Stone carving tradition in Kelmė
Artistic stone carving in Lithuania has been implemented in sculptures created after wooden monuments. In the 18th–20th centuries, a unique phenomenon of folk art developed – a wayside crosses made of monolithic granite and crosses with reliefs. This style was especially widespread in Samogitia. In Samogitian worldview, the stone plays a very important role: it symbolizes permanence, strength, longevity. Throughout Lithuania, stone carvers create various stone sculptures, but artistic stone carving, as a tradition of special importance to the locals, has taken root in Kelmė.
The tradition of stone carving in Kelmė is associated with the sculptor Juozas Liaudanskas (1904–1989). After he settled in this city in 1934, his artwork greatly contributed to the development of this craft – the folk-art genre. He created tombstones and decorated the city with sculptures. In the 1950s and 1970s, he began tutoring younger artists in the craft of stone carving, inducing a respectful approach to stone stemming from the ideals of native culture: to be able to reciprocate, to feel the stone’s energy and plasticity. The master’s work inspired young people to engage in the craft as well as boosted the importance of the tradition. The sculptures created by the students – stone carvers of Kelmė and Šiauliai – also became an integral part of the city’s identity. Some sculptures carry the mythological, sacred, existential meaning, while others showcase the symbols of important anniversaries of Lithuania, perpetuate the memory of prominent residents of Kelmė, portray fairy tale personages or other characters. Before creating the sculptures, the stone carvers discuss the idea and theme with the locals, choose the fitting sites, and search for suitable boulders in the fields for a long time.
Since 2004, creative camps, workshops and exhibitions of regional stone masters have been organised. On an initiative of the community, a stone carving workshop was established in Kelmė in 2012. Tutored by Valdas Bandza, the stone master, Kelmė resident and a tradition bearer, the townspeople try to form the stone, adapt it to the sites of the city, decorate the houses, and even seek to become masters themselves.
Submitter – Kelmė Culture Centre, 2021
Tradition bearers – Šiauliai region stone carvers