More than 500 children’s drawings were put together in a digital art piece called “The Nightingale of Freedom,” and the project was sold on the non-fungible token market to raise funds for Ukraine.
On July 24, it has been five months since Russia invaded Ukraine, and money from the sale of the project will be donated to the “I Am Ukraine” fund, partly administered by the Embassy of Ukraine in Lithuania. “The Nightingale of Freedom” was launched by Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. ROCKIT, a center for financial technology and sustainable innovation in Vilnius initiated the project, and the organization hopes to involve other members of the community, including fintech companies, in the donation process.
Created by Vilnius artist Agnė Kišonaitė, children’s drawings of a nightingale were compiled and then digitalized with the help of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.
Augusta County resident Amy Wells Farthing and her daughter, Sarah, recently purchased artwork from the daughter of a Ukrainian artist on Etsy to support the people of Ukraine. While not necessarily part of the Nightingale project, it was a way that her family could contribute in a small way to the people in Ukraine.
“My daughter, Sarah, opened Etsy one morning, and they had a large featured space promoting ways to provide immediate support to people in the Ukraine on their home screen,” she said. “We found a few that we loved and decided to purchase the download for the art.”
She said they printed one off for her daughter to hang on her wall and used the other drawing as background wallpaper on their computer.
“It was a really beautiful way to do something small to directly communicate to the people of Ukraine that we were with them and supporting them directly in ways we could.”
Contributions to the Nightingale project and purchase of shares are welcome by anyone.
“The collected funds will be allocated by prioritizing areas in Ukraine where immediate support is necessary. This includes the need for humanitarian aid — from baby food and first aid kits to batteries — and protective equipment such as bulletproof vests,” a press release said.
“Both Lithuanian residents and companies have been incredibly united in their support for Ukraine since it was attacked by Russia,” head of ROCKIT Lina Žemaitytė-Kirkman said in the press release. “The ‘Nightingale of Freedom’ is symbolically divided into 265 irreplaceable tokens, each with its own unique code. The Lithuanian Fintech industry unites 265 start-ups — just like the nightingale — each of them is unique, bright, and exceptional, painting a picture of Lithuanian innovation.”
Lithuania has been “one of Ukraine’s ardent supporters in its fight against Russia.” Lithuanians recently fundraised $5 million necessary for Ukraine to purchase a sophisticated military drone, the Bayraktar, in three and a half days. Blue/Yellow, a non-governmental organization based in Lithuania, is the world’s second-biggest foundation supporting Ukraine’s Armed Forces and has raised more than $25 million for the war effort.
Crystal Graham contributed to this report.
Share
Rebecca Barnabi
