April 2018

◊ An amber jewellery workshop is being  held on Saturday, April 14, at 10 a.m. at the Resurrection Parish Board Room (1 Resurrection Rd., Etobicoke). An afternoon session is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., if the morning session is full. Space is available for a maximum of 10 participants. Ramune Jonaitis will speak (in English) about what you didn’t know about amber, and branch chair Birute Batraks will show participants how to use amber beads to make a new and fun necklace. We will be able to test individual amber beads and pieces that are not mounted in metal. Teens are welcome! This will be a basic demonstration, and other workshops may follow if participants are interested.

Please bring an amber necklace or bracelet that you would like to take apart or just beads (hopefully with min. 0.5 mm holes to fit the string. We are working on a method to enlarge holes smaller than 0.5 mm). The workshop fee is $20 for non-members, $15 for members, plus a $10 materials fee. Please bring small scissors, and small pliers if you have them. To register, email Ramune at gro.i1524358369aftl@1524358369tcatn1524358369oc1524358369 or Birute at moc.l1524358369iamto1524358369h@ska1524358369rtabm1524358369.

March 2018

◊  The LTFAI annual general meeting will be held at the Lithuanian Canadian Museum-Archives, 2185 Stavebank Rd., Mississauga (Anapilis) on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. Please come early to pay your $10 membership fee so you are up to date and can vote at this meeting. After the business meeting we will have a speaker. An invitation with agenda and proxy form will be sent out shortly.

◊  We are pleased to announce that we have two new members of the Toronto chapter of the LTFAI: Nijole Klemaitiene and Loretta Leblanc. We met them at the 100th Anniversary of Lithuanian Independence Concert at Anapilis, Mississauga, on March 3, 2018. Welcome!

◊  Board member Kristina Pavilanis is researching and compiling weaving patterns and designs (raštai ir žičkai). Anyone who has knowledge of patterns other than what we have seen in Lithuanian National Costume or Lithuanian Sashes is invited to call her at 450-458-3381 or email ac.oo1524358369hay@s1524358369inali1524358369vapc1524358369.

◊  The Toronto branch of the LTFAI is holding an Easter egg decorating – (margučiai) workshop at Resurrection Parish, 1 Resurrection Rd., Etobicoke, ON, on Palm Sunday, April 25 after Mass. If you would like to attend or can help, please contact Birute Batraks, by phone (905-271-1640) or by email: moc.l1524358369iamto1524358369h@ska1524358369rtabm1524358369.

◊  Calling expert folk artists! We received a request from Camp Neringa organizers. They are planning a Folk Art Weekend (in English) for adults this year, September 14-16, 2018, at Camp Neringa (Brattleboro, Vermont) and are looking for folk art experts to define and discuss Lithuanian folk art, including Lithuanian national costumes. If anyone is interested in coming to speak at the camp, please contact Dana Vainauskiene, Assistant Executive Director of Camp Neringa, Inc. by email: gro.a1524358369gnire1524358369n@ana1524358369d1524358369.

◊  Calling for new members! If you are interested in some form of folk art, or would like to learn one, please write to us – become a member – browse through our website. We have just begun an exciting new era of nurturing and promoting folk art, old and new. Join us today!

Happy 2018 to all our members and friends! The months have flown by and once again we have a whole new year to look forward to.

2017 was quite busy – the first half consumed by planning and setting up the website, which was launched in May.  In late July the LTFAI participated in the Lithuanian Day Craft Fair in Ottawa, with a table displaying books, sash-weaving and other folk-art samples and pamphlets about our activities. Some of our members were there as vendors as well.

After a brief summer break, the LTFAI Board returned to discussions and preparations for projects new and old. Work continues behind the scenes on the National Costume online archive. November brought the “SIŪLAS” project (see previous post) to the LMAC (Lithuanian Museum-Archives of Canada) in Mississauga, where the LTFAI displayed new banners, examples of books and folk art and most importantly – live demonstration of sash-weaving, presented by Julia Paliulis every Sunday.

The Toronto chapter of the LTFAI, headed by Birute Batraks, organized a “šiaudinukai” (straw Christmas tree ornament) workshop. Guest instructor Joana Adamonis from Montreal held two well-attended sessions on December 2.

The annual Toronto chapter Christmas Craft Fair was held at Resurrection Parish in Etobicoke on Dec. 10th, where seven vendors attracted Mass and Christmas Concert attendees from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

We hope to put action plans for the New Year into play by month’s end, starting with a preliminary calendar. Top priorities will be the National Costume archive project, outreach and chapter coordination. Please feel free to send us your ideas and requests! It is our goal  to renew our organization’s  role as a creative and dynamic resource for Lithuanian folk art designers, artisans, friends and students.

This year‘s annual general meeting of the Lithuanian Folk Art Institute (LTFAI) took place on April 30, 2017, at the Resurrection Parish in Toronto. The former president, Birutė Batraks, called the meeting to order and asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of recently deceased members – Laurynas Vismanas, Aldona Vaitonienė, Irene Meiklejohn, Dana Šablinskas and others. Their passing was deeply felt in the organization and it was important  to honour their memories and accomplishments.

LTFAI Board elections also took place at the annual meeting, and the following were elected: Diana Bubulyte-Wiese (President), Algimantas Nakrošius (Treasurer), Ramūnė Jonaitis (Secretary), Danguolė Breen (LMAC Liaison), Sebastian Grinham (Technical Advisor), Aldona Rygelis (National Costume Project Lead), Birutė Batraks, Alytė Milliken, Algis Norvila, Kristina Pavilanis.

This past year, a number of things were initiated and completed with plans for many more for this year.  We want to ensure that LTFAI is not just a legacy organization but a living breathing entity that celebrates the past and embraces the future.

Our main accomplishment was the creation of this website, which will allow us to provide information, showcase and promote Lithuanian folk art, reach out to members and more importantly new members, and provide a home for the archive of the National Costume Project, one of our key current projects, being led by weaver and photographer Aldona Rygelis from New York City. Its purpose is to document and photograph Lithuanian national costumes woven in North America, in the diaspora, in order to capture the beauty and artistry of these garments so that future generations can appreciate and understand the technical mastery that went into this weaving. The project is ongoing, and Phase 1 of the digital archive is planned to launch in September 2017. We are proud to be able to do that in the Year of the National Costume as designated by the ministry of culture of Lithuania.

We have an ambitious year ahead and welcome any and all artists and craftspeople interested in Lithuanian folk art and particularly weavers to become engaged with the organization and keep our heritage alive.

Lithuanian Folk Art Institute (LTFAI) Board, elected April, 2017. Seated, from left: Birute Batraks, Diana Bubulis-Wiese (President), Ramune Jonaitis (Secretary); standing, from left: Algimantas Nakrosius (Treasurer), Lith. Costume Archive Lead Aldona Rygelis, Danguole Juozapavicius-Breen, Sebastian Grinham.  Missing are: Algis Norvila, Alyte Milliken, Christina Pavilanis.     Photo  J. Tarvydas