Educators and coordinators of educational programs and activities from Lithuania’s state and national museums are invited to apply for a creative residency program taking place at the Lithuanian National Museum’s “Kūrybatorija” creative space, located at the Jonas Šliūpas Museum (Vytauto g. 23A, Palanga). Participants will take part in creative workshops led by Lithuanian and international experts, develop and test cultural products with target audiences, and enjoy networking and relaxation by the sea.

Inspiration for Change by the Seaside

The Lithuanian National Museum, the “Marta” museum competence development program, and the “Kūrybatorija” residency space announce a call for applications to the free summer 2025 residency program:
“Stories for Everyone: Visitor Engagement and Memorable Museum Experiences.”
The program is designed to strengthen the competencies of museum educators through creative practice, collaboration, and learning from experienced professionals.

Participants will benefit from workshops led by Lithuanian and international lecturers, lectures by social work practitioners, and hands-on sessions with mentors—experienced educational program leaders, creatives, and practitioners. During the residencies, new cultural services and tools will be developed to help foster engaging visitor experiences and build meaningful feedback loops. Participants will have the opportunity to get to know their audiences more closely through collaboration with social partners and by testing their cultural products with real visitors. The program also includes discussions, exchanges with fellow museum professionals from across Lithuania, and moments of rest by the sea.

Program Overview

June 24–27 – Residency for beginner educators.
Targeted at museum educators with no more than two years of experience. Participants will explore theoretical and practical foundations of cultural education and learn to design programs for diverse audiences. Creative work will be mentored by Inga Norkūnienė, creator of innovative educational projects and practitioner from the organization Kūrybinės jungtys. Created programs will be tested with museum visitors. [Registration form – click here].

July 22–25 – Creating education programs for people with special needs.
This residency will explore museum accessibility and practical inclusion strategies. Creative workshops will be led by mentor Vida Narveišytė and accessibility expert Anna Dąbrowa (Silesian Museum, Poland). Participants will attend lectures by social work practitioners and develop educational activities tailored for audiences with special needs, testing them with the Palanga Social Care Center community. [Registration form – click here].

August 26–29 – Creating programs for the “Social Prescription” audience – seniors.
Designed for educators interested in developing enriching experiences for senior audiences. The residency will include training by Justė Kutkienė (National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum) and internationally renowned museum education expert Claire Bown, founder of Thinking Museum® (Netherlands). Educational programs based on the “Social Prescription” model will be created and tested with residents of the Palanga nursing home. [Registration form – click here].

Applications are open until June 1.
Applicants will be notified of selection results: For the June residency – by June 6, for the July and August residencies – by June 13.

Residency Program Terms and Conditions

Only educators from Lithuanian state and national museums are eligible to participate in the residency program “Stories for Everyone: Visitor Engagement and Memorable Experiences in Museums.”
Participants will be selected based on the evaluation of their registration forms, with attention given to motivation, teamwork skills, and English language proficiency.

Cost and Funding

The residency is free of charge. Participants are responsible for covering their own travel and meal expenses.
All activities and accommodation are funded by the “Marta” program, implemented by the Lithuanian National Museum and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

Residency social partners include the Palanga Care Home and the Palanga Social Services Center.

Accommodation

Participants will be accommodated at the “Kūrybatorija” (Vytauto g. 23A, Palanga). The space can host up to 9 residents at a time:

• 5 residents will stay in single rooms
• 4 residents will share two double rooms

Single rooms will be assigned to selected participants who complete their registration earliest, while those registering later will be offered double rooms.

An additional 6 museum professionals from Palanga and surrounding districts may participate in the program without accommodation at the “Kūrybatorija.”

For more details on accommodation conditions: [click here].

Duration and Content

Each residency lasts 4 days. The program includes: creative workshops, lectures, testing of educational activities with target audiences, discussions with colleagues, individual mentoring sessions.

For inquiries, please contact: [email protected] or call +370 612 86114