Talk at the Expert Committee for Culture at UNESCO
On May 4th, 2023, TGR founding director, Heather O’Donnell, was invited to talk about TGR’s programs in 2022-23 supporting Ukrainian artists. Armenian-Ukrainian Singer Laura Marti, an active collaborator of TGR, also gave a talk (via videoconference from Kiev) about her experiences in Germany in 2022-23.
Heather O’Donnell’s talk to the committee:
“Thank you for your kind invitation to speak here today.
The Green Room was founded in 2020 to offer essential support systems for performing artists – musicians, dancers, theater workers - especially artists confronting disruptive crises in their careers.
In late February and early March 2022- we were wondering how to best respond to the needs of Ukrainian artists who would be arriving in Germany or who had already just arrived. We had very little resources at that point. Tentatively, with some uncertainty, we sent out messages: we want to help, how can we help?
The quick responses we received – in the first day over 40 artists wrote – was what formed the basis of our programs in 2022 responding to the needs of Ukrainian stage artists.
Here are some of the messages (identifying information changed to protect anonymity):
March 5th
I’m a dancer. In my country war, situation is dangerous and I don’t work. I miss my job very much and I’d like continue my creativity. If you can help me, it would be great.
March 5th
Good day ! I am Ukraine artist. I am with two kids coming from Ukraine. Can you help? Thank you for any information.
March 6th
Hello! I am a musician from Kharkiv. Our house was under fire, so I must leave Ukraine. Now I am in Germany, Munich. Please let me know if you will have any opportunities. Now I am in local family, but it is only for couple days. I am alone here, my husband is still in Ukraine.Thank you!
March 8th
Hello. My country is at war now. I am staying in Poland now, but not yet registered as a refugee. I want to move to Germany. Can I turn to you for help if you provide help for refugees from Ukraine? Regards
March 12th
I am going to border now from Ukraine to Slovakia
How situation in Germany with work? It’s real that there is work for refugee?
So, a theme that runs through these messages, and many others like them is the need for work, paid artistic work. That formed the base of our program.
We created over 100 paid artistic work situations in 2022 and 2023 for over 70 Ukrainian artists, and 5 Russian dissident artists. We also opened our full program of supports: classes (meditation, Feldenkrais method, yoga, etc.) and workshops (preparing for auditions) and psychological counseling, career coaching - up for free use by Ukrainian artists. We worked together with over a dozen volunteers who offered rooms in their homes, contacts to arts organizations, practice rooms, help with navigating German bureaucracy, and so forth.
As I mentioned, when we started the program, we didn’t have a full concept of how to financially support the program, so it was a rather scary step to offer to help a very vulnerable population without having secured the means to do so effectively. Within 6 weeks of initial contact with Ukrainian artists, generous funding (63,000 €) was granted from a mix of private and public grantors.
This made it possible to spend the entire year thinking up ways for collaborating with arts institutions like the English Theater Düsseldorf, Strassenfest, and most recently the Kölner Philharmonie to create artistic performance opportunities for Ukrainian artists.
Examples of this:
In summer we hosted 11 Ukrainian dancers to self-direct a festival of dance and movement.
We had many opportunities to invite the glorious Ukrainian singer Laura Marti (who will speak in a few minutes) and equally wonderful pianist Nataliya Lebedeva to perform in TGR. We helped a fantastic Ukrainian choir director Oksana Dondyk establish her own choir, and are continuing to help her as she organisased a tour for her esteemed choir from Ukraine, the academic choir Kreshchatyk, with a performance in the Cologne Philharmonie in September. An impressive music therapist from Bucha, Olena Gaidychuk, came several times from her residence in Poland to give weeklong curses for Ukrainian kids at TGR.
As I mentioned, all our programs that normally run through TGR were opened up to Ukrainian artists: somatic courses, social assistance in career matters, career coaching, psychological counseling. These offers were not taken up very often by our Ukrainian friends, so I wonder how we could have improved those kinds of offers to make them more relevant.
We also established a WhatsApp group for networking. We announce artistic jobs and opportunities there, and participants list their own performances and pose questions to the others about everyday life in NRW.
Now, we received a three year funding for artist-residencies from BAMF, Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge), so that we can host refugee and migrant artists from all over the world in TGR.
What worked well:
The speed of financial support in early 2022. This was probably a once-in-a generation or even once-in-a lifetime situation that so much support was so uncomplicatedly made available.
The building up of a community of volunteers
The trust and sense of mutual respect and contribution to the community of our Ukrainian artists
Recommendations:
Could funding always be this easily available, and equal for all refugee groups?
Please never underestimate the possibilities of contribution of small, independent organisations. We are agile. We can change course within a day to accommodate new needs and confront new societal problems.
Thank you!”