The winners of the Dzūkija regional tour of the Lithuanian schoolchildren’s folk art competition “Silver Wreath X” have been chosen

The winners of the Dzūkija regional tour were selected at the “Silver Wreath X” folk art contest for Lithuanian schoolchildren held in the Alytus Cultural Center. The folk art competition initiated by the Lithuanian National Cultural Center is beautifully filled by young masters who discover the old Lithuanian folk art and crafts and breathe new life into them.

This is an essential way to keep the tradition alive and to encourage children and young people to get to know the heritage of folk art, to touch the materials and tools themselves and, with the help of imagination, to create their own visual and applied works of folk art. Their pedagogues, Alytus City Municipality Vice Mayor Jurgita Šukevičienė, members of the commission that evaluated the works, and fans of folk art gathered at the final event to celebrate the works of young creators.

This year, 30 schoolchildren from the Dzūkija region participated in the second stage of the “Silver Wreath” contest-exhibition, which presented more than 300 works revealing the uniqueness of the Dzūkija ethnographic region. The exhibition was dominated by daisies, wood carvings, baskets, spindles, woven bands, clay products, willows, cuttings and gardens, created by young artists from Kaišiadorii, Varėna, Lazdijai districts, Birštonas, Alytus city and district.

The works submitted to the competition were evaluated taking into account their artistic value, the excellence of the performance, the connection of the work with the traditions of Lithuanian folk art and ethnic culture. The four-member commission that chose the best of the best was made up of guests from the Lithuanian National Cultural Center: folk art specialists Asta Valiukevičienė and Jūratė Kluonė, and representatives of the ethno-culture field of the city of Alytus: the chairman of the Dzūkija branch of the Union of Lithuanian Folk Artists Modesta Tarasauskienė, museologist and artist Gintarė Markevičienė-Žaltė.

At the final exhibition-competition event on April 10, the works of creators were selected, which will continue to compete for the best name and symbolic prizes – silver crowns – at the national exhibition. The winners of the silver wreath – ambassadors of folk art – will be announced in May at the Upytė traditional crafts center in the Panevėžys district. The winners were given thanks, symbolic gifts, and the concert program was given by the Alytus Cultural Center Folklore Ensemble “Žvangucis” and the Alytus Children’s Folklore Ensemble “Šaltinėlis.

We congratulate the winners of the Dzūkija regional round of the Lithuanian schoolchildren’s folk art competition “Silver Wreath X”:

Kornelija Smirnovaitė (Lazdijas Motiejas Gustaitis high school, teacher Lina Žaliauskienė),

Morta Žaliauskaitė (Lazdijas Motiejas Gustaitis high school, teacher Lina Žaliauskienė),

Aleks Sukacks (Lazdijas Motiejas Gustaitis high school, teacher Lina Žaliauskienė),

Orint Baležentytė (Alytus district. Daugai Vladas Miron high school, teacher Rasa Aleksandravičienė),

Mykola Petrushkevičius (Art studio “Kadagys” of Varėna cultural center, teacher Algirdas Juškevičius)

Igna Voveris (Art studio “Kadagys” of Varėna cultural center, teacher Algirdas Juškevičius),

Kamila Jonyta (Varėna Education Center, teacher Angelė Balciukevičienė),

Elena Glinskytė (Rumšiškii Cultural Center Pravieniškii Children’s Pottery Club, teacher Audronė Skarbaliūtė),

Emeida Sladkevičiūtė (Art circle of Kaišedorių cultural center, teacher Rita Galkuviene),

Gabija Kastanavičiūtė (Applied decorative art studio of the Palomene Cultural Center, teacher Virginija Kudaševičienė),

Miliauskas in the morning (Alytus district, Miroslavas gymnasium, teacher Saulius Gudaitis),

Rimantė Jaciunskaitė (Alytus district, Miroslavas gymnasium, teacher Saulius Gudaitis),

Urtė Burbulevičiūtė (Lazdijas Motiejas Gustaitis high school, teacher Lina Žaliauskienė),

Fire Miliauskaitė (Alytus district Daugai Vladas Miron high school, teacher Rasa Aleksandravičienė),

Tomas Grybauskas (Birštonas Gymnasium, teacher Algis Guobys),

Vilta Bikneryta (Floristic circle of the Žiežmarii Cultural Center, teacher Jurgita Treinytė),

Misty Vyšniauskaitė (Varėna Education Center, teacher Vidas Savilionis).

We wish the best of luck to the young creators of the Dzūkija region, nurturing traditional culture. Let traditional folk art and fine crafts strengthen the sense of Lithuanian cultural identity.

Photos: Jolita Photography.