Lithuanian Olympians at the Tokyo Games will be treated to an inspiring surprise from Kaunas students
Recently, an artistic parcel from Kaunas arrived in Japan – drawings by the winners of the creative works competition “Olympic Bridge between Lithuania and Japan”. They will soon decorate the Hiracuka City Hall and will remain on display until the end of the Tokyo Olympics. The work of Kaunas residents and the visiting delegation of Lithuanian Olympians will be able to see the work of the artists in Japan.
Strengthening ties with Japan
Portraits of famous athletes, paused moments from sporting events, Japanese landscapes and other highlights from the Land of the Rising Sun. All of this is encapsulated in hundreds of artworks created by Kaunas schoolchildren using various techniques. The best of them arrived this week in Hiracuka, Japan.
Kaunas Teacher Qualification Centre (KPKC) together with Kaunas City Municipality in a creative works competition aims to celebrate the friendship between Kaunas and Hiracuka that has been lasting for years.
“We had a clear goal in preparing the competition “Olympic Bridge between Lithuania and Japan” – to broaden students’ knowledge about Japan, the 32nd Olympic Games in Tokyo and to express the friendship between the two countries through art. Kaunas and Hiracuka have had a close relationship for some time now, and we are delighted to be able to contribute to it. Moreover, we very much hope that these works will become an additional source of inspiration before the important competitions for the Lithuanian Olympic delegation, which is expected to stay in Hiracuka,” said Rasa Bortkevičienė, Director of the KPKC.
The relevance of the theme was confirmed by the large number of participants. Nearly 300 students from 27 schools in the city – from primary school pupils to school leavers – took part in January-February this year.
On display until the end of the Olympics
All entries were judged by a competent panel of experts. It has selected 30 of the students’ most artistic and thematically appropriate works to be exhibited at the Hirotsuka City Hall from April until the end of the 32nd Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The winners and their teachers will be presented with certificates of appreciation by the Mayor of Kaunas.
The works of the Kaunas artists will be enjoyed by local residents, visiting delegations and the Olympians themselves until autumn.
Hiracuka is one of the newest partners of Kaunas, but our city’s relations with Japan date back several dozen years, and have intensified especially in the last decade. They are developed in tourism, culture, academic cooperation, education, business and other areas.
Information from the Public Relations Unit
Photos by Mantas Zinkevičius
