The war for independence that has been ongoing in Ukraine since 2014 has dealt a devastating blow to all areas of life, including arts education. Despite the escalating situation in the region, constant challenges, and limited resources, art schools in the region continue to operate.
Communities in Donetsk Oblast are finding ways to finance art institutions, as they understand perfectly well that everything starts with culture, and education provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of its role and significance for the future of the state and the region.
On September 1, 2025, 32 art schools in Donetsk Oblast began the new 2025-2026 academic year. Today, 4,530 students, including 587 first-graders, are studying remotely at music, art, and art schools. The educational process of art education is provided by 501 teachers who continue their activities in the new conditions, thus preserving the functioning of primary art education in the region.
Art schools are actively implementing the latest distance learning technologies, which allows them to maintain the continuity of the educational process and communication with students. It is worth noting that a number of art schools in the region have resumed work in a mixed format. Thus, since October 2022, the Mariupol Art School named after A.I. Kuindzhi of the Mariupol City Council in Lviv has been operating in a mixed mode, and since September 2024, the Ivan Karabits Music School of the Toretsk City Territorial Community in Dnipro has been operating, and since November 2024 – the Pokrovsk Music School named after M.D. Leontovich. And since September 2025, the Dobropillia City Council’s Music School No. 1 and the Dobropillia City Council’s Music School No. 2 in Bilytske have resumed offline operations in Dnipro.
One of the achievements of arts education is the successful participation of our students in international and national competitions. During the 2024-2025 academic year, young musicians, artists, and singers took part in 332 international and 167 national competitions.
Preserving primary arts education in the Donetsk region is of great importance. The art schools of Donetsk region are holding on, showing that even under shelling, Ukrainian identity does not disappear, but is being tempered: in children’s voices, in artists’ paints, in music that sounds despite the silence of the ruins, reminding us that Ukrainian art and education are the heart of the nation, which continues to beat, giving life and strength to future generations.