You're reading: American culture space opens in Kyiv

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has opened America House, a space for meetings and events. It is located in the former U.S. Embassy building at Mykoly Pymonenka Street and is funded by the embassy.
The grand opening took place on May 20. Before that, America House had been working for 16 days and welcomed 1,500 visitors.

Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said “America House is a hub driven by technologies and innovation for conversations about Ukraine.”

It is a place to discuss Ukraine’s relationship with Europe, Ukraine’s democracy and communication between civil society and the government.

America House has several halls for events. It already has hosted free educational courses, shows of local bands and photo exhibitions.

But the English discussion clubs are the most popular, according to director Christi Anne Hofland.
“The first week about 75 people came to the discussion clubs, and the next week we had 150 people,” she says. “So it’s really growing.”

Among the events that have already taken place there are energy independence workshops, a conference of NGOs, a public diplomacy workshop and a post-traumatic stress disorder discussion with soldiers.

“In America House we believe that conversation starts innovation,” Hofland says.

Besides workshops, the house is staging the photo exhibition “Wounds” by Ukrainian-American photographer Joseph Sywenkyj.

The America House building bears features from its time as an embassy, which ended in 2012. To enter, guests have to show a passport or a driver’s license and pass a metal detector. A café inside offers strawberry drinks and traditional American sweets, like chocolate chip cookies.

“This is a place for people from the United States and from Ukraine to build collaboration, communication, and innovation ideas,” Hofland says.
America House is a cozy place for studying, with 30 laptops for use in innovation classes and a 3D printer.

Organizers plan to begin streaming events online. All events in America House are free, but some require registration. For a schedule of events, go to www.facebook.com/americahousekyiv.