65th anniversary of the Shevchenko Prize: a publication on the region’s laureates was presented in Mykolaiv

An event marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine took place in Mykolaiv on 20 May

The event took place at the Mykolaiv Regional Universal Scientific Library, reports a correspondent for NikVesti.

This year, Ukraine is marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. The Mykolaiv region has been involved in celebrating this anniversary since March. Cultural and artistic events aimed at promoting the creative legacy of the prize laureates have been held at cultural institutions across the region.

The Mykolaiv Library hosted the presentation of the scholarly and documentary publication «Shevchenko Prize Laureates of Mykolaiv Region», authored by Taras Kremin — a Ukrainian politician and professor at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding.

The book systematises archival materials and compiles a list of 25 laureates and 30 nominees for the Taras Shevchenko National Prize who have links to the Mykolaiv region.

«In fact, this book should have been written a long time ago, because with such a huge number of Shevchenko Prize laureates, talented in various spheres of public life, we have only now been able to gather this unique material. This includes not only materials from our region, but also from archival institutions, museums, private archives and international cooperation,» says Taras Kremin.

He also mentioned the 1984 Shevchenko Prize laureates — Leonid Vysheslavskyi, Mykola Vinhranovskyi and Oleksandr Syzonenko. Among contemporary artists, he named Andriш Antoniuk, Dmytro Kremin and Svitlana Fominykh, who, during the period of independence, brought renown to the Mykolaiv region beyond Ukraine’s borders.

«Compiling this material is a way of thanking these outstanding people for the development and affirmation of Ukrainian spirituality and culture. It also debunks the myth of a closed city. We are a city open to international cooperation, but closed to the enemy. That is precisely why Mykolaiv demonstrates its resistance and character — in 1991, when it voted for an independent Ukraine; in 2014, when it halted the occupation of the region; and in 2022, when the people of Mykolaiv stood up to defend the city and the region. I can confirm that the book «Shevchenko Prize Laureates of Mykolaiv Region» is the only one of its kind in Ukraine. No other region has anything similar, at least this year,» concluded Taras Kremin.

Viktoriia Aharkova, Director of the Mykolaiv Regional Universal Scientific Library, explained that the main aim of the event was to tell the story of the award winners — natives of the Mykolaiv region.

«Among the speakers were representatives from theatres, museums and libraries, who spoke about the laureates in the fields of literature, music and the visual arts. Kherson also took part. I saw the reaction of those present and I think the event was a success,» says Viktoriia Aharkova.

She also noted that a poster exhibition dedicated to the Shevchenko Prize laureates — natives of the Mykolaiv region — had been specially prepared for the event. Library specialists had been working on them for several years. After the event, the posters will be displayed in the library’s gallery for visitors. Digital versions of the posters will also be shared with public libraries across the region.

She added that the library has digitised the entire legacy of Dmytro Kremin, Leonid Vysheslavskyi and Oleksandr Syzonenko. To date, this amounts to 61 publications and over 16,000 pages.

«We preserve and promote everything we have in our collections. The library houses a unique book museum where rare editions are kept. And it was during the war that we realised how important it is to preserve this information, which is why we are actively digitising it. We are also preparing a website called «Shevchenko Prize Laureates from Mykolaiv Region», added Viktoria Agarkova.

Violetta Tsarkova, a member of the Kherson Regional Council, joined the art platform. She emphasised the importance of cultural support for regions living under constant threat.

«I very much hope that new Shevchenko Prize laureates are already emerging or taking shape in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions today, whom we will, I hope, get to see. And our task as government bodies and local authorities is to support and develop talent. This is what my colleague and I are doing,» Violetta Tsarkova.

In addition, Yurii Hranaturov, Deputy Head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, joined the event.

«Unfortunately, Viktor Semeniuk is now the only living recipient of the Shevchenko Prize. He is now of a respectable age and was unable to attend today. But I am confident that both the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions have enormous potential in the fields of culture, art and literature. The nationality in our passports no longer matters. Everyone who lives in Ukraine, who studied here and loved this land, is united by shared values. And Mykolaiv today is a city open to the world, known to the whole world,» said Yurii Hranaturov.

Photo report

As a reminder, over 100 items have been digitised in Mykolaiv for an online collection of the industrial heritage of southern Ukraine.

As a reminder, 329 20th-century paintings from the collections of two local museums in Mykolaiv — the Vasyl Vereshchahin Art Museum and the Regional Local History Museum — are now available in a virtual gallery and a bilingual printed catalogue. This has been made possible by the cultural project «Museum Digital Collection», which has been running for five years.

Previously, NikVesti reported that, as of 7 September, the Mykolaiv Regional Local History Museum and the Vasyl Vereshchahin Art Museum had digitised nearly 700 exhibits.

As is well known, from the very first days of the full-scale war, Mykolaiv’s museums had to rescue exhibits from shelling and the risk of occupation. At that time, the collections of the three largest institutions – the Vasyl Vereshchahin Art Museum, the Regional Local History Museum, and the Museum of Shipbuilding and the Fleet – were evacuated to safe locations. Read more about how this happened in the NikVesti article «Evacuation of exhibits and shelling: How are Mykolaiv’s museums coping with the war?»