Virtual meetings, celebrations and exhibitions have become commonplace during the pandemic, and they are certainly convenient. With winter and lockdowns preventing normal activities, “online“ can be an interesting place to visit for a change of pace after hours of working from home or watching movies. There are many places to visit and much to learn! Although not difficult to find, you may not come across useful links unless you know about them.
One worth revisiting is the virtual exhibition on the Lithuanian Museum Archives of Canada website: lithuanianheritage.ca. It was first presented in January to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the January 13, 1991 events in Lithuania. This highly significant chapter of Lithuanian history witnessed by the current Lithuanian diaspora was highlighted again when Skaidra Puodžiūnas, president of the Lithuanian Canadian Community‘s Toronto Chapter engaged in a discussion with LMAC curator Danguole Breen on February 7. “Democracy – One Defining Moment“ offers an important overview of the events leading up to the Soviet invasion of Vilnius as well as the resulting intense activity in the Lithuanian diaspora, specifically in Canada. See it at www.lithuanianheritage.ca/january-13/. The discussion with Danguole Breen is available at the end of the exhibition, which is richly populated with valuable photos, clippings and original documentation.
Lithuania‘s web world also has much to offer, with tours and exhibitions available in English. In all, 25 virtual tours of Lithuanian Museums and the territories of the Vilnius Castle were developed in English and Lithuanian as part of the Virtual Museum project focusing on modernization, new electronic services, and the expansion of the Lithuanian Integral Museum Information System (LIMIS). The project was implemented in 2019–2020 by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (LNMA) and its partners. Begin with a virtual tour of the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius lndm.lt/ (English) to see collections of impressive Lithuanian paintings. You will also find ever-fascinating samples of amber during a tour of the Palanga Amber Museum at turai.limis.lt/gintaro-en/.
Last year, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania introduced a virtual exhibition featuring recent examples of Lithuanian media – newspaper, radio and television – in the diaspora after Lithuania‘s independence was restored. Did they survive, and how? The English version of the exhibition is now available. Go to lnb.lt, select English, Services, Virtual Exhibitions.
If you have encountered an interesting website, virtual tour or exhibition, share it with us at info@tevzib.com.
