History

The Vilnius Children’s and Youth Art School was established in 1991. It is the first private art school in Lithuania after the declaration of independence.

The school’s founder is artist Jūratė Stauskaitė:
“Everything started with our great Beginning. We awoke together with the movement. The environment was bustling, gathering, rebelling, and communicating. The events of January 1991 shook and awakened us: ACT!
Courage was fueled by the hunger for a different life, the desire to embody suppressed visions, and to engage in activities based on the matured experiences and human attitudes of that time. The idea of personality development through art promised unlimited prospects and contrasted with the traditional art pedagogy prevailing at the time. A free, creative person is equally important in every changing society, both then and now. Enthusiasm opened many doors and brought together like-minded individuals. We settled in the Vilnius Teachers’ House. A bright, wide-windowed, large auditorium resembled a Parisian attic. The beautiful studio and others nearby quickly turned into a bustling space of activity. I’m glad we managed to create a school where I would have wanted to study myself.”

Currently, art classes led by professional artists take place daily in 4 spacious studios. Exhibitions of students’ and teachers’ artwork are regularly organized in the Teachers’ House gallery “Corridor” and other spaces. There are plein airs, events, excursions, and summer creative camps. There is a specialized library consisting of over 1000 publications. Lecturers collaborate with publishers in preparing art teaching textbooks for general education schools.

A particularly important school methodology-based two-part art appreciation textbook “Teacher – Student” is still used nationwide in art education (published by “Baltos lankos”, 2002).