Ukrainian Museum of Australia

The Ukrainian Museum of Australia (originally named the Museum of Ukrainian Art) was founded in 1968 in Melbourne with the assistance of Greek Catholic priest Ivan Prashko. The museum officially opened on August 3, 1979. The museum’s first president was Father Zenon Khorkavy, a collector of Ukrainian antiquities, icon painter, and community leader. Since 2019, the institution has been led by architect and artist Marusya Yurkiv-Yarotska, who registered the organization at the state level and established its current name.

The museum’s collection includes over 10,000 exhibits: original works by prominent Ukrainian artists such as Gregor Kruk, Edvard Kozak, Yosyp Bokshai, Michael Kmit, Ivan Marchuk, and others; a large collection of pysanky, embroidered shirts from the late 19th century, towels, and Kosiv ceramics; examples of woodcarving, icon painting, and ecclesiastical art. The oldest exhibit is a lid from a jug of the Trypillian culture period.

The museum conducts active exhibition, educational, and research activities, collaborating with Monash and Melbourne universities, leading museums and nature reserves in Ukraine, as well as museums in Australia, Italy, and Greece. A Ukrainian studies studio for members of the diaspora youth operates at the museum.

Director — Marusya Yurkiv-Yarotska.