Creative workshops “Everyday Objects in Art”

Between October and November Gallery (AV17) is organizing a project “Everyday Objects in Art ”, which will take place at the Pabradė and Švenčionys Cultural Centers and Ignalina Regional Museum. This is a cycle of creative workshops for 12 – to 16-year-old students. The project focuses on cognition and promoting the interest in contemporary art in smaller Lithuanian cities.  In regions further from the main cities, there is often a lack of professional contemporary art events, so these creative workshops are designed to reduce cultural exclusion and to educate and train students through hands-on activities.

The activities of the project “ Everyday Objects in Art” are focused on the knowledge of sculpture, object, installation, and body art, therefore during the educational workshops the emphasis is on ready-made, often used in sculpture. One of the ways of utilizing ready-made in the creative process involves the use of secondary raw materials and already existing objects in creation. This creative method not only works as an accessible way of self-expression but also draws attention to the culture of consumption, promotes awareness, and provides an ecological subtlety in the creation of intellectual and social art. The project will enable students to get directly involved with the basic principles of creating contemporary art while being guided by young and active artists and educators:

Marija Šnipaitė is an artist and pedagogue who graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a master’s degree in sculpture and had an internship at the Stuttgart Academy of Arts in Germany. Together with the students, they explore what associations different objects can bring to a person. By selecting the objects closest to them and comparing them with other materials, participants will construct sculptures as stories. They will also improve their creative skills in composition, the creation of spatial structures, and the perception of the object and its relationship with the environment. It is an opportunity to delve into the creative process and discover new ways of expression, focusing on already familiar objects.

Jolita Vaitkutė is a world-famous artist who uses food and everyday objects to create installations, performances, illustrations, and portraits. Her most famous works: „Awaken from the books” – portraits of important Lithuanian figures in The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, „Signatories”, portraits of signatories of independence created from the soil in “Panorama” shopping center, and record-breaking image of Vilnius cathedral made from 1064 slices of burned toasts. During the creative workshops, students will be educated about creativity in everyday life and take part in activities teaching them a new, different point of view of common objects. Participants will take part in creative games and make their artwork.

Aurelija Maknytė – is an artist with a doctorate in photography and video art from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Since 2000 she is actively participating in exhibitions and giving educational lectures to school and university students. During the sessions, Aurelija will introduce the participants to the ways of using ready-made in photography and guide them through practical activities of creating photograms  –  photos taken without the use of a camera and exposed to light-sensitive photo paper. In the process, various methods of photography are presented and ways of looking at photos and the process of making them are found.

Saulė Noreikaitė is a performance artist who graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, the Netherlands. She is also a dance, theater, and performance art educator who gives lessons to children. During the workshops, she will introduce participants to methods of incorporating found objects into performative works of art. Improvised body games based on Augusto Boal’s technique will be played and the participants’ creative ideas will be refined. Pupils will be taught creativity, cognition of their body and object, and their relationship in space.

Agnė Mackevičiūtė – art historian and gallerist, graduated with a master’s degree in art history and theory from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. During the workshops, she will give an interactive lecture about the concepts of ready-made famous artists and their artwork. During the practical part of the lecture participants will exercise their perception and prepare a joined sound performance of objects.

Schedule of creative workshops in Ignalina:

5th of October at 3 p.m. – Photography and object workshop with  Aurelija Maknytė

6th of October at 3 p.m. – Creativity workshop with  Jolita Vaitkutė

7th of October at 3 p.m – Lecture and sound performance with Agnė Mackevičiūtė

8th of October at 3 p.m. – Creative object workshop with Marija Šnipaitė

9th of October at 3 p.m. – Lecture and movement workshop with Saulė Noreikaitė

Ignalina Regional Museum, exhibition hall (Ateities g. 43, Ignalina)

Schedule of creative workshops in Pabradė:

5th of October at 3 p.m. – Lecture and sound performance with Agnė Mackevičiūtė

6th of October at 3 p.m. – Photography and object workshop with  Aurelija Maknytė

7th of October at 3 p.m – Creativity workshop with  Jolita Vaitkutė

8th of October at 12 p.m. – Creative object workshop with Marija Šnipaitė

12th of October at 12 p.m. – Lecture and movement workshop with Saulė Noreikaitė

Pabradė Cultural Center (Vilniaus g. 46, Pabradė)

Schedule of creative workshops in Švenčionys:

16th of November at 3 p.m. – Photography and object workshop with  Aurelija Maknytė

17th of November at 3 p.m. – Creativity workshop with  Jolita Vaitkutė

18th of November at 3 p.m. – Creative object workshop with Marija Šnipaitė

19th of November at 3 p.m. – Lecture and sound performance with Agnė Mackevičiūtė

20th November at 3 p.m. – Lecture and movement workshop with Saulė Noreikaitė

Švenčionys Cultural Center (Vilniaus g. 2, Švenčionys)

Registration: info@av17gallery.com

The project is partially funded by the Lithuanian Culture Council.