From August 14 to September 15, 2025, the Kuršėnai Manor Palace will host an exhibition of photographs by Roberta Griciūtė as part of the project “Against the Background of Ancient Crafts.”
In May 2025, more than two hundred students from schools in Kuršėnai and residents of the Šeduva Care Home were invited to take part in educational activities on traditional crafts, creative workshops, and educational excursions. During these events, participants learned about and tried out ancient crafts such as pottery, woodcarving, weaving, and wicker and birch-bark weaving. The project involved artisans and folk artists from Kuršėnai, Naisiai, Plungė, Telšiai, and Mažeikiai, who shared their experience with the younger generation.
The project began with the “Days of Ceramics” at the Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts, where students molded clay products and later glazed them together with the 7th Lithuanian Pottery King Algimantas Tamašauskas and folk artist Alina Milašienė. The next stage of the “Days of Ceramics” was a meeting with the 10th Lithuanian Pottery King Mindaugas Turolevičius in Naisiai, where he demonstrated the Raku firing technique. The goal of the “Days of Ceramics” was to reveal the close connection between humans and clay, introducing young people to the possibilities of working with this material.
The second week of the project focused on woodcarving. Participants learned the secrets of this craft from folk artists Raimondas Baškys and Viktoras Raibužis. The masters not only demonstrated the making of traditional wooden spoons and clogs but also gave the participants the opportunity to try carving themselves.
During the third week, students discovered weaving. They visited craftswoman Virginija Dirvonskienė in Viešvėnai, Telšiai District, who, in her educational program “The Journey of Flax – from Seed to Patterned Fabric,” explained the history of flax and demonstrated its transformation from seed to linen product. The visit ended with the scent of freshly baked rye bread and mint tea in the homestead.
The exploration of weaving continued at the Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts, where master Birutė Poškienė welcomed the participants with a bundle of threads to be twisted and woven by hand. The workshop continued in her old cottage, where looms with decades of history were on display.
The final week of the project was dedicated to wicker and birch-bark weaving. Students traveled to the Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts and to Mažeikiai. In the creative workshop “Wicker Weaving,” master craftswoman Marytė Janulienė shared her knowledge, taught weaving techniques, and introduced various woven items – from household baskets to decorative pieces – and demonstrated them in practice. Participants wove “sun-shaped” ornaments.
In Mažeikiai, experienced birch-bark craftsmen Raimonda and Vytautas Ramanauskai, in their educational program “Getting to Know Birch-Bark Craft,” introduced the versatile use of birch wood in Lithuanian traditional crafts and everyday life. In the practical activity, each participant made a shepherd’s whistle and a hand-massaging pendant from birch bark.
All these activities were photographed, capturing the experience of traditional crafts being passed down to the younger generation. The exhibition “Against the Background of Ancient Crafts” presents these moments to the public at Kuršėnai Manor.
We sincerely thank the artisans for their hospitality, shared knowledge, and warm welcome! The creativity-filled experiences and stories allowed participants to gain a deeper understanding of ancient crafts.
Project: “AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF ANCIENT CRAFTS”
Project organizer: Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts.
The project is partly funded by: Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Project manager: Simona Sidabrienė, cultural activities manager at the Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts.
Author of the photo exhibition: Roberta Griciūtė, communication specialist at the Šiauliai District Municipality Centre for Ethnic Culture and Traditional Crafts.
Project partners: Šiauliai District Municipality, Kuršėnai Town Eldership, Šiauliai District Municipality Cultural Centre, Šiauliai District Municipality Vytautas Vitkauskas Public Library.
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