Ukrainian Artists Create Monumental Painting, Inviting Wounded Soldiers and Community to Join the Work

March 14, 2026

Since early March, the basement of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (810 N. Franklin St.) has been transformed into a temporary art studio where three Ukrainian artists are creating a large-scale public artwork responding to the war in Ukraine.

Artists Tetiana Mialkovska, Tetiana Rusetska, and Iryna Semenenko are painting "The Song of Songs of the Ukrainian People," a 30-meter monumental panel conceived as a continuous visual narrative. Mounted on five modular metal frames (each measuring 2.3 × 2.5 meters), the composition unfolds as a sequence of interconnected scenes, drawing on the visual language of traditional murals and folk painting to depict collective memory, suffering, and resilience.

The work blends sacred imagery with contemporary artistic expression. It incorporates recognizable Christian symbols associated with major feasts of the liturgical calendar, as well as visual elements inspired by iconography and traditional devotional art.

Beyond being a studio project, the initiative is conceived as an inclusive artistic event. Participants contributing to the canvas include:

• Ukrainian soldiers with amputations currently receiving prosthetic treatment in the United States

• Ukrainian refugees

• Young Americans of Ukrainian descent

The project aims to draw international attention to the human and cultural cost of the war in Ukraine while using art as a form of healing and social rehabilitation.

"War destroys not only physically but also spiritually and psychologically. In such a time, the essential task is to preserve the life of the nation — something that exists not only within its borders, but also in its language, traditions, symbols, rituals, and cultural and spiritual heritage. This is what our painting seeks to express. It speaks to the beauty of the Ukrainian people, the pain of Ukraine, a call for help, and the fundamental pillars on which the nation stands," said the artists.

The concept was developed jointly by Metropolitan Borys Gudziak and artist Tetiana Mialkovska, a Gold Star mother whose son joined the army in the first days of the Russian invasion and was killed in action. The project is part of the artistic and socio-cultural initiative "Creativity — the Antonym of War" and the humanitarian efforts of the "Healing of Wounds of the War in Ukraine Fund," launched by the Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the United States and distributing $3.5 million in 2024–2025 to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

Mialkovska is the founder of the Piaternia NGO, established in 2014 to provide art-based rehabilitation for Ukrainian soldiers and, since 2022, for children affected by the war.

The project will culminate with a public unveiling on the grounds of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral on Palm Sunday, March 29, following the 10 AM Divine Liturgy (approximately 11:30 AM).