Protecting Cultural Heritage in War

Featuring Dr. Brian Daniels, Director of Research and Programs, Penn Cultural Heritage at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and a Smithsonian Associate

Join the frontline of cultural preservation in embattled Ukraine. Journey with Dr. Brian I. Daniels, Director of Research and Programs at Penn Cultural and Heritage Center, to discover efforts to shield and preserve Ukraine's historic treasures from the looting, vandalization, and destruction of the Russian invasion. Learn more about the vital task of protecting at-risk workers, collections, and cultural heritage sites to safeguard a nation’s identity.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

1001 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX 77005

The Lynn Wyatt Auditorium

FREE Admission with reservaton

Learn About Dr. Brian I. Daniels

Dr. Brian I. Daniels is director of research and programs for the Penn Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, adjunct assistant professor in the University of Pennsylvania anthropology graduate group, visiting professor in the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Graduate Program at the American University of Rome, and research associate at the Smithsonian Institution.

The research interest of Dr. Daniels centers around three concerns: (1) conflict, cultural loss, and human rights violations; (2) community-based approaches to cultural heritage preservation; and (3) indigenous rights and recognition. Currently, Dr. Daniels leads the National Science Foundation-supported Conflict Culture Research Network, a group of scholars at fifteen international universities and research organizations focused on the study of intentional cultural destruction.

He has received the Society for American Archaeology's Presidential Recognition Award for his efforts to protect Syrian and Iraqi cultural heritage and the Lynn Reyer Award in Tribal Community Development from the Society for the Preservation of American Indian Culture for his work with the Shasta Indian communities of northern California. He previously served as the manager of the National Endowment for the Humanities regional center initiative at San Francisco State University, where he worked on strategies for public engagement and the digital humanities.

In Baba’s Kitchen

Featuring Chefs Irina Mamataliyev & Bek Mamat & Monica Pope with Special Guest Steven Givot

In 2022, UNESCO listed borscht, a culinary linchpin of Ukrainian culture, as an "Endangered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." How do you preserve something that is endangered? You teach others how to make it!

Be part of preserving a culinary tradition so that it doesn’t die out!

At this event Ukrainian immigrant chefs Irina Mamataliyev and Bek Mamat & Czechoslovakian chef Monica Pope will lead a cooking class and demonstration that teaches how to make borscht and pierogi and the proper way to drink vodka. Then participants will feast on the results!

World Central Kitchen alumnus, Steven Givot will be present to tell his story about cooking in Ukraine with World Central Kitchen. Attendees will be provided the opportunity to donate to World Central Kitchen.

Foreign Grill, 606 Dennis St, Houston, Texas 77006

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3pm-6pm

Our Sponsors for this Event

MEET THE CHEFS AND SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTER STEVEN GIVOT

Irina Mamataliyev & Bek Mamat

Irina learned how to cook from her grandmother, who taught me how to prepare traditional Ukrainian dishes like borsch. The recipe I use for borsch is actually passed down from my great-grandmother. 

 While I’m not a trained chef myself, my husband Bek is a professional chef. Together, we have operated restaurants in Canada, New Zealand, and Qatar. Now we have immigrated to Houston and have opened Foreign Grill together. Our restaurant is a culmination of our dream of starting a new life in America for our family.

 Our recipes are a blend of family traditions and Beck’s professional expertise. We aim to bring authentic flavors to our dishes while also adding our own unique twist.  We look forward to welcoming you to our table!

Monica Pope

Dubbed the "Alice Waters of the Third Coast," Texas-reared chef Monica Pope has been revolutionizing Houston's culinary scene since she debuted her first restaurant in 1992. As a high school student, she dreamed of “opening a restaurant and changing the way Houston eats.” Pope shares her passion for connecting local farmers and us, the co-producers, by hosting interactive cooking classes and Pop Ups in a Field or any beautiful place. Pope has enjoyed national recognition in the form of a James Beard Award nomination and a spot competing on the 2010 second season of Top Chef Masters on Bravo. She is still the only female Texas chef to be named a Top Ten Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine thanks to her food philosophy, "eat where your food lives".

Hailed by Travel & Leisure magazine as "one of the most ingenious restaurateurs around," Pope first learned to cook from her Czech grandmother and went on to earn her Chef's title from Prue Leith's School of Food and Wine in London, UK. After working in Europe and San Francisco, she returned home to Houston to open the Quilted Toque, which was followed by a succession of acclaimed restaurants, including Boulevard Bistrot,  t'afia and Sparrow Bar + Cookshop. Pope is the founding chair of Recipe for Success Foundation's Chefs Advisory Board. She most recently co-founded the organization, I’ll Have What She’s Having, with some bad ass doctors & chefs to help raise awareness and funds in support of women’s healthcare in the hospitality industry.

Steven Givot

Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine, Houston businessman Steven Givot flew to Poland and made his way to the Ukrainian border to see how he could be of help. He ended up cooking with World Central Kitchen, which became a life-changing experience for him. He will tell the story of his work with the organization at a site near a train station on the Ukrainian-Polish border where thousands of people were fed every day.

Talking Walls: Graffiti from the War

Roksolana Makar, Wall Evidence Team

Russian soldiers often leave graffiti in their wake. Their writings vary from ‘Z’ marks to messages threatening Ukrainians and bragging about their own brutality. Since April 2022, the Ukrainian team of researchers has collected Russian inscriptions on the liberated territories of Ukraine. They created the Wall Evidence project – an open archive aiming at showing the world the truth about Russian actions in Ukraine and help achieve accountability.

In her talk, the archive’s content lead Roksolana Makar will uncover main patterns and narratives found in the wartime graffiti. She will focus on the influence of popular culture, literature and propaganda on the Russian messages to Ukrainians as well as on the transformation of public and private space during the occupation.

The Ukrainian Consul General in Houston, The Honorable Vitalli Tarasiuk, will welcome attendees.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

2pm - 3:30 pm

FREE with Reservation

PLEASE NOTE
This event contains graphic images and language

and is recommended for mature audiences. 

Visit this site for more project information: https://wallevidence.mizhvukhamy.com/

This event is free to attend thanks to the generosity of the University of St. Thomas, the Center for International Studies, the Ukrainian American Cultural Club of Houston, and the Ukrainian Consul General of Houston

MEET THE SPEAKER

Roksolana Makar

Roksolana Makar is an art historian, researcher and writer and a cultural heritage professional focused on law and accountability. She obtained her Art History degree at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture of Ukraine and Master degree in Cultural Studies at the National University 'Kyiv-Mohyla Academy'. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she has been affiliated with Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab, where she is documenting damage of Ukrainian cultural heritage caused by the Russian aggression. Her work is focused around using, adapting, and developing Forensic Heritage methodology in Ukraine in collaboration with international organizations. She also works as a Content Lead of the Wall Evidence project, an open archive of Russian military graffiti in Ukraine. 

Scythians: Golden Horses & Swift Arrows

Embark on a fascinating cultural journey from the comfort of your own home.

The Scythians—an arrow-wielding, nomadic culture of horse people—emerged from vast grasslands of the Eurasian steppe around 5,000 years ago and ranged over a territory spanning modern-day Ukraine to China.  They are renowned for their stunning goldwork and luxurious tombs as well as their legendary prowess as horse-riders. Discover how they exerted a powerful influence on steppe history and why horses and nomads played such a significant role in the region.  The Ukrainian Consul General, The Honorable Vitalii Tarasiuk, will deliver an opening greeting.

Dr. Carolyn Willekes, Mount Royal University

Saturday, April 14, 2024

2:00 pm

FREE EVENT with reservation

MEET THE SPEAKER

Carolyn Willekes has received her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Calgary, Department of Greek and Roman Studies, and holds her B.A. from the University of Guelph.   Dr. Willekes is an Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Her research interests are the breeding, training and use of the horse in the ancient world, the art and history of the Near East and East-West relations, Central Asian and Near Eastern nomadic groups, and Greek history and archaeology, especially the late Classical and Hellenistic periods.  Her recent publications include “Horse Racing and Chariot Racing”, co-authored with Sinclair Bell, in The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life (Oxford University Press, 2013), and she has a forthcoming volume, The Horse in the Ancient World: From Bucephalus to the Hippodrome.

Most recently, she appeared in Alexander: The Making of a God, a six episode docu-drama exploring the life of Alexander the Great through reenactments.

You may also see more of the work of Dr. Willekes for Archaeology Now by viewing the blog posts and mini-series titled “The Tale Behind” about human and animal interaction.

Links for the series:

Video mini-series: https://www.archaeologynow.org/video-miniseries/the-tale-behind

Blog posts: https://www.archaeologynow.org/programming/blog (scroll down to the bottom of blog posts)

Preserving the Homeland in a Sacred Space

Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church

Embark on a tour of Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church to learn how sacred spaces are pivotal to the preservation of Ukrainian culture in a diaspora community. Candlelight flickering on icons, intricate embroidered and beaded vestments, and the traditional art of pysnki are part of deeply felt remembrances of traditional distinctive Ukrainian celebrations of Easter. As we journey together during the joyous time of Eastertide, we will discover the meaning behind the stunning icons and the methods of their creation, view vestments used in worship, as well as folk embroidery that was part of everyday life, and see a demonstration of the creation of pysanki eggs.

Be a part of a unique celebration that helps preserve a culture. 

9102 Meadowshire St, Houston, TX 77037

FREE ADMISSION with reservation

JOIN US FOR THE LAUNCH OF A SPRING SERIES OF EVENTS ABOUT UKRAINE, “THE GATEWAY TO EUROPE,” TO DISCOVER ITS STORIES, CULTURES, AND ANCIENT HISTORY.

Ukraine is an ancient, unique region with a culture formed by sweeping movements of people from the east to the west. Known as the “Gateway to Europe,” Ukraine’s stories, culture, and history are featured in this evening’s events that open the Ukrainian Project, setting the stage for future presentations. Learn about the earliest history of Ukraine and then how occurrences in the early 20th century helped bring about a sense of Ukrainian identity and set the stage for the warfare the country is experiencing today. Archaeology leads the way in identifying the remnants of past cultures while also working to help preserve a past for a future.

Generously Cosponsored by the University of St. Thomas and the Center for International Studies, the Ukrainian American Cultural Club of Houston, and the Ukrainian Consul General of Houston

RECEPTION

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Pre-event reception to meet speakers. Lobby of Jones Hall

TALK

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Ukraine: an Ancient Gateway to Europe

Dr. Adam Rabinowitz, University of Texas.

The complex archaeology of present-day Ukraine goes back to the earliest periods of human history. The area has always been a place where different cultural groups met and exchanged ideas--a dynamic zone of experimentation and synthesis. From the mammoth-bone houses of the Upper Paleolithic, to the Greek colonies of the Black Sea coast and the Scythian nomad empire of the steppe, then to Byzantine cities and the territories of the Kyivan Rus', the peoples who settled Ukraine found novel ways to build communities and develop shared identities. This talk will provide an overview of Ukraine's past, with a particular focus on the ancient and medieval contact-zone of the steppe, and will also discuss the relation between this long history and modern Ukraine's threatened national identity.

PANEL DISCUSSION

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Ukraine Foreign Policy and Diplomacy

Panelists: former UST Professor Richard Sindelar Research Fellow Baker Institute Rice University,  Dr. Tuba Bilgic Associate Professor of International Studies University of St. Thomas, and Dr. Ursula Muenzel, International Business Consultant and Intercultural Coach and Speaker. Moderator Professor Eric Botts, Assistant Professor of International Studies University of St. Thomas. Panelists will discuss the current situation in Ukraine to include the European perspective, U.S. policy and its evolution since the start of the current conflict, and the global response.

FREE ADMISSION

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Reception: 6pm - 7pm

University of St. Thomas, Jones Hall

3910 Yoakum Blvd, Houston, TX  77006

Parking:  $10 at Moran Parking Center

Map