Roots and Resilience: Growing Hope from Ashes

Curated by Sherry Coman, “Roots and Resilience: Growing Hope from Ashes,” is a new Art on the Wall exhibition featuring the photography and writing of Ukrainian artist and gardener Alla Olkhovska.  

Olkhovska was also the subject of the 2025 exhibition “Sowing Seeds of Beauty: An Artist Resists War.” In this newest installation, she carries her story forward by sharing her experience of what it means to be an artist in the midst of war.   

Living in Kharkiv, near the border of Russia, she has spent 20 years growing rare seeds in her garden that are now sought after around the world. But war and harsh winters take their toll. A year later, Olkhovska offers us a closer look at the cost of war while remaining as committed as ever to hope and beauty. 

“There is a sense of endurance through catastrophic conditions, with more focus on family,” Coman said about what people can expect from this exhibit.  

The exhibition transitions from winter to spring, displaying the idea that family and flowers emerge out of the ashes and endure despite horrific conditions.  

Coman ensured the art presented to the community doesn’t look like a remount from last year—it is an entirely new exhibition.  

The biggest difference is the greenhouse, which has been turned into an air raid bunker. Olkhovska made books while sheltering in her basement, creating and writing while under fire. The bunker tries to simulate and imagine what it would look like to be there, including Ukrainian food, tablecloths, photos from Olkhovska’s family, and a journal for people to write messages in that will be sent to her once the exhibit has concluded.  

Displaying art that holds so much meaning and demonstrates the resiliency of the human spirit even during the harshest conditions holds a lot of importance for Coman, who has developed a friendship with Olkhovska since they started collaborating. 

“I am developing my curating skills, and it’s wonderful to do that with material I know well, drawing attention to the story of the artist,” Coman said. 

“I hope that people will want to explore her work more, that in a time where the world is filled with catastrophe and evil, people are doing what they can to foster creativity and there’s hope.”  

Olkhovska strives to continue selling her seeds that she has fostered for two decades, host webinars, make books, and continue to uphold the belief that no matter where you’re coming from, it’s possible to be hopeful and creative even during the most horrendous realities. 
 
"Roots and Resilience" will run from April 29-May 14, Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in Keffer Memorial Chapel. You can see a virtual tour of the exhibit here.