The National Library of Lithuania Opened Exhibition in Chicago

On July 15, 2023, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the flight of the legendary pilots, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, an interactive exhibition by the National Library of Lithuania was opened at the Čiurlionis Gallery in Chicago (USA).

The exposition consists of manuscripts, documents, photographs and interactive technology. It includes letters from Darius and Girėnas, in which the pilots thank the Lithuanian-American community for their donations and support, historical documents, photographs, and descriptions of the event. The exhibition is equipped with software with AR technology. It includes archival documents from the National Library of Lithuania, digitized documents from the Vytautas Magnus War Museum and the Lithuanian Aviation Museum.

At the opening of the exhibition, the Director General of the National Library of Lithuania, Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, thanked the partners of the exhibition, the Čiurlionis Gallery in Chicago, the Lithuanian-American Community and the Lithuanian Foundation in the USA. He noted that in Lithuania alone, at least 115 streets have been named after Darius and Girėnas, squares and other public spaces have been renamed after them. These two courageous Lithuanians have been commemorated in monuments, works of art, exhibitions, films, poems, postage stamps, coins, and medals.

The partners of the exposition are the Čiurlionis Gallery in Chicago, the Lithuanian-American Community, the Lithuanian Foundation, the Vilnius Academy of Arts, the Vytautas Magnus Military Museum, the company Tikras vaizdas HoPro, the Lithuanian Aviation Museum, and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania advised on the project.

Photo credit: National Library of Lithuania