The Museum of Lithuanian Art in Chicago, Lemont, Illinois (USA) was founded by the merger of four separate art and cultural organizations of Lithuanian emigrants, which carried out artistic and cultural activities and built art collections.
In 1989 November 18 a new museum was opened in the WLC (World Lithuanian Centre) and presented to the public.
The four organizations that laid the foundation for the creation of this museum were:
– Lithuanian Art Gallery “Ciurlionis”. (The gallery was founded in Chicago in 1957, it owned over 550 works by Lithuanian artists.)
– Lemont Association of Artists “Art”. (The association owns over 300 works by local and expatriate Lithuanian artists.)
– Lithuanian Art Institute of Lithuania. (Organization of Lithuanian emigrant artists, founded in 1947 in Freiburg, Germany).
– Lithuanian Folk Art Institute. (The Lithuanian Folklore Institute of Chicago was founded in 1986 to preserve and research Lithuanian folk art.)
Currently, the Museum of Lithuanian Art in Lemont, Illinois is an important Lithuanian cultural institution that aims to preserve and present Lithuanian artistic heritage in the United States of America. It is the largest Lithuanian art museum outside of Lithuania. The museum is one of the main Lithuanian art centers in the USA, which not only preserves and presents works of art, but also promotes cultural dialogue, education and cooperation with other art institutions, both locally and internationally.
Our mission is to collect, preserve and exhibit Lithuanian works of art in order to maintain and nurture the Lithuanian artistic heritage and promote its knowledge among different generations and communities.
It is very important to constantly replenish the museum collections with valuable works of Lithuanian artists, ensuring their proper storage and maintenance, also to pay attention to the restoration of works in order to maintain their authentic condition and artistic value for future generations. We take care that the works retain their aesthetic and historical values over a long period of time, opening opportunities to appreciate and admire them for future visitors.
ZITA V.: We will talk about the museum and about art in general, about those things that excite and give new impulses in the creation and development of the museum.
Dear Sandra, first of all, please introduce yourself to our readers.
S.S.: I am the head of the Museum of Lithuanian Art in Lemont, Illinois. With a background in business and administration, in the same time I am a photographer and a member of Rotary International. My work and passion is to nurture cultural heritage, opening Lithuanian art and history to a global audience, connecting different cultures and generations.
As head of the Museum of Lithuanian Art, I want to show the uniqueness of Lithuanian culture – from long-standing traditions to contemporary creativity. The works of art stored in our museum are not only the memory of the nation, but also a spiritual connection that unites us with the diaspora and everyone who appreciates art as a universal language that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries.
As a member of Rotary International, I am committed not only to professional but also to personal growth based on international cooperation, friendship and service for the benefit of society. It is a community where we focus our efforts to help those in need, overcome social barriers and promote peace through effective dialogue.
Photography is my creative expression, a way to capture the world through a unique perspective, capturing time, community historical moments, feelings and subtle details. My photographs invite you to stop, look deeper and feel the beauty of life, which lies in simplicity and authenticity. In this changing world, I want to maintain and nurture the connection of Lithuanian cultural heritage with the world, believing that art is a peaceful and inspiring way to create communion between nations. I am grateful that you are on this journey with me.
ZITA V.: The museum’s collections contain a number of works of professional art, but also, another part of the museum consists of folk art. It is like a nation’s DNA, a collective subconscious symbols that have no authors and do not belong to one creator, they belong to everyone. It is easy to notice that in the modern world this art is being lost, fewer and fewer of those authentic creators remain. How important do you think folk art is to today’s world, when the boundaries between nations and cultures are disappearing?
S.S.: Folk art, as part of the collective consciousness, is extremely important in today’s global world, as it preserves the uniqueness, identity and historical memory of a nation. Today, cultural boundaries are indeed fading and the digital era promotes the rapid and wide dissemination of ideas and images, the art of the nation becomes a unique way to nurture authentic values. It not only preserves historical heritage, but also encourages creative insights for the future, as symbols, stories and archaic techniques influence the development of contemporary art.
The decline of authentic creators is a serious challenge, but the works of art of Lithuanian emigrants accumulated in museum funds help to ensure that this heritage is not forgotten. We are extremely proud to have a large group of V. IGNAS, V. Petravicius, J. Daugvilas, M. Sileikis and others. collection of works. This art can continue to act as a source of inspiration, especially for young artists seeking a connection to their roots or seeking authenticity in contemporary art. In addition, folk art fosters cultural awareness and promotes sensitivity to cultural diversity, which is especially relevant for a society that strives to maintain peace and understanding between different cultures.
ZITA V.: To what extent does the museum contribute to the preservation of this heritage?
S.S.: The museum, which has been operating since 1989, has more than 1,000 works of art in its archives, which reflect both the art heritage of Lithuania and the works of artists from abroad. Here you can find works of Lithuanian folk art, paintings, graphics, textiles, sculptures, ceramics and other valuable artifacts that reveal the history and creativity of Lithuanian culture.
The museum organizes exhibitions, seminars and lectures, and hosts excursions that allow the Lithuanian community in America to get to know their cultural heritage. A collection of almost 150 Lithuanian wood carvers is on display, most of which were given to the expatriate community by the sculptors themselves as a symbolic gift to the Lithuanians of the world. This museum performs an important function, not only preserving works of art, but also fostering Lithuanian cultural identity abroad and strengthening intergenerational ties, promoting cultural awareness and Lithuanian identity among emigrants and their descendants.
ZITA V.: Works of art, like other human-made objects, can be understood as objects that perform functions, they are used in one way or another, and this is very appropriate when talking about folk art, when its manifestations naturally appeared in household objects, reflecting the moments of being. Contemporary art performs quite different functions and the current time creates a different relationship between the creator, the art itself and the viewer. In your opinion, how important is the multifaceted problematic of art for its creator, who more or less knows how and for what purpose he creates something, and how important is it for any other perceiver of the work? How does it manifest itself?
S.S.: The multifaceted problematic of a work of art today opens up more and more opportunities for the creator and the viewer. Meanwhile, in contemporary art, multifaceted problematics often express themselves through complex, abstract or conceptual forms that invite deeper reflection on the meaning of the work, its context and impact.
Contemporary art often raises various topics – social, political, psychological and philosophical. It is encouraged not only to create beauty, but also to solve actual problems. An artist may have a clear message or purpose. However, the viewer – the perceiver and evaluator of the work will still have his own interpretation, which may be completely different. This gap between the artist’s intention and the viewer’s perception allows the work to acquire a multifaceted meaning, which is very important in the contemporary art world. For the viewer, the perception of art becomes not only an aesthetic, but also an intellectual challenge that promotes internal dialogue and self-awareness. Contemporary art often seeks to provoke, attract, or even often cause discomfort, encouraging the viewer to confront their own attitudes, values, or feelings. In this way, the art object becomes, in a certain sense, a form of communication that connects the creator and the viewer.
ZITA V.: You are a photographer yourself, so I want to ask you this question, as a creator and as a curator. A work of art often becomes a virtual place of existential experiments – the artist in the work or the perceiver of the work in the imagination – constructs models of life, reflects on existing or possible scenarios. Difficult aspects of relationships with other people or things can come to light through art. Therefore, a work of art is not only a generator of experiences and a certain sign, it is an instrument of thinking and self-realization, as well as a means of communication. What thoughts do you have when creating concepts for new exhibitions?
S.S.: When creating exhibition concepts, it is very important for me that the artworks encourage deep involvement of the viewer and become a space for thinking and experiencing. The position of a photographer allows me to feel the power of the image as a means of exploring complex human relationships, and as a curator it is important that this multifacetedness of the work is accessible and intriguing to the viewer, causing emotion. While creating a work of art, the artist often incorporates personal experiences or reflections, but the final work must open up the possibility of new and unpredictable aspects of perception.
I want the viewer to be able to not only observe, but also intuitively get involved in the exhibition, as if he were a participant or creator. This allows him to face personal and universal themes: self-searching, relationship with time and memory. Art is like your mirror, in which you can see yourself or reflect on existential problems. I am interested in the fact that, through creation, it is possible to give the viewer the opportunity to interpret each piece in his own way and experience his own emotional experiences. It is important for me that the idea of the exhibition is dynamic and can be understood on different levels – starting with aesthetic value and ending with deeper symbolic and conceptual layers. Each work of art, and at the same time the entire exhibition, becomes a kind of experiment that allows you to try out certain life scenarios, to reflect on your relationship with everyday objects or experiences. In this way, not only a physical art space is born, but also a space for thoughts and reflections.
For me, it is important that several possibilities of perception are opened to the viewer, because art is a process, not a final conclusion.
ZITA V.: One of the functions of a museum is to collect works of art. When preparing exhibitions from museum collections, maintaining an art collection, it is not uncommon, especially when valuing works of art, that over time they have to be reinterpreted, re-actualized, reassigned functions to them, and given meanings. Does your museum hold exhibitions of works from the fund?
S.S.: Yes, the Lithuanian Art Museum organizes exhibitions from its archive funds. Foundation exhibitions provide a unique opportunity for the public to get acquainted with valuable works that are not always exhibited due to lack of space or the need for conservation. Such exhibitions allow the museum to actively contribute to the reinterpretation of works of art, their actualization in today’s context.
When preparing exhibitions from the museum’s archives, we often aim to reveal the history of the works, their connections with contemporary themes and include them in wider, sometimes even unexpected cultural contexts. This gives the museum the opportunity not only to preserve heritage, but also to enrich it, encouraging viewers to engage, discover new meanings and reflect on how certain works reflect or contrast with current societal attitudes.
The works of the collections are also integrated into thematic or retrospective exhibitions, which allow to see the artists’ work in a new light and give the works additional layers of meaning.
One of my first exhibitions was “Our Strength in Unity”, exhibited at the Museum of Lithuanian Art on February 16. It was special not only in its content, but also in its symbolic value, emphasizing the contribution of the Lithuanian diaspora to national identity, unity and cultural heritage. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Lithuanian Studies Research Center, which allowed to enrich the exhibition with unique art collections of emigrants, photographs, documents and artifacts, which revealed various aspects of the Lithuanian diaspora, their creative potential and the desire to nurture ties with the homeland.
The exhibition invited visitors to look at the historical period that began in the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century when thousands of Lithuanians were forced to leave their country, but continued to nurture Lithuanian culture, art and traditions abroad. The exhibition presented the inspiring stories of artists and their works, which, although created abroad, preserved national symbolism, conveyed nostalgia, the nation’s pain and the dream of independence. For many expatriate artists, their work has become a way to keep in touch with Lithuania and pass on their love for the homeland to new generations.
The exhibition “Our strength in unity” emphasized the idea that, although Lithuanian nation was spread over the world, art, culture and common aspirations kept it united. The works became a kind of connection between compatriots located in different corners of the world and proved that identity and cultural memory do not belong to a physical location alone. In this way, the exhibition encouraged reflection on the meaning of national unity and its importance even in today’s world, where national identity is constantly faced with the challenges of globalization.
With the help of various works of art, photographs, documents and artifacts of the diaspora, the exhibition revealed how Lithuanians in the diaspora created strong community networks, protected and nurtured their identity, cultural values and national unity. “Our strength in unity” gave meaning to the spirit of February 16 and showed that independence as a value is inseparable from the unity of the nation and the ability to preserve cultural heritage even in the most difficult times.
The exhibition “Characters” of the museum archives was intended to reveal the variety of portraits of the 100-year period and the ability of artists to convey the expressions of personalities of different eras, the inner world and cultural changes. This exhibition presented portraits of various Lithuanian artists, created in various techniques and styles – from painting and graphics to photography and sculpture. it provided an opportunity to look at how the resolution and artistic language of the portrait genre changed over time.
The works reflected different approaches to the representation of personality, through the aesthetics and stylistic changes of the time, revealing not only the appearance of the people portrayed, but also the nuances of their character and emotions. Some portraits were dominated by realistic details that gave the works vitality and authenticity, while other works were characterized by an expressive or even abstract manner that sought to convey inner moods, subconscious human states or even societal changes. This gave the exhibition a dynamism that allowed the audience to get acquainted with a wide range of artistic language, with which artists revealed the human portrait over the course of a century.
The “Characters” exhibition also presented several old works by unknown authors, which gave the exhibition a special authenticity and mystery. Such works are valuable not only for their aesthetics or lasting value, but also as an important cultural memory, testifying to past times, the documentation of which is often fragmentary or limited.
The works of unknown authors enriched the exhibition not only with artistic diversity, but also with symbolic meaning – they gave meaning to the passage of time and the often forgotten or lost historical layers in which there was a living and rich tradition of portraiture. Such works are interesting in that they open up many questions and leave room for interpretations, and the viewer can guess for himself who the authors of the works might have been or what the stories of the depicted people were in which the piece was created. They revealed that art has the power to preserve and reveal even those reflections of the past that time or historical circumstances might have hidden or even erased. In this way, unknown works become a meaningful part of the exhibition, which allows viewers to encounter the past and discover it through artworks that, despite time and the anonymity of the authors, retain their relevance and mystery.
ZITA V.: How do you assess the importance of exhibitions of works in the fund?
S.S.: As the head of the Museum of Lithuanian Art, I can emphasize that exhibitions of works in the museum’s archives play an essential role not only in the cultural but also in the educational development of society.
The works stored in the archives reflect various periods and styles of Lithuanian art history. Exhibitions give the public the opportunity to take a fresh look at the past and better understand how Lithuanian works of art reflected the context of different eras, political, social and cultural changes. Also, organizing exhibitions from museum funds deepens the understanding of art. Such exhibitions become an important educational tool for schools and various educational organizations, as they allow learning through visual culture, examining various art styles, techniques and creative processes. Undoubtedly, such exhibitions often become a source of inspiration for artists and creators, which can stimulate new interpretations, innovations and modern creativity.
Exhibiting the works of the funds helps to maintain and develop a creative dialogue between past and present artists, provides an opportunity for new generations to learn from history and look at the art of the past with new eyes. This is particularly important because it helps to create a coherent, multifaceted cultural tradition. Exhibitions of the museum’s archives not only give meaning to the art of the past, but also ensure its continuity in society today.
ZITA V.: Debates about works of art have indeed been going on for centuries, works of art have this quality of enriching human culture by looking at them from different points of time. A work of art, as a perceptual paradox, often manages to break out not only from its conventional concepts, but also from theoretical schemes, from various ways of conceptualization. How do you think works of art influence human culture at different points in time?
S.S.: Works of art really act as certain perceptual paradoxes, constantly opening up new fields of interpretation and breaking out of limited theoretical frameworks. Works of art often become reflections of the social, political and economic conditions of a particular period. They not only record certain historical moments, but also help convey the moods, values, conflicts and social trends of the time. Subsequent generations, observing such works, can re-think history, better understand how the past affects the present and what contribution it makes to their own culture.
Artwork has helped shape our identity as a nation over the centuries. What artists conveyed on canvas or sculpture became a symbol that helped cultural self-consciousness develop and strengthen. Art often disrupts established norms and concepts, opening the door to new ideas. Each time and each culture can find its own meaning in a work of art, even if it was created in completely different circumstances. Each generation has its own challenges that it can reflect upon when interpreting the art of the past. What appears to be an aspect of aesthetic or conceptual value in one period may become an inspiration for creative insight or even resistance in another period. At each point in time, a work of art can cause unique reflections and change the role of human and society in the world.
ZITA V.: Share your experience, in what way do works of art help you establish a relationship with other cultures, with other people, experience new perspectives of understanding the work itself?
S.S.: Art is a universal language that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers.
Artwork conveys ideas, emotions, and stories in a visual form that is understandable to all, regardless of background or language. Through colors, shapes, lines and symbols, art allows communication and share experiences with people from all corners of the world. It allows us to look at the world from different points of view. By observing the artworks of other cultures, I can gain a deeper understanding of different life experiences and feelings. Art conveys experiences and perspectives that may be very different from my own experience. This process creates an empathetic connection with the creators and their cultures, opening up the possibility of a human connection even with those I have never met.
Each work of art is unique in its context – social, political, cultural. When analyzing a work, I naturally encounter the specifics of that period and culture. This is how I learn and gain more knowledge about different traditions, values, and norms. Art always provokes questions that stimulate reflection and discussion. Each person’s perspective helps to see the work with new eyes, revealing its previously unknown or unseen layers. Such conversations with other viewers allow us to learn from each other and expand the boundaries of understanding.
I think that creative dialogue with artworks of other cultures inspires to discover new ideas and perspectives in creativity. This allows not only to enrich my creative style, but also to establish an invisible conversation with works from different eras and cultures, as if connecting me with the global creative tradition.
In conclusion, works of art are a wonderful vehicle to learn about and experience the beauty and depth of other cultures. They not only encourage creative self-expression, but also open the way to intercultural understanding, empathy and dialogue with the world.
ZITA V.: What message would you like to convey to those who will visit this museum a hundred years from now?
S.S.: If I could convey a message to those who will visit the Museum of Lithuanian Art in Lemont a hundred years from now, it would sound like this:
Here, in the Museum of Lithuanian Art, your past, present and future meeting place. The works here are witnesses of our history, our dreams and experiences. They talk about Lithuania – a small country with a big heart, inspired by long-standing traditions, the pursuit of freedom and an unbroken connection with nature. The spirit of the struggle for survival and a deep love for art and culture are encoded in our work.
We want to convey to you not only our past, but also the belief that art is a universal language of the human spirit, able to overcome time, space and borders. Let these works speak to you – perhaps they will discover new meanings within you. Days pass, centuries change, but the power of art will always remain. Let this place remind you that we are connected not only through nations or eras, but also through the desire to create and understand each other. Let this museum inspire you to cherish your culture, your roots, and seek connection with the world, just as we sought it before you.
ZITA V.: How do you see the place of Lithuanian art and culture on the international stage? What goals are most important to you in this area?
S.S.: Lithuanian art and culture has a special place on the international stage, as it is a unique combination of Baltic identity and European history, inspired by rich folk traditions, modernism and a contemporary approach. I think that our culture has the potential to be appreciated in the world not only for its uniqueness, but also for its ability to reflect universal human experiences through an authentic, sometimes even sacred connection with the earth, nature, and the spiritual dimension.
What are the goals of our museum? First of all, to maintain and nurture the heritage of Lithuanian culture – in the international context, it is very important not only to create contemporary art, but also not to forget the heritage, which is the core of our identity. Modern generations can learn to appreciate their roots through such a heritage that becomes part of the international cultural field. Inspire new generations – Lithuanian culture must inspire not only the world, but also the Lithuanians themselves, especially the young generation who may live abroad. It is important to me that international expositions and exhibitions encourage compatriots to be proud of their origin and encourage interest in the achievements of Lithuanian artists.
We want to expand the visibility of Lithuanian culture on an international scale – we want Lithuania to be recognized and respected as a country with deep artistic and cultural traditions that are modernly applicable and attractive to various world audiences. We want to create a modern and attractive image of Lithuania, so that our culture is seen not only as traditional or nostalgic, but also as dynamic, creative and future-oriented. This is important on the global cultural scene, because Lithuania can show how modern ideas harmoniously coexist with deep historical foundations.
I believe that Lithuanian art and culture not only decorates the world stage, but also actively contributes to the international art dialogue, enriching it with the unique point of view of our nation.
ZITA V.: Thank you Sandra for this conversation.
