The online exhibition “Architects and Architectural Studios in the Kirovohrad Oblast” is a joint project of O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum and Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Architecture of Ukraine, which was organized for Architecture Day of Ukraine. The holiday was initiated to support the initiatives of architects and city planners, their creative unions, workers of design organizations, and local city planning and architecture agencies according to the Decree of President of Ukraine from June 17, 1995 No. 456/95 “On Architecture Day of Ukraine” and is celebrated annually on June 1.
    Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Architecture of Ukraine was founded in 1998 on the initiative of now Merited Architects of Ukraine Lidiia Kreitor, Vitalii Kryvenko, Yurii Peniaz, and a member of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine Hryhorii Lytvyn. Currently, the union of architects includes 24 members; the head of the union is Merited Architect of Ukraine Yurii Peniaz. The main tasks of the Regional Organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine are: free development of creative architectural trends, improvement of professional skills of the members of the union, protection of their legal author’s and professional interests, as well as preservation of the historical and natural environment of the region when developing new architectural projects, facilitating the fundamental and applied architectural and town planning researches, assistance in the improvement of secondary and higher architectural education. Members of the Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Architecture of Ukraine are engaged not only in the project work but also in pedagogical, scientific, and administrative activities in the sphere of architecture. They organize exhibitions, conduct public lectures, participate in the social life of the town of Kropyvnytskyi, the Kirovohrad Oblast, and Ukraine.
    The Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine is one of the initiators of the foundation of the Regional Award in Architecture, Heraldry and Vexillology, Decorative and Applied Arts named after Yakiv Pauchenko which was awarded in 2003 for the first time. In the nomination “architecture”, the award is presented for putting objects of architecture and city planning, including industrial-purpose objects, into operation, reconstruction, and restoration of architectural and garden art monuments, construction (restoration) of which had a significant influence on the shaping of the aesthetic environment of the localities in the region, are the samples of implementation of advanced modern technologies, constructions, materials, have significant architectural and historical value. During this time, 15 leading architects from the Kirovohrad Oblast and other cities of Ukraine have become laureates of the award as the authors of the objects as well as within the teams of authors. The architects Alla Pyrohova and Liudmyla Kharlamova won the award twice.
    In 2016, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of an outstanding Yelisavethrad architect Yakiv Pauchenko, the Kirovohrad Regional Organization of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine supported the initiative of O.O.Osmerkin Art-Memorial Museum on the renaming of Dvortsova and Lenin Street into Arkhitektor Pauchenko Street – one of the central streets in the city of Kirovohrad (now Kropyvnytskyi) where the museum is located. The museum building is the monument of history, city planning, and architecture of 1899 “House of the architect Ya.Pauchenko”.
    The exposition of the exhibition consists of the creative works of the 1990s – 2010th by the leading architects from Kropyvnytskyi – members of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine among whom are the laureates of the Regional Award in Architecture, Heraldry and Vexillology, Decorative and Applied Arts named after Yakiv Pauchenko in the nomination “architecture”. These are architectural projects of Merited Architect of Ukraine Yurii Peniaz, Iryna Drofa, Hanna Kovtun, Tetiana Peniaz, Alla Pyrohova (LLC “Modern”), Volodymyr Rak, Tetiana Rak, Roman Rak, and Rodion Rak (LLC “ABRIS” Lybideia”), interior projects of Nataliia Strazhnikova, as well as architectural drawings and landscapes with the monuments of architecture by Iryna Kukharenko who has presented personal exhibitions of the author’s works “Vernissage” (2012), “World of Watercolors” (2017), and “Graphic Works by Iryna Kukharenko” to Architecture Day of Ukraine (2020) in the museum.
    “Online Exhibition “Architects and Architectural Studios in the Kirovohrad Oblast” presents not only realized but also potential architectural projects of urban buildings and design solutions for interiors. The works of Iryna Drofa, Hanna Kovtun, Nataliia Strazhnikova, Yurii and Tetiana Peniaz, architectural dynasty of the Rak family – Volodymyr, Tetiana, Roman, and Rodion, creative team of LLC “Modern” where the leading architect is Alla Pyrohova, fascinate with the plastics of forms, creative approaches of design and art solutions of complex tasks which cover a wide range of topics from massive development to planning of neighborhood units and religious buildings. Iryna Kukharenko’s architectural drawings show the many aspects of personal artistic expression. All the authors, whose architectural works were presented at the exhibition, are bright creative personalities, many of them are the laureates of the Award named after Yakiv Pauchenko in the nomination “architecture”. The traits they have in common are a high professional level, modern artistic thinking, and membership in the National Union of Architecture of Ukraine which helps to realize author’s projects”, - mentioned the leading researcher of the museum, Merited Artists of Ukraine, curator of the exhibition Andrii Nadezhdin in the themed booklet.