Oleksandra Yakubenko

Representative for Ukraine Protective Programs, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)

Oleksandra Yakubenko is the Representative for Ukraine Protective Programs for the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), focusing on the development of the emergency fund for Ukrainian visual artists. She was previously the head of the international cooperation department of Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) since 2018, and was among other things, responsible for building partnerships, creating partner grant programs, building the international presence of the Foundation, and establishing diplomatic relations with embassies and governmental organizations. She organized the first official representation of the UCF at the International Frankfurt Book Fair in 2019, took part in strategic sessions and work groups on policy development for CCI in Ukraine. Previously, she has spent a month in China organizing the “Diverse Culture, Shared Destiny” – International Painting Exhibition of Artists for Peace. She was on the development team of the all-Ukrainian, non-formal education project “Vidkrivay Ukrainu” (Discover Ukraine), which teaches teenagers to implement their ideas and plans to change their community. From 2013 to 2018 she was an international relations manager at the State University of Trade and Economics (Ukraine) and was responsible for partnerships and Erasmus programs. She holds a Master’s degree in International Economy and has participated in student programs and events in Japan and USA.