Two Charleston friends went to Ukraine. They brought home the seeds of a plan for an art-powered fundraiser.
From Nov. 6 to Nov. 13, some 29 contemporary Charleston artists will join to hold Friends Of Ukraine, a fundraising exhibition in support of those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The exhibition at Stevenson and Co. in downtown Charleston is chaired by its owner Patrick Stevenson and co-chaired by Richard “Duke” Hagerty and Walter Fiederowicz.
The exhibition supports the efforts of Zero Line, a nonprofit providing direct humanitarian aid that will receive 50% of the proceeds. At the same time, Friends Of Ukraine will raise awareness for the country’s ongoing crisis by way of the collective conscience of local artists.
While the ambitious fundraiser sets its sights on a wartorn country far from the Lowcountry, the idea first emerged on Charleston soil.
Last December, Fiederowicz, a Charleston-based entrepreneur and a founder of Charleston Literary Festival, attended Renaissance Weekend at The Charleston Place. There, he connected with Ian Miller, co-founder of Zero Line.
Fiederowicz learned how Zero Line assembles groups of Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans from diverse private sector, philanthropic, military and academic backgrounds to visit the country to supply everything from computers and drones to communications equipment and and vehicles to help frontline workers.
Fiederowicz was sufficiently enthralled to sign up. When his wife balked at the idea, he realized he may need to sign up a friend to assure her, and convinced his friend Duke Hagerty to sign on as well. So she acquiesced.
By May, Fiederowicz and Hagerty embarked on a 10-day, 29-person trip to Ukraine, traveling with a cohort of similarly committed volunteers (among them Ken Casey, the lead singer of the popular alternative band the Dropkick Murphys).
By way of Warsaw, the entourage ultimately made it to Kiev. There, they eluded nightly drones by heading to a bomb shelter, and staying put there until all drones were knocked down or exploded.
For Fiederowicz, the dedication of the Ukraine people made a lasting impression, one powerful enough that he plans to return in the spring.
“These are people fighting for their country and for their way of life with a big bully,” he said, citing the run up to World War II as a cautionary tale, and the fall out of letting such bullies get away with it. “He’s not going to stop.”
Artful support
On a recent visit to the gallery, Patrick Stevenson walked from one donated work to the next, pointing out the range of participating artists, many identified in his role as president of Charleston Gallery Association.
“The next thing I know I was getting phone calls of “would you consider my work?’ ”
The works span scale, style and price tag, ranging from $500 to $50,000. Some were previously created, such asan outsize, abstracted Lowcountry landscape by Mary Edna Fraser.
Jonathan Green donated a collection of posters from the past 20 years.
“Seeing art is always a helping hand that nourishes the heart and soul,” said Green.
Other artists homed in on Ukraine. One of the pieces created by Riivo Kruuk is an homage to a hallmark work of Green. In it a lady wears the artist’s signature wide-brimned sunhat, the details blurred as an exploration of memory, and the hat painted by Kruuk in a brilliant yellow against a blue background, referencing the Ukrainian flag. As an artist in Charleston, he feels it’s his duty as an Estonian-American to share cultures, especially when there are attempts to delete them.
Propped near the entrance of the gallery is Hagerty’s donation. Charged by vibrant swaths of blue and yellow eliding into green, it evokes his own days in Ukraine.
Like his works set in Charleston, which often feature the city’s holy spires, it is adorned with steeples. Domed and golden, they rise majestically from a storied Kiev skyline, circled by fighter jets and a drone. Russian tanks muddy the ground in military browns.
A clock reads 9 a.m., when all stops in Ukraine to honor the memory of those fallen. A portrait of a woman soldier is inspired by a photograph on a grave, one of the many freshly decorated in the cemeteries. A wide-eyed child walks along, cradling a rabbit in her arms.
“I saw her on a rough comic drawing on a piece of tin, but I was so moved by this young girl holding a rabbit,” he said.
While explaining the work, Hagerty is quelled by his own depth of feeling recalling his firsthand experience. After a pause, he composes himself, ready to delve into the meaning of his work, determined to do what he can.
IF YOU WANT TO GO: The opening reception for Victory for Ukraine is Nov. 7, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
at Stevenson and Co., and the exhibition runs from Nov. 6 to Nov. 13; 50 Queen St. More: stevensonandco.shop/friends-of-ukraine
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