To leave home and start a new life in an unfamiliar place is at the core of the immigrant experience. For the artist, there is much to process—new cultures, colors, forms, sensations, and environments, all different from those left behind. New roots form atop old ones, and the past never strays far from reach. Since the beginning of the 20th century, more than five million Ukrainians have emigrated from their homes in Ukraine, Poland, and Russia to settle abroad.

The University Museum offers over 30 exhibitions each year in the arts, humanities and sciences.