Following the growing interest in establishing discipline-specific groups within the CIRRUS network, the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas Faculty, is delighted to invite teachers from CIRRUS partner institutions to Textile Visions, a meeting dedicated to textile art and design education, artistic practice, and Nordic–Baltic collaboration.

Hosted by the Department of Textile Art and Fashion, the meeting aims to bring together educators and practitioners to exchange teaching approaches, discuss sustainability and material experimentation, explore connections between textile traditions and contemporary innovation, and develop ideas for future collaborative activities within the CIRRUS network.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kaunas for a programme of presentations, workshops, visits, and inspiring conversations about the future of textile art and design education.

Why Kaunas?

The Department of Textile Art and Fashion at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas Faculty, combines traditional textile techniques with contemporary artistic practices, material experimentation, and interdisciplinary research.

Kaunas has a rich textile and industrial heritage, with textile art playing an important role in shaping the city’s cultural identity. Notably, the Kaunas Biennial originated as a textile art exhibition before evolving into an internationally recognised contemporary art event.

Over the past two years, the Kaunas Faculty has also hosted the KUNO Nordplus network intensive course “Textile Future Scenarios”, in collaboration with the Estonian Academy of Arts, the University of Bergen (KMD), and the University of Gothenburg (HDK-Valand). This successful experience provides a strong foundation for further Nordic–Baltic exchange and new collaborative initiatives.

Practical Information

Dates: 19–23 April 2027

Venue: Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas Faculty, Muitinės St. 2, Kaunas, Lithuania

Registration: Complete the registration form

Registration deadline: 29 January 2027

Participation fee: €150 per participant, including three dinners, three lunches, and coffee/tea breaks.

Funding opportunities: CIRRUS teacher mobility grants may be available to support participation, providing €330 for travel and €100 per day for subsistence, subject to eligibility and funding availability. Please contact Sandra Mell, sandra.mell@artun.ee to apply for the CIRRUS grant.

Contacts

Programme enquiries:
Assoc. Prof. Monika Žaltauskaitė-Grašienė
Textile Art and Fashion Programme, Kaunas Faculty

Practical enquiries (registration, payments, travel, CIRRUS funding, etc.):
Lina Košeleva, Head of International Relations Office, Vilnius Academy of Arts

Further information is available on our website.