Lapkričio 4 d. Ketvirtadienį 15:30 – 19:00
Lapkričio 6 d. Šeštadienį 11:30 – 15:00
Lapkričio 7 d. Sekmadienį 11:30 – 16:00
*times are subject to change
January – ongoing – group-work with stakeholders for ‘Šilainiai Urban Gardens’, creating project website.
February 9 – gardeners meeting.
March 16 – gardeners meeting.
April tbc – Gardeners general meeting with main stakeholders.
April 27 – Clean-up day (DAROM akcija) at Kaunas Fort no. 8 – public, all welcome.
May 4-5 – preparing raised beds/ sowing seeds at Šilainiai Urban Gardens – public workshop, all welcome.
May 11 – sowing seeds/ planting seedlings at Šilainiai Urban Gardens – public workshop, all welcome.
June 9 – gardening workshop at Šilainiai Urban Gardens – public workshop, all welcome.
June 27 – Presentation by Lasnaidee team from Estonia.
July 10 – gardening workshop at Šilainiai Urban Gardens – public workshop, all welcome.
July 20 – August 11 – Artist residency – Elizabeth Hudson (UK / Portugal). Event timetable on Facebook page.
August 3-4 – Norwegian theatre group ‘Canardus Horribilis’ showing work Šilainiai.
August 7 – gardening workshop at Šilainiai Urban Gardens – public workshop, all welcome.
September 11 – Poetry readings in Šilainiai – public, all welcome.
ŠILAINIAI PROJECT 2018
4 March – Šilainiai Project talk in ‘Being local’ event in Riga, Latvia.
8 September – participated in ‘Šilainiai day’ celebration with work ‘Apartment gallery’.
27 October – Poetry readings, part of interdisciplinary culture heritage festival ‘Batery’.
June – December – Šilainiai Urban Gardens – idea generation, research, development, planning and first stage of work.
June – December – ‘The Apartment Gallery’ – place for meeting and sharing creativity. A physical place. Regular meetings with community members and work that would ensure continuity: testing models, action research, search for partners, etc.
28 December – Introducing #silainiusodai: Urban gardening in the microdistrict at ‘Young Ideas – Inside the Creative Mind’ event at Ideas Block LT.
2018 work is partly made possible by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture artist stipend. Thank you.
ŠILAINIAI PROJECT 2017
16 June – Šilainiai Project happening at BeePart in Vilnius, Lithuania
13-16 July Šilainiai Project artist residencies: Lahestan (Aleksander Haugen) (Norway)
14 July – Šilainiai [PARIS] Project
15 July – Šilainiai [FORTAS] Project
11 September – Šilainiai [RESEARCH] Project (1)
September – November – Šilainiai Photo walks and workshops at schools (dates to be confirmed)
14-17 September and 2-18 October 2017Šilainiai Project artist residencies: Shota Kotake (Japan)
16 October 18:00 ‘Tea with the artist’ meeting at Šilainiai Library: artist Shota Kotake (Japan)
9 November 18:00 ‘Tea with the artist’ meeting at Šilainiai Library: artist Katrina Brown (Netherlands/UK)
24 November – 8 December Šilainiai Project residency exhibition at VMU Gallery 101, Muitinės g. 7, Kaunas. Opening 24 November 18:00. Exhibition open I-V 11:00-17:00.
27 December – 10 January 2018 – Šilainiai Photo exhibition at Šilainiai library
This year Šilainiai Project artist residencies are partly financed by the Lithuanian Culture Council and Šilainiai Photo project is partly financed by ‘Initiatives for Kaunas’ and the Lithuanian Culture Council. Street art project is made possible in collaboration with Kaunas street art festival NYKOKA. Thank you.
_________________________________________
I invite you all to support the continuation of a community based art project in Šilainiai post-war housing estate in Kaunas (LT). In 2016, with minimal resources I was able to organise a global artist residence in the neighbourhood, several exhibitions, public walks introducing residents to their seemingly generic but actually extremely diverse community, poetry readings and photography workshops. I would like to continue doing amazing things for the community in 2017 too! Please support and/or share. Thank you very much.
https://www.gofundme.com/silainiai
Kind regards,
Evelina Šimkutė, Founder, Šilainiai Project
2016 has been the most amazing year.
The project has received the best reception and support from the local community. It was extensively covered by the press and it grew.
In short, Šilainiai Project in 2016:
– Organised and/or led 8 public walks in Šilainiai, about 100 people participated;
– Organised and led 5 photography/ contemporary art workshops in local schools for pupils aged 11-18;
– Organised and led 5 artist talks in Šilainiai library;
– Hosted 6 international artists, who worked in public spaces in Šilainiai;
– Produced 3 exhibitions;
– Initiated 2 artist discussions at Kabinetas project space;
– Curated first art happening in Kaunas VIII Fort;
– Supported international day of phylosophy in X Battery;
– Initiated Humans of Šilainiai photography series;
– Started Šilainiai archive of images and oral histories;
– Started building a network of artist communities in Lithuania.
What I am most proud of is that it connected people together and inspired creativity.
Šilainiai Photo-walk, 2016
These are the activities I would like to organise through Šilainiai Project in 2017-2018:
– Host 5 international artist residencies, if possible, rent an appartment that would enable us to have a public engagemet programme in an open studio setting;
– Enable one-two artists from Šilainiai to produce a public piece of art in Šilainiai;
– Support the creation of the first collaborative street art/mural in Šilainiai by pupils from Grušas Art gymnasium and Kaunas school for pupils with special needs;
– Organise 6-7 Artist talks in Šilainiai library;
– Produce 3 exhibitions: Šilainiai stories, Šilainiai residency and one exhibition displaying work of one very special senior resident;
– Initiate/lead at least 2 discussions on subjects like cummunity art;
– Curate 2 art happenings in Kaunas Forts;
– Organise and lead 6 photography workshops in local schools with pupils aged 11-17;
Photography workshop in local school, 2016
– Continue Humans of Šilainiai photography series;
– Continue collecting Šilainiai archive of images and oral histories;
– Create Šilainiai Project publication;
– Finalise Marija Nemčenko artwork that she created in 2016: put it on a billboard in Kaunas;
– Organise public walks in Šilainiai that would be led by myself, but also by local residents;
– Organise poetry readings in Šilainiai public places;
– Organise Šilainiai flag creation workshops;
– Organise ‘Bastille Day’ celebration in Šilainiai, which will involve both local communtity, artists from Kaunas and other cities in Lithuania;
– Support practical design-architecture workshops in public spaces in Šilainiai;
– Initiate/ organise a public event, where graphic/ street art/ animation would be screened on multy-storey buildings in Šilainiai, Pilaitė (Vilnius), Pietinis (Šiauliai) and Klaipėda. The event would be accompanied by live music. During the day, there would be a talk/ discussion about the use of public spaces in Lithuanian ‘sleeping distrcts’.
– Continue building a network of artist communities in Lithuania.
Senior poets’ community at Šilainiai Library, 2016
This is my proposed year plan, that will involve many partners, team members and volunteers. It will require me to work full-time and I need to be based on-site.
I currently do not receive any other income, so will only be able to do what is funded.
My practice is very open and I strongly believe in collaboration. I am working with local NGO’s (partners listed below) in implementing my activities.
I am currently going through intensive training in cross-sectorial cooperation, participation and art management and will be implementing my knowledge in 2017.
Yes, this is an ambitious plan and in so many ways I am breaking new ground. But 2016 has proved that this project is important and is needed. And that nothing is impossible, unless, of course, you do nothing. So I am taking a leap of faith again and I’m trying.
CONTACT
Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to hear more about any part of the project.
Please do so via www.evelinasimkute.com
LINKS
Project websites:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/silainiaiproject
https://www.facebook.com/silainiaiphoto/
Project volunteer page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/349801702029771/
2017 PARTNERS
Lithuanian Artist Association, Kaunas department
Lithuanian Association of Photographers
Kaunas Vincas Kudirka public library, Šilainiai department
Kaunas Fortress Park
Kaunas Artists’ Home
Art management platform ‘Arthesis’
Kaunas Street Art festival ‘Nykoka’
Šilainiai Community Association
Kaunas Grušas Art gymnasium
Kaunas Jonas Basanavičius gymnasium
Yard gallery (Kiemo galerija, Kaunas)
ŠILAINIAI PROJECT IN THE PRESS
Evelinos Šimkutės Šilainiai – balta drobė kūrybai. Kaunas pilnas kultūros. December 2016. Online: http://pilnas.kaunas.lt/2016/12/14/evelinos-simkutes-silainiai-balta-drobe-kurybai/
Audronė Meškauskaitė, Gyvenimą keičiantis menas. 2016 11 24 – 2016 12 07. Nemunas, Nr. 20 (980)
Vaida Stepanovaitė, Decentralizacijos projektų patirtys Lietuvoje. 2016 11 25. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/2016-11-25-nr-3591/3625-daile/5588-vaida-stepanovaite-decentralizacijos-projektu-patirtys-lietuvoje
Neringa Krikščiūnaitė, Kitoks Šilainių veidas. 2016 11 25. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/2016-11-25-nr-3591/3625-daile/5587-neringa-kriksciunaite-kitoks-silainiu-veidas
Evelina Šimkutė: „Šilainių fasadas tėra viena dėlionės dalis“. 2016 09 28. Online:http://kamane.lt/Kamanes-tekstai/Kinas-ir-fotografija/Evelina-Simkute-Silainiu-fasadas-tera-viena-deliones-dalis
Tyrimų laukas – Šilainių mikrorajonas. 2016 09 19. Online: http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/tyrimu-laukas-silainiu-mikrorajonas-771776
Deep Baltic Blog. A sleeping district of poets and painters: redefining Kaunas’s Šilainiai. 2016 10 31. Online: https://deepbaltic.com/2016/10/31/a-sleeping-district-of-poets-and-painters-redefining-kaunass-silainiai/
Evelina Šimkutė: „Kūryboje ir darbuose Šilainiai visada buvo su manimi“. 2016 08 31. Online: http://kalbasilainiai.lt/evelina-simkute-kuryboje-ir-darbuose-silainiai-visada-buvo-su-manimi/
Daugiaaukščių Šilainių istorija domina net japonus ir australus. 2016 08 28. Online:http://kultura.lrytas.lt/meno-pulsas/daugiaauksciu-silainiu-istorija-domina-net-japonus-ir-australus.htm?utm_source=lrExtraLinks&utm_campaign=Copy&utm_medium=Copy
Kaip miegamasis rajonas virsta kultūriniu židiniu. 2016 08 09. Online: http://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/asmenybe/kaip-miegamasis-rajonas-virsta-kulturiniu-zidiniu-285-666627
Kokie yra tikrieji Šilainiai? 2016 08 05. Online: http://klaipeda.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/kokie-yra-tikrieji-silainiai-763975
Evelina Šimkutė: „Šilainių ilgesys išaugino idėją surengti rajono nuotraukų parodą“. 2015 10 22. Online: https://www.silainiubustas.lt/index.php/puslapiai/kalba-silainiai/naujienos/evelina-simkute-silainiu-ilgesys-isaugino-ideja-surengti-rajono-nuotrauku-paroda/336770
Šilainiai Project 