In New York, the large-scale international exhibition Modern Freedom has opened, presenting works by ten Ukrainian artists alongside artists from Central and Eastern European countries. At the invitation of the Polish Pilecki Institute (US branch), the Ukrainian Pylyp Orlyk Foundation organized the presentation of Ukrainian art among more than 80 contemporary European artists.
The first day of the educational laboratory “YELLOW BUS. WORD 2026” in Kharkiv has officially launched. Participants met the project team and took part in the first workshops and lectures on film, journalism, history, and memory work. As we previously announced, the laboratory brought together teenagers, young authors, journalists, and aspiring filmmakers.
On May 19, 2026, an emergency session of the UN Security Council took place in New York, convened by Ukraine in response to a sharp escalation of Russian strikes against civilian population and critical infrastructure. Ihor Kharchenko, Senior Consultant of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, was present at the session.
May 18 is International Museum Day. The theme for 2026 is “Museums Uniting a Divided World,” announced by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), which emphasized the role of museums as spaces of memory, dialogue, and cultural understanding.
On May 19, the international exhibition Modern Freedom opens in New York City — a large-scale project presenting works by contemporary artists from Central and Eastern Europe who reflect on the experience of war, memory, trauma, and the struggle for freedom. The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation is a partner of the Ukrainian component of the exhibition.
Pylyp Orlyk Foundation representatives Natalia Omelchuk and Valeria Shapiro took part in Vienna Grand Forum 2026, held in Vienna on May 8–10, 2026, which brought together Ukrainian entrepreneurs developing businesses abroad.
On May 1, 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine published a decree approving the plan of events for the 100th anniversary of the death of Symon Petliura. The Pylyp Orlyk Foundation has joined the implementation of the initiative.
An international educational event EdCamp Vienna took place in Vienna, dedicated to the development of Ukrainian education abroad. The theme of the gathering was: “The Power in Each and Every One: How to Build a Cohesive Ukrainian Education Abroad.” Natalia Omelchuk, educational programmes coordinator of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, took part in the event.
With the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, Kharkiv will host the educational and artistic project “Yellow Bus 2026: WORD” from May 18 to 24, 2026 — a seven-day film and journalism laboratory for teenagers aged 14–17.