My name is Kristen, and I am a mom, a digital entrepreneur, a sometimes artist, and a fledgling art collector living outside of New York City in South Orange, New Jersey. Last year, I discovered Tata Kolesnik on Instagram. I was immediately drawn to her work - the magical combination of old and new styles - the subtle references to both Rembrandt and Klimt. 

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I commissioned a piece from her which now hangs prominently in the living room of my newly renovated home. Little did I know that less than a year later, I would be contacting Tata once again, but this time to find out if she and her family were alive and asking what I could possibly do to help them. Her city, Kharkiv, was the first city destroyed in the invasion by the Russians. 

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Tata informed me that they had moved on to Lviv, to stay with family members for the time being, but that she had to abandon her studio. She made it out with only two paintings. The rest had mostly likely been destroyed in the bombings. I knew immediately that not only lives were at stake, but also the loss of an entire culture. This is when I knew it would be important to come up with an idea not only to support these artists and their loved ones, but to also share their beautiful art with the world, and find a way to preserve it and acknowledge it.

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We Heart Ukraine was birthed by the two of us, an ocean and world apart - connected through a common love of art and humanity. It is a vehicle for us to help other artists and their families survive, and to connect people around the world with their unique and precious culture. 

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In peace,

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