Monthly Archives: May 2022

VEMU’s Events from March to May 2022

The pandemic as well as Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine left their mark on VEMU’s 2022 spring program. Most of the events continued to take place online due to restrictions brought on by Covid. There were events that had to be pushed to a future date so we could go and support Ukraine along with fellow Torontonians at rallies or that just weren’t appropriate during these dark and serious times. At the same time, new events were added to the program that wasn’t originally planned, but due to the political state of the world were important and relevant.

Read more May 25, 2022
Diaspora Researchers’ Seminar at the National Library of Lithuania

After a two-year break, diaspora researchers gathered on May 5 for the 7th Diaspora Researchers’ Seminar organized by the National Library of Lithuania. Twelve researchers and scholars working in the field of diaspora gave presentations.

Read more May 20, 2022
VEMU´s 10th Fundraiser was Dedicated to the Future of the Museum

Fundraisers are not just about raising money. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the year’s achievements with cherished supporters and, in this case, share some exciting news about future plans. Here is my recap of the 2022 annual VEMU fundraiser.

Read more
American-Lithuanian Photographer Edis Jurcys’ Exhibition

The exhibition “The Anxiety of Being” by American-Lithuanian photographer Edis Jurčys that ran at the National Library of Lithuania from April to the end of June includes a series of photographs entitled “The Power of Death and Life” (2021). The exhibition (curator Danguolė Ruškienė) was organized by Ieva Simonaitytė Public Library of Klaipėda County and financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Klaipėda City Municipality.

Read more May 12, 2022
EstoCast – A Fresh Take on Estonian Culture

VEMU (Estonian Museum Canada), Estonian Music Week (a project of VEMU), and Eesti Elu (Estonian Life) newspaper have come together and taken a dive into the vast sea of podcasts, finding our own island – we call it EstoCast! Delve into the layered dimensions of Estonian culture with us as we explore what it’s like being an Estonian here in North America. The importance of Estonian art, music, books in our lives – and what this forward-thinking nation has to offer to us and the entire world. If you’ve ever wanted the latest in Estonian books, music, art, history, science, and other key news and cultural topics, but in a convenient on-the-go format, EstoCast is perfect. EstoCast is also ideal for those simply curious about any of the above topics and searching for something fresh, exciting, inspiring, and educational to listen to. EstoCast started as a simple idea in early 2022 to create a podcast where we could talk at length about this country that we call our home away from home—Estonia. According to the 2016 Canadian census, over 24 thousand people of Estonian origin live in Canada. Perhaps you’re one of them! Perhaps, you’ve visited Estonia once. Maybe you have a friend from there. Or maybe you’ve just heard about Estonia’s tech industry from the news and are wondering what the country is all about. No matter what your connection is, we’re glad to have you check us out and give us a listen. EstoCast alternates between English and Estonian every other episode so that there’s something for everyone; those wanting to learn or practice either language also have the perfect chance for that! EstoCast has eight episodes in both languages, spanning topics from literature to music and the latest cultural news and hottest happenings. Listeners from all over the world tune in to brush up on their Estonian and English, stay in touch with current goings on and culture in Estonia, delve deeper into their Estonian roots, or just learn more about the country itself! We’ve got the world catching our episodes from Australia and New Zealand to Canada and Greece. Various guests have already stopped by, including electro-folk band Etnosfäär, author and professor Dr. Tiina Kirss, and Ukrainian-Estonian band Svjata Vatra. In the future, we plan on extending our reach to topics like politics and stories of people in our diaspora Estonian communities in Canada and worldwide. Hosts Vincent Teetsov and Kati Kiilaspea, along with occasional guest hosts, will continue to take you through the exciting world of Estonian culture at large. We also have some tantalizing new guests coming up soon, so stay tuned; you won’t want to miss what’s in store in the future! You can find EstoCast here on major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as at our website: https://estocast.buzzsprout.com/ Happy listening!

Read more May 10, 2022
The Presentation of the Book on Lithuanian Culture in Diaspora

On May 5, the presentation of the book “Laiko jungtys” [Links of Time] (Vilnius, 2021) by Dalia Kuizinienė took place at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

Read more
VEMU Brought the Ukrainian Frontline Photography Exhibition to Canada

On May 6th, a photography exhibit documenting the current war in Ukraine was opened at VEMU (Estonian Museum Canada), where it will be available for viewing until the end of July. The exhibit could also be seen at Toronto’s City Hall from May 7th-13th and from the end of May through June at the Cotton Factory in Hamilton. The exhibit made it to Toronto thanks to the collaborative efforts of curator Kateryna Radchenko in Ukraine and Temur Khvingia from the Okapi Gallery in Tallinn, where it was opened on March 9th. Present at the opening of the exhibit at VEMU and Toronto’s City Hall were several leaders from Canadian Eastern European organizations, politicians, diplomats, and media representatives. The exhibition at City Hall was visited by over 50,000 individuals and people have already expressed interest in it on the west coast of Canada and Alberta.

Read more