On October 3—9, staff members of the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania—Pijus Lazauskas and Milda Šemeklytė—visited Tallinn and met with the project partners/colleagues of the Estonian Open-Air Museum (Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum). This visit is part of the mobility project “Teaching multicultural history in museums” (NPAD-2023/10292) funded by the Nordplus Adult programme. The aims of the project include (1) exchanging experience, widening horizons and exploring new methods of teaching about ethnic and religious minorities; (2) improving activities dedicated to the aforementioned minority groups in museums/organizations considering the needs of minorities and ever-changing landscape of migration; (3) and in a wider context, teaching tolerance, fostering inclusion as well as developing dialogue with the minority groups in corresponding countries.
During the week in Estonia Pijus and Milda familiarised themselves with all the expositions of the Estonian Open-Air Museum, took part in the educational programs of the museum and participated in the Onion and fish day, which focused on promoting traditions of old believers’ religious group and the Setus’ ethnic community. In addition to the activities in the museum, the visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Center located in the vicinity of the Tallinn City Wall was organised, where the head of the center, Anatoly Lyutyuk, gave a tour around his spectacular workshop and explained the activities of the center. The participants of the project also visited the Museum of Occupations and Freedom in Tallinn.
Other visits and meetings of the project are planned at the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania and the Jamtli Foundation Museum and Nordic Center of Heritage Learning and Creativity in Östersund in spring 2024.
The Open-Air Museum of Lithuania cooperates with representatives of ethnic and religious minorities in organizing various events and providing spaces in the museum. It is expected that the museum staff will gain experience and useful knowledge that will help to improve the relevant expositions of the museum and will give a start to the annual day of national and religious minorities in the museum.
The project is financed by Norplus Adult.
