NEW YORK, NY.- Broadcasting from The Ukrainian Museum on Thursday, July 12, NYC-ARTS co-host Paula Zahn spoke about the Museum's history and collections, and about its two current exhibitions, Ukrainian Kilims: Journey of a Heritage and A Singular Vision: Ilona Sochynsky, Retrospective of Painting. The program also aired on Long Island's WLIW the next day, and was shown again on Channel 13 the following Sunday.

Filmed in the Kilim galleries, Ms. Zahn called The Ukrainian Museum "one of the city's lesser known gems." Ms. Zahn showcased A Singular Vision, a solo exhibition of works by contemporary artist Ilona Sochynsky, noting that the Museum is "about more than the Ukrainian past." As the camera revealed a panorama of Sochynsky's provocative paintings, Ms. Zahn presented an overview of the artist's training and transitions in artistic styles over time. A Singular Vision will be on display through October 7.

Later in the program, during the five-minute "Curator's Choice" segment, Lubow Wolynetz, the Museum's curator of folk art, introduced viewers to the major exhibition Ukrainian Kilims: Journey of a Heritage, for which she had served as curator. She began by describing the traditions associated with Ukrainian kilims and weaving methods. Ms. Wolynetz focused primarily on three examples from the exhibition: a kilim from the Eastern Podillia region woven in the 1890s, probably by descendants of Cossacks, with Ukrainian stylized floral designs and elements reminiscent of Persian calligraphy (alluding to a time when Ukrainian lands were under Ottoman rule); a colorful kilim from the early 20th century, made by a father for his daughter's dowry, which journeyed with the family when they were exiled to eastern Ukraine by the Soviet-led government and later accompanied them on the trek to freedom in the West; and a kilim designed in the 1930s by the artist Sviatoslav Hordynsky, who merged folk art motifs and stylized modernist elements into his creation. Ukrainian Kilims: Journey of a Heritage, which includes 40 prized examples from The Ukrainian Museum’s permanent collection, will be on view through October 21.

This was not the first time that The Ukrainian Museum had been featured on NYC-ARTS. On February 23, 2012, NYC-ARTS News correspondent Christina Ha showcased the exhibition Borys Kosarev: Modernist Kharkiv, 1915-1931. Using a backdrop of gallery views, and with individual works by Kosarev floating across the screen, Ms. Ha's report concisely illustrated the burgeoning modernist movement in Ukraine that was deliberately and brutally crushed under communist rule.

The Museum's attractive, modern, and spacious galleries, as well as the high caliber of its exhibitions, left an impression on the production crew in February. Soon after the Kosarev segment aired, NYC-ARTS contacted the Museum about hosting a program on location.

A new crew came to survey the Museum's facilities, check the lighting, measure the sound quality, and select a key location within the galleries where the NYC-ARTS host would be anchored. Working closely with the crew, Museum staff provided images, background on the Museum's history, and information about its collections, all of which contibuted to their research and content for the program. The July12 episode with Paula Zahn was recorded on June 26.

Maria Shust, the Museum's director, expressed her delight at having the Museum featured on NYC-ARTS, "an outstanding program that puts a spotlight on the exceptional cultural events that this city has to offer. We led Paula Zahn through the galleries and gave her an in-depth tour of the exhibitions. I found Ms. Zahn to be gracious and warm, and very interested in Ukrainian fine and folk art."

The Ukrainian Museum has observed an increase in attendance since the program aired on July 12. Attracted to the Museum by NYC-ARTS, some of the new visitors have marveled about the existence of such a superb museum in their midst. Others who had been to the Museum previously returned because of the excellent NYC-ARTS report. Many visitors of Ukrainian descent voiced their pride in having one of their cultural institutions featured on the popular PBS TV affiliate.

For those who missed it, the complete NYC-ARTS video (26 minutes) is available online: http://watch.thirteen.org/video/2255305704