From 4th to 17th of September, the KintaiArts Residence hosted the project "Kultūros Skūnė", during which students of the VAA Graphic Arts Department Andrius Bursovas, Paula Popovaitė, Grėte Pileičikaitė, Vijūnė Liškytė and Jūratis Gambickas, under the supervision of the lecturer of the VAA Graphic Arts Department Simonas Kulietis, carried out their creative processes and presented their artworks at the exhibition space. During the two-week period, the students worked intensively on their projects and on finding new themes.
Upon arrival at the KintaiArts residence, we were unexpectedly greeted by fellow naturalist Povilas Bagdonas. He invited us to take a walk around the most interesting areas of Kintai, which reflect the most beautiful nature and birding spots. On the following days, we had an active time in Kintai and outside the town: we visited the Vydūnas and Vente Horn museums, had a guided tour of the natural surroundings, visited the Kintai library, the Nida Art Colony, and the Pioneers' camp "Vėtrungė". Creative processes took place every day and evening, with everyone involved and having fun.
At the Vydūnas Museum, we saw the largest collection of artifacts on the writer's work and life. In the premises of Ventė Horn, Vytautas Eigirdas, Chief Ornithologist of Ventė Horn, gave a broad and intensive education about bird ringing and presented the largest bird trap in Europe.
With local guide Boris Belchev, we drove to the forest and nearby ponds in Kintai, where we met local wild boars and a wide variety of local birds. We saw sharpshooters set up at the Kintai ponds, designed by local farmer-entrepreneurs to scare away birds. We have discussed this as a problem, but according to ornithologists, the birds get used to the sharpshooters and start ignoring them.
During the two-week project, workshops were also held with Kintai school pupils. The pupils had the opportunity to meet the students, see the creative processes and discuss future opportunities at the VDA and in the art world.
Once the process was underway, the installation of the exhibition began and over the course of a few days, the exhibition titled "Murmuration" was created. Students from Kintai School were also invited to take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes of the exhibition.
The local community and the pupils came to see the exhibition at the opening. A German artist in residence at the time also joined. The exhibition is open from the 15th of September to the 15th of November and everyone is welcome to attend.
After the opening of the exhibition, we had a few more field trips, which helped to summarise the experience gained during the residency and to consolidate the independent observation of the environment and the birds. We went to the Aukštumala Nature Trail, as well as to the Baltic Sea, and the whole period was rounded off with a visit to the KCCC and the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery exhibitions. Like birds flying home, we stopped at art oases to sip the freshest works of Lithuanian art professionals.
