Our guides during the project
Biographical information about our experts, tutors, workshop leaders…
At Kėdainiai
Audronė Pečiulytė
Manager of the Multicultural Centre. Audronė has worked with the Kėdainiai Regional Museum since 1992. She studied History at Vilnius Pedagogical University in 1987-1992.
Her numerous projects for the Museum have included “The lessons of the past for the future”, backed by Fund of Educational Changes and the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regime in Lithuania in 2004; “Knowing about the multicultural Kėdainiai town” in 2008; “Family and cultural heritage” in 2010, backed by Kėdainiai Municipality; “A linkup of personalities in Šeteniai”, backed by Ministry of Culture of Lithuania in 2011. She has regularly participated in international discourse and seminars in terms of education about the Holocaust and the teaching history about crimes of the occupational regimes of the Nazi and Soviets.
She is a member of Lithuania Association the Reformation History and Culture as well as a member of Lithuania Association of Regional Studies.
Rimantas Žirgulis
Historian and Director of Kėdainiai Regional Museum. In 2014 he was awarded Cultural Laureate prize for the region. He studied at the Faculty of History at Vilnius University and worked at Kėdainiai Regional Museum from 1988 – becoming Director in 1992. He is the author and co-ordinator of many expositions, exhibitions, publications, articles, lectures and projects, as well as a participant of scientific conferences, TV and radio broadcasts, seminars and study tours. Among his many projects he has initiated the restoration of the mausoleum of the Dukes Radziwills in Kėdainiai Reformed Church; the memorial plaques dedicated to Vilna Gaon Eliyahu, Kėdainiai Jewish community, A. Freytag, P. Stolypin; public art installations such as “Miloszphone” (dedicated to the Nobel Prize winner Milosz), “Shoa. Ich bin Keidaner” and “Wall of Memory” (for the murdered Jewish communities of Kėdainiai, Šėta and Žeimiai of the Holocaust).
He has a particular research interest in the Multiculturalism of Kėdainiai, the history of the Reformation, the Scottish and Jewish communities, as well as the Holocaust. He is a member of the Lithuanian Society of Ethnography, and a board member of the Association of Lithuania Museums.
http://www.muziejai.lt/Kedainiai/kedainiu_muziejus.en.htm
Regina Lukminienė
Works as a museum ethnographer, organising projects and expeditions, presents seminars, lectures for cultural workers and teachers. She writes articles in the local and national press, and assists students to carry out educational activities.
Since 2006, she has led Kėdainiai folk ensemble Jorija. The ensemble (originally founded in 1977) promotes the ethnic heritage of the area with music, song and dance, performing at numerous festivals across Lithuania and abroad. For her work she has been awarded the district cultural prize, given by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
Algirdas Juknevičius
Studied history and archeology at Vilnius University. After graduating he began an archaeology career at Monument Restoration and Design Institute in Kaunas Branch. Following this, in 1985-1987, he attended the Moscow Academy and organised an expedition in Central Asia to excavate ancient Khorezm, the Fortress on the Wind – Ajaz-Kala in Uzbekistan.
In the 1980’s he also began to dig the Old Town of Kėdainiai, which over the years has become a systematic excavation. Since 1995, he has worked with the Regional Museum. He is particularly interested in what makes the town’s history stand out from other Lithuanian cities – the patronage of the Radziwill nobility, the combination of economic and political, the spiritual interests and ambitions that cherished Protestant values. In addition, Kėdainiai was one of the most rationally planned and best managed cities in the Grand Duchy.
He is keen on popularizing archeology and knowledge of the region, participating in national and international conferences, alongside running educational projects with art school teachers and students. A recent project with school students involves work excavating the shechita, a building used for ritual slaughter of animals and birds for food.
Audrius Vasiliauskas
Graduated from the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute in 1984. Since that time he has worked as a technology and also as a teacher supervisor. During this time he was organizing school wood carving circle work. He began engaging with professional wood carving in 2004 and in 2013 revived a local Wood Carving Studio, which any school students can attend to learn this traditional craft. He regularly participates in wood carving symposiums both in the Baltic region here and in the Czech Republic. He has created about 50 sculptures, many of the works created as individual commissions.
Albina Mackevičienė
Born in Balachta, Krasnoyarsk Region, Russia, she works as a teacher here at the art school in Kėdainiai. Since 2010, she has led the Kėdainiai National Art Society, carrying out projects. She is actively involved in painting and paper cutting, organising paper shows and leading seminars.
Jovita Buinevičienė
Works as the Kėdainiai art school as deputy head. She has 20 years experience of teaching, constantly working with children and young people. She has considerable experience in working with cultural projects. She has also worked as a project manager implementing a number of projects in cooperation with various institutions: the regional museum, Janina Monkutė – Marks Museum, Kėdainiai schools and kindergartens.
Małgorzata Sporek-Czyżewska
In 1981-84 she was a member of the avant-garde theatre group Gardzienice, based near Lublin. In 1984-89 she was one of the founders of the theater Arka in Poznan, at the same time participating in regular cultural meetings in Czarna Dąbrówka Artist’s Village. In 1989, she was one of the founders of the Foundation Borderland and co-founder of the Centre “Borderland of arts, cultures, nation” in Sejny – a modern cultural centre, one of the first NGO’s established in post-communist Poland, which aimed to deal with the issues of multicultural regions of Central and Eastern Europe.
Over the years she has been the co-director of many unique projects carried out by Borderland – some of these include the Central European Cultural Forum, Open Regions of Central and Eastern Europe (Transylvania, Bosnia, Bukovina, Spis), the Borderland School, Person of the Borderland, Camera Pro Minoritate, Cafe Europa.
Together with Wojciech Szroeder she had led the educational and cultural program ‘Cultural Heritage Class’, which is dedicated to exploring the multicultural heritage of the small homelands, as well as of multi-ethnic regions of Central and Eastern Europe and youth theater group Sejny Theatre (as co-creator of performances include ‘The Dybbuk’ and ‘Wijuny”’ as well as performing with the Sejny Klezmer Orchestra.
Vytautas Toleikis
Educator, scholar of Lithuanian Jewish culture, connoisseur. Works on multicultural projects for young people (Roma youth education, education about the Holocaust, the project ‘Lithuania in Israel)’, author and essayist.
At Krasnogruda
Biographical information about our experts, tutors, workshop leaders…
Wieslaw Szumiński
A painter who was born in Suwalki. He graduated from the cultural studies department at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (1978-1982) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań (1982-1986). He has been associated with the Centre and the Foundation “Borderland – Arts, Cultures and Nations” in Suwalki Sejnach for over 10 years. He also has worked with a psychiatric hospital for years implementing an art therapy program for people the mentally ill. He is the author of almost thirty solo exhibitions in Poland and abroad (Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia).
Piotr Malczewski
Photographer, traveler. He graduated from the Studio of Professional School of Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan. He works with photographic agencies and publishing houses in several countries (France, Germany, Switzerland). His photographs can be found in tourist and art publications, scientific journals and albums such as: “Ten Years of Wigry National Park” and “The Augustow Canal”. He has released his artist books “Rospuda”, “Magic Baikal” and “Wigry – the Land of Water and Sky”. He has won prizes in several competitions: The National Photographic Competition of Polish National Parks and a special prize at the Second International Unconventional Photography Contest. His work is primarily concerned with nature photographs, art and travel. He lives in Buda Ruska on Czarna Hańcza in Wigry National Park. Here he has created a photographic gallery, which presents his work in the Suwalki region and his expeditions to Central Asia. He also organises workshops with schools, community centres, galleries, and organises exhibitions of photographs, meetings with authors and slideshows with the topics of Wigry National Park, Czarna Hańcza, Augustow Canal, White Stork, Beaver, NAtural Curiosities, Winter, Seen by Water, Siberia – Lake Baikal by canoe, Uriankhai Country, Mongolia by horse, By Iron Carts Through the Gobi Desert.
Darek Korbański
Graphic designer, working as a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Journalism in Poznan. He graduated from the Faculty of Graphic Arts National School of Fine Arts (now the Academy of Fine Arts ) . He is a printmaker and designer of poster, book illustrations, logos. At the same time he has worked as a musician, playing clarinet and mandolin. Since 1987 he has worked with the Association of Theatre Węgajty , and since 2009, with the Festival of Poets in Tarragona, Catalonia. He has participated in exhibitions such as Print Triennial in Krakow in 1997, Noryrnberga 1998, Rio de Janeiro in 1999 , Polish Graphics in Japan 1999.
Mirka Korbańska
Working as a designer and graphic artist. She has created posters and graphic designs for International Trade Fairs. She also runs art classes for children. She cooperated with Raczynski Library in Poznan, and runs her “Lipka” workshop of form and colour at the Culture Centre “Pod Lipami”. She conducts art projects based on childrens’s literature including recently: Legends of Brno, Brzechwa and children. She co-organises open air events for children (together with Dorothy Łepkowską) in Godki . She paints and works in fabric. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Painting, Graphics and Sculpture of the National School of Fine Arts (now ASP) in Poznan.
Monika Mamińska-Domagalska
For over 20 years she has been associated with Muzyka Kresow Foundation, and for 12 years conducting traditional singing workshops. In the early days of her exploration she was fascinated by the Ukrainian songs, learning songs from the ensemble “Drewo” – Hanna Koropniczenko, Iryna Klymenko and Roman Jenenki. Then she began to appreciate the monodic beauty of Polish songs, noting the parallelism of these melodies with contemporary music. Polish Songs , due to the higher articulation of the Polish language and its wider melodic range, contrary to appearances, is more difficult to implement than the Ukrainian polyphony. She has conducted workshops with many groups, and collaborated at a number of performances – mainly the works of Tadeusz Słobodzianek with actors of the Teatr Stary, the National Theatre, Teatr Nowy in Lodz and C.K. Norwid Thetare in Jelenia Góra. Since 2008, she has worked at the Centre for Intercultural Creative Initiatives “Rozdroze” in Lublin.
Jola Kozińska
Photographer, teacher , journalist and producer. She graduated from the School of Photography and Film and Television Production in Warsaw. He has over 25 years of experience in the profession actively photographer. Member of the Association of Journalists of Poland. She has worked as a photojournalist and advertising photographer. Published in Poland and abroad (Gazeta Wyborcza, Politics, Paris Match, L’ Express, Stern, Liberation). Recorded the first free elections in Poland, a state of emergency in Bulgaria, and ethnic riots in Europe. She has worked for photographic agencies Forum, Agence Vu, Bilderberg. Since 2006, she has worked as an advertising photographer at Focus Studio in Warsaw. Awarded the first prize at the “Laureate” with the agency Young & Rubicam for creative photography. First prize for graphic and photographic works in the contest Cover Art. She founded the Production House Studio Niebo, and is co-owner of Piekna Photographic Agency, founded in 1990 by Richard Horowitz. Co-author and organiser of art exhibitions and publications of Polish artists in France (FNAC network), Germany (Hamburg Bunker) and Switzerland.
Marek Skorupski
By education a trained physicist and philosopher. He graduated from the Studio of Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He has 20 years of experience as a professional photographer and photojournalist. Co-founder of the FORUM Polish Photographic Agency, animator of the circle of young photographers, meetings and workshops with the icons of world photography eg. with Josef Koudelka of the Magnum Agency, with the head of photography at the Polish Information Agency. He has been an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EXPO for activities promoting Poland abroad. He has realised dozens of photo-journalist projects for Polish and foreign agencies eg. for Der Spiegel, Focus, Newsweek, El Mundo, Reuters, Gamma, Getty Images, Paris Match. He works as a project coordinator , actively involved in the organisation of international educational and cultural activities, in particular photographic exhibitions and publications (UNESCO, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), author and co-author of numerous exhibitions . He contributes to ATL and BTL advertising agencies and publishers such as Agora, Axel Springer, Bauer, Edipresse, Burda Media, etc. He specialises in Specialist in digital image processing.
Krzysztof Czyzewski
Practitoner of ideas, essayist and animator of intercultural activities, founder of the Borderland Foundation and the Centre “Borderland – Arts, Cultures and Nations” in Sejny. In 2011, the Borderland team opened the International Centre for Dialogue in Krasnogruda , the Polish-Lithuanian border .Among his books are “The Path of the Borderland” and “The Line of Return”. He has been the initiator of intercultural dialogue programs in Central Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Indonesia, Bhutan and other borderland of the world. He has lectured at several universities in Europe and the USA and is Chairman of the Eastern Partnership Culture Congress, Ambassador of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and the Podlaskie Province. For many years he has been engaged in the development programs of cities and regions through culture -Stockholm, Krakow, Lublin, Wroclaw.
Bozena Szroeder
Cultural animator, pedagogue, working at the Centre “Borderland – Arts, Cultures and Nations” in Sejny , where she runs a theatrical studio with children and is the leader of the “Sejny Chronicles” project . Since 1999, she has conducted intercultural education programmes with children, workshops on traditional neighbourly traditions in the Sejny region titled “Our Neighbours – Yesterday and Today”, ” What Sejny Remembers” and “Three Old Men”. She is also co-author of The Glass Bead Game , a project on the heritage and identity of the children’s place of residence, which is currently being implemented in many centres in Poland and Europe. For the last three years, she has been working on a film project titled “Borderland Tales’ Film Collection”, which now has three editions: “Fairy Tales and Legends of the Borderlands”, “Songs of the Borderland”, “Grandparents Tales”. She also deals with the history and culture of Roma-Gypsies, and is curator of the Gypsy materials section at the Documentatio nCentre. She co-founded the Museum of Sejny Cultural Tradition and is deputy editor of the Polish-Lithuanian magazine “Sejny Almanac”.
Leo Walotek-Scheidegger
German journalist dealing with maritime and tourist issues. He is a member of the ’68 generation and a logistician of foreign trade specializing in South-East Asia (University of Koeln and Düsseldorf and the Technical University of Krefeld), a member of VEUS, the elite Association of European Shipping Journalists and its only representative in Poland.
His only hobby is geocaching, a mixture of alternative tourism and treasure hunting with a GPS in hand. He has co-created a few hundred geocaches in the land of Rhineland Palatinate under the regional economic revitalization projects. He co-authored a similar project in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie province with the crowning it Megaevent in Górzno (24-26.05.2013), the first Polish international meeting gathering geocachers from a few countries. The outcome of the project was creation of nearly 1000 caches in the province. During three weeks, the caches were logged over 30,000 times (as opened). In recognition of his activities, Leo Walotek-Scheidegger received a letter of thanks from the Management Board of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province.
He has published in German, Polish, Swiss and Korean press, and co-operates with such titles as Spiegel, Stern, Hamburger Abendblatt, and German TV stations: ARD and NDR and the Deutschlandfunk radio. In Poland, he has collaborated with, among others, the National Geographic Traveller, Fokus Śledczy, Przekrój, Nasze Morze, Jachting and with the Polish TV (TVP).
Julia Luterek
She has worked as a Chinese language teacher, translator and screenwriter. She graduated from University of Warsaw and National Film School in Łódź. She has an interest in tourism and enjoys visiting new places and learning about their history, the local culture and language. She has been been geocaching for two years now and thinks it is a perfect way to combine outdoor fun with education.
Brendan Jackson
Independent Writer, Artist and Producer. He originally trained in visual communication at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, and was awarded Fellowship in Photography for his punk rock project ‘Going Through the Motions’, working with the Photographic Gallery and Southampton University on visual literacy programmes. Primarily based in the West Midlands of England, for many years he worked with the innovative community arts organisation Jubilee Arts, producing a wide range of projects in cooperation with local communities, using photography and film, visual arts, oral history, writing and new media. Working with multimedia, he won a Health of the Nation Award for the project ‘Asthma Attack’ with Sandwell Health Authority and a BAFTA as producer of the project ‘Lifting the Weight’ with Geese Theatre. For several years he has realised projects in Central and Eastern Europe in association with the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University. He first worked with the Borderland Foundation on the project “Bosnian Triptych” in 2005, a cultural exchange between young people from England, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Poland. He is also a founder member of Laundry, a nomadic association of freelance artists.
At Kaliningrad
Sergei Mikhailov
Born in Moldova in 1970, lived in Kaliningrad since 1988. He is a poet and translator; member of the Union of Russian writers and anthologist of Kaliningrad modern literature. As an author of books of prose and poetry, his work has been translated into several European languages. He is also Editor of the culture portal ergojournal.ru.
Sergei has been responsible for co-ordination of the Russian partners for the Atlantis project.
Aleksandra Artamonova and Aleksey Milovanov
Aleksey is a journalist, columnist, photographer, editor in chief of the main regional Internet portal ‘New Kaliningrad’. Author and presenter of several television and radio programs devoted to public, social, political and economical issues.
Aleksandra graduated from the Kant University with diploma in journalism. She was trained with the programme ‘Cultural Journalism’, (specialization art critic and literary critic) by Charity Culture and Arts Foundation ‘Pro Arte’. She is a Section Editor and author of nonfiction texts at the regional internet portal ”New Kaliningrad”; she writes for the international portal of arts & culture ‘Arterritory’; participated in a number of projects organised by the Baltic branch of the State Centre for Contemporary Art. Her work has been translated into English, Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian.
Olga Dmitrieva
She has been involved in creative activity since 1986. She is currently working as a freelance artist in the field of graphic design. Member of more than 80 group exhibitions in Russia and abroad, and Member of the Union of Artists of Russia. Her works are in the collections of Russian and foreign museums and galleries, as well as in private collections.
Artem Zaytsev and Maria Neznanova
Artem is a photographer and art director of design studio ‘Piktorika’. He works with interfaces, graphic design and design environment. In photography, working with documentary-metaphysical subject. He does series of photographs about the city and its people.
Maria is a graphic designer and illustrator. She originally studied journalism and continues to work occasionally in this profession. In parallel, she began to draw illustrations for publications in journals, mostly the author’s columns and specialised headings. She is mainly attracted by print, as a tangible and material result of work.
Aleksej Sokolov
Ph.D., associate professor. Expert in environmental management, protection of natural and cultural heritage, environmental education. He graduated from the biological faculty of the Kaliningrad State University. Since 2001, head of the Ecological and Historical Museum in Vishnitsa.
He was the curator of the Russian part of the international project ‘The concept of specially protected natural areas in the Russian part of Romintskoy Forest’ (2007-2011), Participated in the project ‘Development of professional skills in the field of innovative cultural management in order to enhance cultural cooperation between the Kaliningrad region and the countries of the region the Baltic Sea’. Author and co-author of scientific and popular publications about the natural and cultural heritage of the Kaliningrad region.
Evgeny Umansky
Born in 1961 in Nizhny Tagil. Video artist, photographer, artist and curator. Art director of the Kaliningrad branch of the National Centre for Contemporary Arts. Director of the contemporary art journal ‘pH’. Lives and works in Kaliningrad.
Alexander Popadin
Born in 1964, Kaliningrad, a writer who turns the story of the city into literature and other useful texts. In media reports listed under many titles and status, derived from his public or professional (architectural and urban development with the cultural and historical perspective) activity. Author of the leisurely cycle of books ‘Walks in Kaliningrad’, published every ten years. Editor of several art & literature anthologies. He leads meta-urban bureau ‘Heart of the City’, though he prefers to present himself in public as a volunteer at Philosophorum Kneiphof.
Ilya Dementev
Associate Professor, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Institute for Humanities, History Chair (courses: Western historiography; Theory of History, Project management in the social fields, etc.)
Research interests: History of the province East Prussia and the Kaliningrad region; French political thought; contemporary approaches in the historical sciences. More than 60 articles on regional and University history.
Boris Bartfeld
Writer, historian and poet, chairman of the Kaliningrad Writers Union.
Ekaterina Skripko and Tamara Chapkina
Work with the artists association ‘Prussian Honey’, artist jewellers who work with traditional folk arts and crafts in the region. During the four years of its existence the group have been active in educational workshops, and exhibitions at fairs and festivals.
