This upcoming fall, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago, USA, will open a new exhibition “Belonging: Lithuanian Artists in Chicago 1900 to Now.” The exhibition will explore identity and place through the diverse work, perspectives, and legacy of three immigration periods of Lithuanian artists in Chicago. The event and its associated programs and publications will consider the causes and consequences of immigration/migration, including displacement, colonization, trauma, and
assimilation.
In the preparation for the exhibition, the curator and art historian Victoria Matranga has been
visiting various Chicago organizations looking for the forgotten and, in many cases, abandoned Lithuanian heritage. Just recently, she salvaged twelve tiles from St. Philomena parish and brought them to the Balzekas Museum.
The artwork that portrayed the life of St. Francis was created by Lithuanian American artist Ada Sutkus in 1959-1960 and was originally installed in the dining room of St. Philomena parish convent in Chicago. After the tiles were removed from the wall, they were stored for several years. Now they will be part of the upcoming exhibit that will open in September of 2024 at the Balzekas Museum. The exhibition will run
until May 17, 2025.
Balzekas Museum information