The premiere honoring the laureates of culture prizes: the voice of art people counters inhumanity

According to the Prime Minister quoted in the Government announcement, despite the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, complex and dramatic reflections, “the voice of the people of art and culture is what counterbalances the madness and inhumanity that sometimes seems to arise.”

“There are many artists and art people who are deserving of culture – it is not possible to include all of them in this list every year. But it seems to me that it is very important that we have such a tradition and every year we can honor even a very small part of these people, and through them – all those who work in the field of culture and art,” says I.Šimonytė.

There are 12 creators on the list of this year’s award winners.

These are art critic, pedagogue Aleksandra Aleksandravičiūtė, artist Žygimantas Augustinas, members of the string quartet “Chordos” – Robertas Bliškevičius, Arnas Karolis Kmieliauskas, Vaida Paukštiene and Ieva Živilė Sipaitytė, event director, choreographer Leokadija Dabužinskaitė, theater and film actor, director Arvydas Dapšys, prose writer, playwright, poet, literary researcher, screenwriter Rimantas Kmita.

The list includes prose writer, playwright Herkus Kunčius, organist, teacher Renata Marcinkutė Lesieur (Renata Marcinkutė‑Lezjèr), actress Eglė Eutropija Mikulionytė, museum curator Aldona Snitkuvienė, artist Julijonas Urbonas, composer, choirmaster, performer, pedagogue Antanas Laimutis Vilkončius.

Laureates were congratulated at the event by Prime Minister I. Šimonytė, Deputy Minister of Culture Daina Urbanavičienė, Chairwoman of the Government Culture and Art Awards Commission Rūta Kačkutė.

The Government’s Culture and Art Prize is awarded in order to appreciate the contribution to culture and art of the cultural and artistic creators and actors of Lithuania, as well as the world’s Lithuanian community, as well as special merits in this field.

Government culture and art prizes have been awarded since 1997. Since 2008, the amount of the bonus has reached 340 amounts of basic social benefits – 18.7 thousand. euros.