The National Museum of Lithuania, together with the news portal DELFI, is launching an open series of conversations and discussions dedicated to civic engagement, titled “House of Civics,” to be held at the Castellan’s House. The initiative invites participants into a live dialogue about the development of the Lithuanian state, its foundational values and the ways history shapes the choices people make today.

In this discussion series, history becomes a living conversation about the present—freedom, responsibility, civic stance and the role of culture, art, media and civic resistance in the life of the state.

“Civic House” is intended for anyone for whom civic engagement is not an abstract concept, but a daily practice—those who think, question, search and want to engage in conversation.

The series begins on February 12, and its meetings are deliberately linked to key national dates—Day of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania and Restoration of Independence Day of Lithuania—as well as significant anniversaries marked in 2026, including the centenary of Lithuanian radio, the history of the Lithuanian Helsinki Group, and commemorative years dedicated to Balys Gajauskas and Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius. The discussions will also address broader questions relevant to Lithuania today: what freedom means in the 21st century, how art, independent media, the Church and civic resistance have shaped the state and its values, and what can be learned today from figures of the past.

The Castellan’s House, the newest branch of the Lithuanian National Museum, houses the exhibition “Understanding Lithuania,” which presents the country’s history, culture and the people who contributed to its development, while introducing visitors to the key ideas that have shaped Lithuanian identity.

The First Conversation—with Karolis Kaupinis

The discussion series will open on February 12 at 18:00 with a conversation featuring film director and screenwriter Karolis Kaupinis, titled “About Art, the State and Us.”

The discussion will explore the relationship between art and history, the increasingly visible return in contemporary culture to the theme of 1990s Lithuania, and the role of archival material and artistic interpretation in shaping collective memory and political imagination. It will also address the responsibility of creators in the public sphere, the state of cultural policy and civic stance today.

Moderator: Laisvūnas Čekavičius, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University.

The discussions will take place in the exhibition space of the Castellan’s House (Arsenalo St. 1). Participation is free, but the number of seats is limited.

Recordings of the discussions will be published on the DELFI portal and the Lithuanian National Museum’s YouTube channel.

Program (subject to change)

February 12, 18:00 – conversation with Karolis Kaupinis, “About Art, the State and Us”

March 12, 18:00 – conversation with Nijolė Oželytė, “March 11 Today: Freedom as a Daily Choice”

April 14, 18:00 – discussion “What Can We Learn Today from Motiejus Kazimieras Valančius?” (speakers to be announced)

September 8, 18:00 – discussion “The Lithuanian Helsinki Group: A Voice for Human Rights in Unfreedom” (speakers to be announced)

October 13, 18:00 – discussion “One Hundred Years on Air: Lithuanian Radio and the State” (speakers to be announced)

November 10, 18:00 – discussion “What Does the Stance of Balys Gajauskas Mean Today?” (speakers to be announced)