www.baltoskandys.com

Personal information

Born in Panevėžys (Lithuania) in 1976.

Lives and works in Vilnius.

Her research interests include: research in Lithuanian ethnographic textiles (Century–Early 20th Century), East and South Asian art history (especially textiles), artistic production, the Baltos Kandys Group of artist (White Moths), curatorial work of international art projects, which are helping to create the image of the innovative and interdisciplinary Lithuanian textile scene for worldwide audience.

Education

1994 – graduated from Vytautas Žemkalnis Gymnasium in Panevėžys.

From 1995 to 2001 – studied at Vilnius Academy of Arts, Department of Textile. Holder of a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree (1999) and Master of Arts (MA) degree (2001). 

2000/2001 – studied at China Textile University (Dōnghuà dàxué) in Shanghai, China (The Education Exchanges Support Foundation, Scholarship of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania).

From 2004 to 2006 – studied at Kyoto University (Kyōto daigaku) and Kyoto City University of Arts (Kyōto shiritsu geijutsu daigaku) in Japan (Japanese Government Scholarship Monbukagakusho: MEXT).

1 March–30 April 2010 – State scholarship granted for a research traineeship at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow (Poland, 1 March – 30 April 2010), the Education Exchanges Support Foundation. 1 March–30 April 2011 – State scholarship granted for a research traineeship at the Kondrat Krapiva Institute of Study of Arts, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in Minsk (Belorussia), the Education Exchanges Support Foundation. 7–21 May 2012 – Grant of the Research Council of Lithuania for an academic visit to carry out research at foreign research and higher education institutions: the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM), Paris branch, and the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (France).

From 2008 to 2012 – PhD studies at Vilnius Academy of Arts. In June 2013 defended PhD dissertation “Festive Aprons in the Lithuanian Culture. 19th Century–Early 20th Century” (Scientific supervisor: Dr. Lijana Šatavičiūtė-Natalevičienė). Holder of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (2013) – Humanities, Art Criticism (03 H), Art History (H 310).

Employment

From 2009 to present – Lecturer at the Department of Textile, Vilnius Academy of Arts (courses in the History of Textile and Lithuanian Ethnographic Textile). From 2013 to present – Lecturer at the Centre of Oriental Studies, Vilnius University (course in the Art of East Asia).

Professional memberships

Since 1998 – Member of the Baltos Kandys Group. Since 2002 – Member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association. Since 2003 – Member of the Association LATGA.  Since 2006 – Member of the Lithuanian-Japan Friendship Association: Member of Council.

Curatorial projects

Co-organiser of international felt symposia in Lithuania (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) together with Egle Ganda Bogdanienė and Baltos Kandys Group. Curator of artistic projects of the Baltos Kandys Group in the Netherlands (2007), Argentina (2008), Japan (2010), China (2011), India (2012), Nepal (2012).

Selected publications

Lebednykaitė Miglė, “Vow Aprons”: Artistic Properties and Function in the Practice of Folk Piety”, in: Liaudies kultūra, Vilnius, 2015, Nr. 2 (161), p. 65–82. - ISSN 0236–0551.

Lebednykaitė Miglė, “Aprons of Žemaitija (Samogitia) Region in the 19th Century and the Early 20th Century: Aprons Wearing Tradition, Their Decorating Techniques and Artistic Expressions”, in: Tautodailės metraštis, Vilnius, 2014, Nr. 27, p. 38–59. - ISSN 1392-8198.

Lebednykaitė Miglė, “Collection of Lithuanian Aprons at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM), in Marseille, France”, in: Liaudies kultūra, Vilnius, 2013, Nr. 2 (149), p. 26–47. - ISSN 0236–0551.

Lebednykaitė Miglė, “Collection of Lithuanian Aprons at the Seweryn Udziela Ethnographic Museum in Krakow”, in: Liaudies kultūra, Vilnius, 2013, Nr. 1 (148), p. 45–57. - ISSN 0236–0551.

Lebednykaitė Miglė, “Polysemy of the Apron in the Worldview of the Traditional Rural Community”, in: Tautosakos darbai, t. XLII, Vilnius, 2011, p. 115–130. - ISSN 1392-2831.

Motley Patterns in the Apron: the Collection of the Alytus Museum of Regional Studies: Catalogue. Compiler and author of the texts Miglė Lebednykaitė, Alytus: Alytus Museum of Regional Studies, Vilnius: Spauda, 2012, [117 p: illustr.]. - ISBN  978-609-95471-0-7.

Awards

2010       The Baltos Kandys Group is awarded with the 3rd Prize and Public Prize for the art project “The Feast” at the 4th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial “Global Intrigue II”: Tradition & Innovation, Arsenāls Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga, Latvia.

2006       Professional skill award for the collection of works “Felted Gardens” (Velti Sodai), co-authors: Eglė Ganda Bogdanienė, Laura Pavilonytė-Ežerskienė, the 2nd Lithuanian Textiles Art Biennial “Track”, Gallery “Arka”, Vilnius, Lithuania.

2005      Years debut award for the best young artist group (Baltos Kandys Group) debut in the professional field, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

2002      1st award for the art installation “Paradoxal Things” in the Mykolas Valančius Street. Festival “Kaunas City Days’ 2002”, “Alley of Art and Muses”, Kaunas, Lithuania.

1997      2nd Prize of  Prof. Tamošaitis Contest, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Collections

Rovinj Heritage Museum (Zavičajni muzej grada Rovinja), Croatia. Modern art collection. A detail of the art project “The Feast“ (2006): 12 objects of different sizes in a glass vase. Inv. Nr. 1841G2.

Selected exhibitions

2015              Art Project “The Feast” (Šventė), exhibition “Absolute Textile: From the Sources Into the 21st Century”, Museum of Applied Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania.

2013              The 37th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show [The 37th Annual Show has selected Lithuania to be the featured country in its Guest Artists Program], Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia.

2012              Art Project “Mandala. Temple of Flowers” (Mandala. Gėlių šventykla) [with Kristina Dolinina-Luna and Marija Vojevudzkaja from Lithuania], the 6th Delhi International Arts Festival, Delhi; Rabindranath Tagore Center-Gallery, Kolkata (Calcutta), India; Old Royal Palace(Hanuman Dhoka), Kathmandu, Nepal.

2011              Art Project “Silk Road”, 2011 NOTCH Art Festival, Beijing Design Week: Open Studio Camp, workshop “Feedback”, Beijing, China.

2010              Art Project “The Feast” (Šventė), AMU Gallery, Tokyo; Higashikagura Memorial Hall Library, Hokkaido, Japan.

2008              Exhibition of Baltos Kandys Group: “Mandala” (Mandala), “The Feast” (Šventė), “To the Forest..” (Miškan..) [with Kaspars Lielgalvis from Latvia], Centro de los Museos de Buenos Aires; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Rosario (MACRO), Argentina, Latin America.

2007              Art Project “Sheep Droppings of Wool” (Spiros), exhibition at the 3rd European Textile and Fibre Art Triennial “Global Intrigue I”: Tradition & Innovation, exhibition at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga, Latvia.

2006              Art Project “The Feast” (Šventė), St. Thomas Gallery of the Rovinj Heritage Museum, Croatia.

2006              Art Project “Mandala” (Mandala), the Cultural Summer of Saint Tropez: exhibition “ART’FAB:  l’Art la Femme l’Europe”, Salle Jean Despas, France.

2006              Solo exhibition “Inspirations”, Gallery ARTima, Vilnius, Lithuania.