Imagine: you get a task to organize a festivity. The audience should range from babies to seniors, some like pop music, and others only enjoy classical. Some like to come early and others won’t show up until sundown. By the way, the number of participants is about 300,000.
The Culture Department of Kaunas Municipality faces such or similar challenges when trying to balance the different expectations and tastes of the residents. While looking for information about the department’s activities and checking the list of events it curated and coordinated in 2023, I was surprised – it had as many as 39 events. This year there are more than 50 of them, and one of the biggest is the 616th birthday of Kaunas which will invite all the residents and guests to celebrate it in May. In addition to this celebration, the staff of the Culture Department is responsible for organizing public holidays, commemorations, fairs, and cultural and sports events every year. However, organizing events is only one of the department’s functions. Agnė Augonė, Head of the Culture Department, told the magazine about her and her team’s work. She singled out the events that attracted the biggest crowds, introduced the supervised objects, and told me that the team’s free time is unimaginable without cultural activities.
First of all, I would like to ask you to tell me about your department’s work. What questions can people approach you with?
This is a multifunctional department. Just like culture is diverse, broad, and all-encompassing, so is the Department of Culture, which covers many areas and functions. The department often prepares and implements general cultural and art programs, participates in the preparation and implementation of state and regional cultural development programs, and municipal strategic plans, plans the funds needed to implement the programs, coordinates the implementation of these programs, and supervises the activities of the municipal budgetary cultural institutions. We also make suggestions regarding the establishment, reorganization, or liquidation of municipal cultural institutions. It is very nice to be able to participate in the planning of the funds needed to implement investment projects and in the implementation of investment projects that have received funding (a few examples: Romuva Cinema Center, Kaunas Culture Center, Kaunas Artists’ House, and the Town Hall). Using the Initiatives for Kaunas program, we promote the culture and art of our city in Lithuania and abroad. We also initiate and coordinate the organization of festivities and events.
In 2023 alone, you were responsible for organizing and coordinating more than 30 events in the city, and, this year, there will be over 50 of them. How do you measure the success of the events?
We always try to apply innovations in events and invite diverse artists, so that the program meets the needs of different segments of society. Often, the success of the event is determined by the weather conditions, which, unfortunately, we don’t have control over. For us, the best assessment is the number of people at the events and the good emotions created.
Are there projects, or ideas that cannot be financed and organized? Do you often have to discuss this in the context of the municipality and department?
I won’t lie, it does happen. It is not uncommon for me to find one or another project worthy of attention, but it does not receive a general appreciation. But those projects that receive funding do not disappoint me and only inspire me to work harder. It is nice that our team is not afraid of discussion, we are not afraid to give our opinion, and every different opinion leads to the best results.
Are you also responsible for cultural objects?
Yes, we supervise cultural institutions founded by Kaunas City Municipality. Some of them are located in cultural heritage buildings: Romuva Cinema Center, Kaunas City Museum with all its departments (Kaunas Castle, City Hall, M. and K. Petrauskas House, Folk Music branch in the buildings of the Old Town), Vincas Kudirka Public Library (with 21 departments), Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, Kaunas Culture Center (with Girstutis Culture Center), Aura Dance Theatre, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra (with string quartet), Kauno Santaka concert institutions (with Ainiai ensemble, Ąžuolynas wind orchestra and Kaunas Big Band) and Kaunas Artists’ House. We are responsible both for the planning and execution of their activities and for the infrastructure. Other competent departments and specialists of the municipality are used to help with infrastructure maintenance. We also participate in the planning and design of new, restored, and renovated cultural objects of the city, we take care of their opening and presentation events. We are glad that when new objects are being designed or the old ones are being restored or renovated, the observations and suggestions of the Department of Culture are taken into consideration, after all, cultural events, projects, and other culture-related activities, beloved by the residents, can take place in all the public spaces and objects of the city. This year, we are planning the opening events of the new Science and Innovation Dissemination Center – Science Island, the renovated Town Hall, which has been transformed into a contemporary museum exhibition, and the renovated Valley of Songs.
The regulations state that one of the department’s tasks is to create conditions for creative and artistic activities in the municipality, promote creative and artistic diversity, ensure the dissemination of professional art, and foster ethnic culture and local traditions. What local traditions would you highlight?
As one of the tools for promoting creative and artistic activities, I would like to mention the Initiatives for Kaunas program, which invites non-governmental organizations and communities to contribute to solving urban problems. In the context of this program, the city does not finance organizations, but projects that solve actual problems and which are focused on clear results. Every year, we partially finance about half a dozen different cultural projects, from professional art, and long-term international projects to initiatives that promote ethnic culture, intercultural dialogue, the cultivation of the culture of national communities, and the integration of the cultural identity of various nations into the culture of the city.
We had Francophone days in Kaunas in March and attractive Scandinavian and Czech days are also planned to take place. Coming soon are the international sports dance competition Amber Couple, Spring Fair, a traditional Yard Festival, and many others.
After discussing the extremely broad activities of your department, it is also interesting to learn about the team. What kind of people can we meet there? Do you go on cultural adventures together?
The culture department team currently consists of 8 employees. Since it is a group of like-minded colleagues, it is natural that we are connected not only by work but also by free time. As far as time and opportunities allow, we try to spend time in an informal environment and discover new ideas while traveling and having fun. We are specialists in the field of culture, so we prioritize trips related to cultural activities, to gain valuable cultural and social skills, interesting acquaintances, and new knowledge. More than once, we went to festivals, fairs, and exhibitions organized by other cities, and got to know the work of other institutions.
I would like to hear more about your own interests. What books do you read, and what events do you never miss?
Reading is one of my many hobbies. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time for this lately, but there are many books on the nightstand that I have started. I like personal development and psychological books but after reading them, I also want to pick up a lighter work of fiction. I rediscovered poetry while working in the cultural sector. I like to flip through the Nemunas magazine, which has accompanied me since childhood as my mother’s favorite read. I have also been a reader of Kaunas Full of Culture for several years now. While doing this job, I have to visit more than one concert, so I wouldn’t dare to single out a single genre of music. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the concert of the legendary Hiperbolė and it left an indelible impression. If I can choose between film or theatre, the latter wins without competition.
If you have free time to walk around Kaunas, which route or place do you choose to visit?
I always choose Panemunė Pinewood. Maybe it’s because my parents and I used to go to the Nemunas for a swim and during school years we had to go jog near it. I find this place to be magically cozy, calm, and at the same time alive with the city’s pulse.
