GREENEVILLE – Members of the Tusculum University family and the community bettered the lives of Ukrainians during an auction Thursday, Feb. 29, by purchasing art created by that country’s residents that shares what they have experienced since the Russian invasion two years ago.
Heather Carbajal holds the painting she won at the silent auction.
Yaroslav Hnatusko speaks before the bidding officially begins. In front of him is the Ukraine flag.
In just 1 ½ hours, East Tennesseans raised $3,700 during the silent auction, held in Tusculum’s Clem Allison Art Gallery. Additional money has been raised since from the sale of prints. All of these funds will go to Restore Ukraine, a nonprofit organization, which will provide vouchers to Ukrainians whose residences have sustained damage this winter during the war with Russia.
“I’m very happy the people who attended heard the stories behind the paintings and responded with their heartfelt donations,” said Yaroslav Hnatusko, who co-founded Restore Ukraine with his brother, Stanislav, and serves as executive director of the organization. “Once we spent some time unpacking the stories and helping our guests understand why the paintings were created, people felt they were making a beneficial contribution to help Restore Ukraine undertake these humanitarian projects. They will become ambassadors for what we are trying to accomplish because they know the stories.”
Among the items that were auctioned were 16 extraordinary paintings, 14 of which were created for the all-Ukrainian exhibition hosted in that country by Restore Ukraine in July 2023. The other two paintings were made by East Tennesseans offering their viewpoint about the events in Ukraine. Some of the intricacies in the paintings are flowers with hand grenades inside and bullet holes in a sign.
The other items up for bids were five hand-painted T-shirts and three handmade rugs that Restore Ukraine also rescued from the battlefields to exhibit in East Tennessee. Tusculum students also contributed a couple of paintings to the event.
Two guests examine some of the shirts before the bidding officially begins.
Two guests look at one of the paintings before the bidding officially starts.
It was not up for bids, but another treasured item that was present was the Ukrainian flag signed by frontline soldiers and paramedics.
Attendees of the auction received a booklet that provided details about the paintings as well as the shirts and rugs. The booklet also had details about some of the artists. David Varney, president of the Greeneville Noon Rotary Club and emcee for the event, discussed two of the paintings in detail and then told audience members to close their eyes and set aside other distractions.
He asked people to consider the idea of being in their homes in the middle of the night and hearing multiple explosions and smelling smoke. He further described the scene by telling them their home is suddenly trembling, and when they arise to explore what it is happening, they only see fire and destruction. They are puzzled, wondering about their family and what is transpiring in the community because this type of situation has not occurred before. When they try to call their family, they cannot because the phone is not working. Other communication methods are unavailable as well.
“This is what happened two years ago in Ukraine,” Varney said. “It could happen here. And if it happens here, your government will not be able to come to your aid. We’re going to be dependent on people like you and me from around the world to get us food and get us water. We can only hope there are people like Yaro and organizations like Restore Ukraine. That’s why we are here tonight.”
Pauline Adams shows the painting she won at the silent auction.
Left to right, Joey Webb, Savannah Webb and Angie Webb show the painting and shirt they won at the silent auction.
One family that attended the event had a personal connection to Ukraine and submitted the winning bid for one of the paintings, “Kherson Tragedy,” and one of the T-shirts, “Baby Yoda of Ukraine.” Angie and Joey Webb came with their granddaughter, Savannah, whose mother is from the Kherson Region. Their son met his wife when he was studying abroad in Ukraine.
The painting shows where a dam was blown up, causing flooding.
“We were in the Kherson Region for our son and her mother’s wedding in 2006,” Angie Webb said. “Her grandfather is still there. So it’s a special picture to us.”
Heather Carbajal, executive director of the local Red Cross chapter and a friend of Yaro, also went home with a painting.
“Supporting the Ukrainian crisis is something that is important to me not only because of what we do at the Red Cross but also personally,” she said. “When you think about the devastation this community has been facing day in and day out for years now, anything that we can do as individuals to support them – to bring comfort, to bring help, to bring peace – is something that I want to be involved in.”
Pauline Adams, a noon Rotary Club member, who will become assistant governor for Rotary District 7570 Area 14 in July, won one of the paintings. She found the painting to be attractive but was also moved to help Ukrainians.
Yaroslav Hnatusko, center, speaks with Lisa Chiapputo, left, and Ben Gilliam at the silent auction.
Ben Gilliam, left, holds the painting, and Lisa Chiapputo holds the cake they won during the event.
“I like to support Ukraine,” she said. “What they’re going through is very difficult. It’s hard to win a war when you’ve got bad people fighting you. They need the money. It’s not that I’m buying art. I’m buying something for them to take back to Ukraine to build their houses back. The art is like a souvenir of my donation, but it was the donation to them that really was important.”
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, expressed the university’s delight to host the auction and tied the event to the higher education institution’s mission. He saw the event as an intersection between civic engagement, one of the prongs of the mission, and art. The auction also demonstrated the caring Christian environment component of the mission by instilling compassion in students.
“We are here tonight to be part of a solution and provide tangible help to Ukrainians in need,” Dr. Hummel said. “This auction aligns well with what we are trying to achieve at Tusculum. As a university, we have a responsibility to our students, but we also have a responsibility to our local and global communities. We need to contribute to their well-being, and many of the ways we accomplish that is through our students and through our graduates by preparing them to make a difference in their communities and the world. This auction is part of setting that particular example for our students.”
Left to right, Nataliia Ivanova, David Varney and Nataliia Schultz stand with the rug Varney won.
Left to right, Tusculum student Isabella Gall; Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president; and Tusculum student Caleb Brown look at one of the paintings being auctioned.
He talked about a Ukrainian painting he and his wife, Starr, have in the President’s House.
“Every time I see this art piece, it is more than just beautiful,” Dr. Hummel said. “It makes me feel like there is a connection to Ukraine and Ukrainian artists because this was painted by a Ukrainian. When you see the pieces in this auction, they are beautiful, impressive and artistic, but they also give you a connection to the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian crisis.”
To make additional donations or to inquire about other ways to help, please email Yaro at yaroslav@restore-ukraine.org. More information about the nonprofit organization is available at https://restore-ukraine.org/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.