistic collaboration and cultural exchange. The programme hopes to build international connections and meaningful relationships as Ukrainian students become active ELIA members and gain access to ELIA’s vibrant community of artists, academics and arts institutions working across a host of academic fields and disciplines.  

 

We wish each UAx Abakanowicz Fellow every success and look forward to updating you with their progress. 

 

For more information on ELIA’s UAx Platform, please visit https://elia-artschools.org/page/UAx.