Thanks, feast for the ears and eyes
Thanks to Seimas member Vidmantas Kanopas for nurturing traditional crafts, preserving and passing on folk customs and popularizing the name of Rokiškis, folk artists Erikas Čypas, Birutė Dapkienė, Alė Deksnienė, Alė Gegelevičienė, Violeta Jasinevičienė, Gita Kolosovienė and Rita Vaitiekauskienė were awarded. The thanks were given by the deputy mayor of the district, Tadas Barauskas. The regional mayor Ramūnas Godeliauskas congratulated the folk artists. B. Dapkienė, head of the Rokiškis folk artists’ association, thanked the large group of creators for participating in the exhibition.
The folk instrument ensemble “UT” from Utena performed, promoting the tradition of ensemble kanklei and the survival of the kanklei made by Juozas Laš, a craftsman from the Svėdasai region – the ensemble plays with his kanklei, which are over 30 years old. Other folk instruments are also played in the ensemble. Folk melodies, polkas, waltzes, and lullabies sounded unique. The audience received them with great fun. Also, everyone admired the new models of the “Eglelė” knitted clothing collection of folk artist, knitter Vida Erslovienė, which were demonstrated by mannequins.
What happened?
Usually, the closing of reporting exhibitions became a holiday for folk artists. Colleagues, friends and colleagues from other districts gathered to admire their work and congratulate them. The folk artists saw and discussed each other’s works and talked.
This year, only a part of the creators and a couple of official guests gathered at the Rokiškis Region Museum of Art, there were no colleagues from other districts. Although it was announced that the reporting exhibition of creative works will last until April 15, but already on April 8. the exhibition was no longer there – following 85 works were selected and taken to the regional exhibition in Panevėžys, the rest were removed from the exhibition. Therefore, many people might not see the works “live”. The audience saw them only in the pictures shown through multimedia. Who is to blame? Have the plans of the organizers of the regional exhibition changed? The unexpected date of this event – Easter Eve – or deeper things?
Gita Kolosovienė, who received her thanks, spoke publicly regarding the pains of the folk artists during the event: “The folk artists of the region feel in Cinderella’s place.”
More details – April 13. “In the native…”
