In Support of Glass Art in Ukraine
Rago is honored to present Unbreakable Ukraine, a selection of contemporary glasswork from Ukrainian artists. This collection was organized by Jeff Hillam, who visited Lviv in September of 2022, and aims to bring awareness and support to the hot shop at the Glass Museum in Lviv shared by the Lviv National Academy of Arts.
All proceeds will support the hot shop and the artists in their efforts to thrive and create in spite of war.
"Though Lviv was safe at the time of our visit, the signs of wartime preparation were everywhere. Blockade equipment littered the roadways, ready to be used at a moment's notice. We encountered military checkpoints and public displays of national solidarity along the way. Old churches had metal sheets installed over their stained glass windows to ensure that bombings would not shatter their beauty. Statues were covered and shielded with canvas and rope, to protect the city's cultural heritage. But what stood out brightly in contrast to the darkness of these visuals, was the steadfast Ukrainian determination to maintain normalcy, optimism and hope."
Jeff Hillam
Learn more about the Glass Museum in Lviv and the Lviv National Academy of Arts.
Born in 1953 in the Lviv region, Oleksandr Zvir received his professional education at Lviv School of Applied and Decorative Arts and Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts at the Department of Glass Art (1981). Zvir has been an associate professor and Head of the Chair of Glass Art of the Lviv National Academy of Arts for many years. He is a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (1995) and one of the founders of the International Community of Ukrainian Atists. e has participated in the International Blown Glass Symposiums in Lviv, international projects and exhibitions in France, the Netherlands, Poland and China, and works in architectural, monumental decorative, and experimental studio glass.