On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, began a war against Ukraine. As a conservator and Fulbright Specialist and Fellow in Ukraine for the last number of years, I have received many inquiries and expressions of sympathy for the conservators I have met there. However, since this war creates a significant risk to Ukraine's cultural heritage, still largely unknown in the West, and to the conservators and other arts professionals who care for it, I wanted to provide a brief introduction to the historical context of the multi-ethnic culture of Ukraine, the current state of conservation in the country, and to suggest possibilities for assisting with the ever-increasing humanitarian crisis.

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynMarch 1, 2022Ukraine

Blue Sky - The Ukrainian Conservation Forum

We invite cultural heritage conservators to join their Ukrainian colleagues as they address the ongoing destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage. Blue Sky – The Ukrainian Conservation Forum is a closed group on the Telegram messaging platform.

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynMarch 1, 2022Ukraine

Conservation of Wooden Tserkvas in Ukraine: A New Initiative

In the summer of 2019, a two-week educational workshop was conducted in Lviv, Ukraine, under the auspices of the Lviv Polytechnic National University, as a fundamental component of an expanding architectural conservation program. The goal of the workshop was to introduce 15 participants to the contemporary theory, methods, and practice of conservation assessment as it relates to wooden architecture.

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynAugust 9, 2021Ukraine

My Fulbright Year | U.S. Fulbright Scholars in Ukraine 2019-2020

…My Fulbright involvement with Ukraine began in 2016 when I was awarded Fulbright Specialist status, so returning to Ukraine, even on other occasions, has already started to feel in some ways like coming home

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynAugust 9, 2021Ukraine

Advances in Wood Identification and Thereby Attributions

The February 2016 issue of Maine Antiques Digest published an article by Yuri Yanchyshyn entitled "Advances in Wood Identification and Thereby Attributions."

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynFebruary 27, 2016

It is (Almost) All in the Mind: Guarding Against Furniture Fakes

It is (Almost) All in the Mind: Guarding Against Furniture Fakes
from Chubb Collectors

There have been copies sold for as long as human beings have valued particular types of objects. During the Roman Republican period and early Empire there was a robust trade in copies of Greek statuary. This article can be read in its entirety here.

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynFebruary 2, 2015

Issues in Furniture Conservation

Issues in Furniture Conservation
from Appraising Art — The Definitive Guide to Appraising the Fine and Decorative Arts, published by the The Appraisers Association of America

Appraisers assess furniture for a variety of reasons: to determine valuation for insurance, estate tax, or gifting purposes; or to determine an object's condition prior to transit. see pp. 80-83

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynSeptember 1, 2013

Caring for Mid-Century Modern Furniture

from AXA Art

Mid-century modern furniture is in demand by collectors, who prize its typically sleek aesthetic and diversity of styles. But furniture from this era comes with some innate issues, due to the large number of nontraditional materials used in its creation.

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynOctober 23, 2012

Care and Preservation of Historic Furniture

Care and Preservation of Historic Furniture
from the Art of Leadership Series, The Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 4, March 2011

It could be your grandmother’s china cabinet, a chest brought back by a relative from overseas, a handmade table purchased directly from the artist or a period chair that is part of a larger collection. (Click here to read the entire article.)

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynMarch 1, 2011

Historic Furniture — Care and Preservation

Historic Furniture — Care and Preservation
from ACE Culture Notes

Proper care of furniture begins with understanding and appreciation of the unique characteristics of each piece of furniture within its surrounding environment. This article outlines some of the most critical environmental issues which affect the preservation of furniture. (Click here to continue.)

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynDecember 3, 2008Archive

Caring for Fine Antique Furniture

Caring for Fine Antique Furniture
from the MHMC Newsletter, published by the Mary Helen McCoy Gallery

If you have the good fortune to own fine antique furniture, you have a responsibility to preserve it for future generations. (Click here to read the entire article.)

ArticlesYuri YanchyshynDecember 2, 2008Archive