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Mariia Shvets, communication manager of Jam Factory Art Center
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JAM FACTORY: A NEW ART CENTER FOR UKRAINE OPENS IN THE MIDST OF WAR
On 18 November, JAM FACTORY ART CENTER in Lviv will officially open its doors to the public. Housed in a former industrial building first used as distillery and later as a fruit bottling plant, JAM FACTORY will stage exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, as well as host new productions in performative arts and music in a specially designed space.
The idea of establishing a new cultural centre in Lviv took root in 2015, when philanthropist and historian Dr. Harald Binder decided to support the development of JAM FACTORY as a center for contemporary art. The initiative also saw an opportunity to regenerate Lviv’s industrial building and its neighborhood into a vibrant public space. After extensive research and preparation, significant funding was provided to go ahead.
JAM FACTORY is located in the district of Pidzamche, north of central Lviv, once a thriving industrial area. The building, with its distinctive crenellations and neo-gothic façade, was commissioned by the Jewish entrepreneur Josef Kronik in 1872. It operated as a successful distillery until the Second World War, which the Kronik family, tragically, did not survive. Post war, the factory was importing wines from Moldova and other parts of the USSR until, in 1970, it was converted into a plant for bottling fruit and vegetables. It ceased production in the 1990s. From 2008 the building was used on an ad hoc basis for cultural initiatives such as the Contemporary Art Week, a theatre festival, and other artistic and community engaged activities.
Following the purchase of the buildings in 2015, the Austrian architectural firm of Stefan Rindler was selected to restore and re-model the former building in collaboration with the Ukrainian office AVR. To create a multidisciplinary art centre as a space for critical reflection through culture was the concept from the beginning. Institutions of this kind which would also serve as a point of connection between Ukraine and the wider world are still rare in the country. The structural composition of the complex consisting of six separate buildings reflects these ambitions. Grouped around an open courtyard and an extended alley, JAM FACTORY is built as a continuous, flexible space, able to accommodate performance, installation, and discussions. On the larger territory the site of a former synagogue has been marked out, a reminder, rather than an erasure, of Ukraine’s turbulent past.
THE OPENING PROGRAMME
JAM FACTORY was originally due to open in 2022, but will now open in November 2023. After a number of smaller projects and events in previous years the Jam Factory will show a major exhibition accompanied by a public program entitled “OUR YEARS, OUR WORDS, OUR LOSSES, OUR SEARCHES, OUR US” curated by Kateryna Yakovlenko, Natalia Matsenko, and Boris Filonenko. The exhibition will feature works by Ukrainian artists from 2022-2023 and from a longer chronological perspective: from the 19th century to the present day. The exhibition is constructed on the principle of novellas and brings together works on two distances – between the present and the past, and between personal experiences and wartime experiences.
“We are building routes and gathering for several months to talk about the personal and the collective, memory and history, hoping that the stories will no longer be interrupted.” – the Curatorial team.
Future exhibitions will include international artists, but the opening exhibition will be a unique opportunity for Ukrainian artists to exhibit their work in Lviv at a time of war.
In the theatre space, a new production will be staged, providing an opportunity for Ukraine’s playwrights, actors and stage designers to reflect on creating theatre at a time of war
JAM FACTORY’S vision for the music program is to become a showcase of artistic expressions. By cultivating new works and cross-genre collaborations, it aims to contribute to the local and national music education, and to fuel research of the Ukrainian music scene.
Yulian Chaplinskyi, CEO of AVR Development, Lviv:
“We are convinced and proud that this project will not only impact Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street but also contribute to the development of the entire city, serving as an excellent example of patronage in the realm of culture and the arts.”
Heads of the institution
Harald Binder, the founder
Swiss historian, Ph.D. in history and economics from the University of Bern. His research focuses on the history of Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, Habsburg Galicia, urban history, media, and the public sphere in the transition to modernity. As an entrepreneur and cultural patron, he founded the Center for Urban History (2004), Harald Binder Cultural Enterprises (2015), and the Jam Factory Art Center (2017).
“I was encouraged to follow up on my first initiative, the urban research centre, after I had experienced what potential lies in Ukraine and its people. Just as much as science the arts constitute an important medium of profound reflection for a society, especially in times of war.”
Bozhena Pelenska, Program and Executive Director
Bozhena is responsible for the Art Center’s development strategy, program development, management, and institutional development. She developed the concept and program activities of the Art Center. She studied Cultural Studies, Art History, Philosophy and Art Management. She has participated in international programs of cultural management, cultural diplomacy and exchange programs. She graduated from the University of Lviv and the University of Ottawa with a degree in Cultural Studies. She is currently a graduate student at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, University of Maryland.
“My big aspiration was to create a strong art organization that would become a vivid place in the city and provide opportunities for Ukrainian artists and art professionals to grow and become visible on the Ukrainian and International artistic map. It was my dream to bring to our developing civil society an important pillar – a sustainable art institution. These days it plays an important role supporting and developing culture during war times”
Bozhena together with her co-director and head of finance and administration, Tetiana Fedoruk, lead a team of further 17 staff members augmented by project-based collaborators.
Tetiana Fedoruk, Operations and Executive Director
Tetiana is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of the Center’s business model. She is also responsible for financial and management accounting, operational processes, and team management. Tetiana provided financial support for approximately 100 grant projects as CFO of the Center for Urban History. She holds ACCA Diploma in International Financial Reporting (2021) and Financial Accounting Managerial Decision Making (2022) from DePaul University. She is currently a student on the Key Executive MBA program at the UCU Business School.
Supervisory Board Members
Harald Binder (Chair);
Vasyl Kosiv, head of the Academy of Arts, Lviv;
Olesya Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute, London.
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Old Factory Before Revitalization
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