Creating a visual space while being relatable to a wide viewing audience is the goal of the Ukrainian Museum of Canada.
CEO Jen Budney has been in the executive role since May 2022, a few months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Budney is a fourth-generation Ukrainian Canadian. She was born in Saskatoon but moved to many countries as a child and adult. Her family settled in Edmonton in her teen years, where she got to know her grandparents.
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Working in the cultural and visual arts sector for over 20 years, Budney made her way back to Saskatchewan and has been in Saskatoon for the last 17 years.
She says it’s an amazing opportunity to be able to rebuild a museum that has an incredible history.
“What I love about working here is that the kinds of objects and artworks that we get to show here can speak to anyone of all walks of life,” Budney says.
The CEO role was also a chance for her to connect with her own culture and family history, while bringing together a team of people with different Ukrainian backgrounds.
Budney adds that the position was an amazing opportunity to work at the museum and rebuild an incredible history that had been flying under the radar for a couple of decades.
“The number one way that we know visitors have had a good experience is when they come in and they start to tell us their stories,” she says.
Watch the video above for more.
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