A couple of years ago, members of our editorial team visited Viktorija Mašanauskaitė-Rinkšelė. Back then, while preparing our 100th issue, we spoke with her as one of our magazine’s most loyal readers. However, Viktorija’s professional work is also well worth our attention.
She spent many years at the Kaunas Photography Gallery, contributed to organising the (sadly, now-defunct) Kaunas Gallery Weekend and the multimedia festival “Centras”, and initiated the Kaunas Art Book Fair before joining the Kaunas Artists’ House. Here, she helped establish a culture information centre, launched an events calendar, and started the Kaunas Culture Fair. It seems that for Viktorija, everything that brings people together is important. This spring, one of her cosiest ideas, the Culture Breakfast, which brings together cultural professionals, artists, and freelancers from various city institutions, will celebrate its fifth anniversary.
(The text was published in the January 2026 “Networks” issue of the “Kaunas Full of Culture” magazine)
Coffee, a pastry, a colleague you haven’t seen in ages or only know from emails, followed by a tour, and a couple of hours fly by while discussing current affairs. I must admit, I have found more than one interviewee for my articles and radio reports this way. These informal meetings happen almost every month, and in the summer, they even take place outdoors. Recently, Viktorija’s colleagues have taken over organising the Culture Breakfasts, and you will find out why as you read on.
Viktorija, what motivates you not just to do your job, but also to unite your colleagues?
To be honest, I just love bringing people together. Maybe that’s my mission? I remember back in the “Gallery Weekend Kaunas” days, I was the one who contacted all the galleries and put the programme together. It’s most likely a personality trait that has carried over into my professional life. I do the same with my family and friends. I never celebrate my birthday separately with different groups; I bring everyone together. A numerologist once even told me that community building is my comfort zone.
From a professional point of view, it is a fact that you can achieve very little on your own in the cultural field. More meaningful things are born when we work together. Another deep-seated goal of mine is for society to consume more culture. I am completely immersed in culture myself, and I feel how enriching it is. Many people don’t participate, and in my opinion, they are missing out a lot. So, all my activities are designed to encourage people to consume, participate, and go out. The Culture Breakfast is a strategic tool to achieve these higher goals.
When did the first community breakfast take place?
In the early spring of 2021, and it was held remotely because we were still in lockdown! My colleague Povilas and I presented the analysis of the Kaunas cultural field for 2020. The Culture Information Centre at the Kaunas Artists’ House presents such analyses every year, based on data collected from the Kaunas Culture Calendar events and their reports. The first in-person breakfast took place that same year, once the weather had warmed up a bit.
The main goal and idea of the breakfasts were informal meetings for representatives of the cultural field. We invited people to simply drink coffee, eat croissants, and share information, so that a sense of community could form in an informal setting. It was a strategic tool to strengthen the bond with the community, so they would have more trust in the Kaunas Artists’ House as an institution that brings people together. The main tool for this is the calendar with all the cultural events in Kaunas, which required a contact database and belief in the value of our work.
What were those first in-person meetings like?
It was interesting to share behind-the-scenes stories, concerns, and needs with the Kaunas cultural community while also providing them with value. For example, for the first in-person breakfast, we invited an expert who spoke about making events more accessible for people with visual impairments.
Was it easy to get other institutions interested in hosting the breakfasts and to take the idea outside the Kaunas Artists’ House? Now, breakfasts often take place at festivals and exhibitions, which is really interesting and useful.
Finding a host for the next meeting was never difficult. The community is very open, which is probably why the initiative took off so successfully. For a while, the “Kaunas 2022” community meetings were also happening, but they eventually ended along with the title year, whereas our format stuck. I think the key difference was the format: those meetings would stretch on for several hours, and it was clear to me that we are all working professionals and need to save time. That is why our breakfasts have a clear structure.
Sometimes the chosen venue limits the number of people. We even have to close registration because the spaces are small and there is a lot of interest. This might disappoint some, but it also reminds us that the format is needed.
This June, I went on maternity leave, and I plan to return to work in 2027. But I usually put together the plan for the year’s breakfasts back in January. I will not hide it, when choosing the locations, I was also driven by my personal curiosity to see spaces I had never been to before. Most places welcome us with open arms. For example, it was difficult to get into “Science Island” at first; we had to find alternative ways in, but eventually we succeeded, and it was a great meeting, a first time there for many.
Does this initiative have sponsors?
We used to be part of the Culture Fair programme, but essentially, we do everything with KAH’s own funds. To be fair, it does not require a lot: it only costs us the photographer’s services and the pastries, and the organiser is a full-time KAH employee.
I don’t attend all the breakfasts, but whenever I do, I get the impression that most attendees see the open mic session only as an opportunity for self-promotion, listing their upcoming events and that’s it. Perhaps there is a lack of courage or trust to open up and also share challenges and problems?
I especially noticed that when I came back to work after a break, the breakfasts had turned into a live events calendar. Although I tried to remind everyone that we could also talk about behind-the-scenes matters or cultural policy, the format naturally settled on what is most relevant to people: their own work. We all have problems, but people tend to talk about them in smaller circles. If the community is more comfortable this way, then that is fine. Perhaps if circumstances change or a crisis arises, the desire to talk about painful issues will become a priority again.
It’s also hard not to notice that the cultural community in Kaunas, and in Lithuania in general, is very female-dominated. I remember various explanations for this, for example, uncompetitive salaries.
I would say that the female dominance is more prevalent among employees rather than managers. Managers rarely attend such gatherings; they usually delegate their staff. Although, of course, statistically there are indeed more women in the cultural field. I have heard a theory that women can simply endure more [laughs] for a lower salary. By the way, artistic collectives used to be very male-dominated, whereas now, for example, more women are studying photography.
What new projects or ideas for the city have come out of the Culture Breakfasts?
Regular surveys show that participants value new contacts the most. Emails will never replace a face-to-face conversation. Although it is hard to name a single grand project born over a cup of coffee, the daily benefits are obvious: some find artists, others find spaces.
I have heard from people in Vilnius more than once that they are envious of these regular meetings. Are there any attempts to adapt this format?
Šiauliai has started. Even the LRT show “Kultūros diena” (Culture Day) did a report where, at the end, the journalist mentioned that the first such breakfast was held in Kaunas. I remember talking about it at the Alytus Culture Forum; the locals were fascinated and asked for advice on community building.
For now, your colleagues are organising the breakfasts, but are you still thinking about any unvisited places where you would like to hold one?
I am always interested in new places or spaces that open up after renovation. I had a plan for this year: another breakfast was supposed to take place at the Lithuanian Aviation Museum, but it is not open yet. So maybe in 2026, while I am on leave?
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Are you a culture operator, an initiative representative, or an artist who would like to participate in a Culture Breakfast? A new season begins in February. You can find out more by getting in touch via the contacts listed here.
