On December 2, 2022, a monument to Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda was unveiled near Ukraine House!

The sculpture itself was created back in 1992 by American sculptor Mark Rhodes, who was inspired by the philosopher’s ideas, at the request of the Ukrainian community.

“I am not Ukrainian by birth, but perhaps I can be Ukrainian by choice. My admiration for Skovoroda grew alongside my admiration for the Ukrainian people—I came to know them both,” remarked Mark Rhodes.

The statue depicts the philosopher walking with a stick and a book. It is positioned so that the thinker faces in the geographic direction of Ukraine. For a long time, the monument, like Skovoroda himself, wandered in search of its rightful place.

“Skovoroda is a symbol that three centuries ago there already existed not only the Ukrainian language and culture, but also outstanding philosophers of European caliber,” said Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, during the unveiling. She noted that although the russians destroyed the Skovoroda Museum in the Kharkiv region, they will not succeed in destroying either Ukraine or the memory of the Ukrainian philosopher, whose life and works from the 18th century testify to our identity, true history, and a defining national trait—an unyielding love of freedom and the willingness to fight for it.

According to Oksana Markarova, the unveiling of the Skovoroda monument in Washington is part of a broader campaign to share the truth about Ukrainian history and culture.