(Per)kuriant fotografijos muziejų

LTFotografijos muziejus – vienintelis specializuotas fotografijos meno, technikos ir technologijos muziejus Lietuvoje. Muziejus kilo iš fotografų kūrybinės bendrystės ir įkvepiančio entuziazmo – nuo pat pradžių buvo kuriamas labai apgalvotai, su aktyvia komunikacija, metodiškai sumodeliuota rinkinių struktūra, apgalvota muziejine veikla. Beveik puspenktą dešimtmetį gyvuojantis Fotografijos muziejus visada buvo dinamiška ir kūrybinga institucija. Tad ir šiandien, reaguojant į besikeičiančius visuomenės poreikius ir išnaudojant naujas galimybes, muziejus yra vis kuriamas ir perkuriamas. Šiuo metu vykdoma didžiausia muziejaus infrastruktūros pertvarka nuo 1976 m., kai muziejus atrado nuolatinį prieglobstį dabartiniame pastate Šiaulių senamiesčio centre. Pasirengimas pokyčiams ir rekonstrukcijos koncepcijos formulavimas paskatino atsigręžti į muziejaus istoriją, permąstyti jo tapatumą. Šiame tekste apžvelgsime muziejaus kūrimosi kelią nuo idėjos iki įgyvendinimo, muziejaus koncepcijos raidą: rinkinių turinį ir struktūrą, edukacinę veiklą, ekspozicijas bei kitus iki šiol tebevykstančius pokyčius [p. 73].

ENPhotography Museum is the only specialized museum of art, technique, and technology of photography in Lithuania. The museum developed from the creative community of photographers and was established by the single creative union of photographers in former USSR – Lithuanian Art Photography Society (now Union of the Lithuanian Art Photographers). Since the very beginning the museum has been created with considered communication, the structure of collections, active museum activity and in all stages of its development it was a dynamic and creative institution. And today, considering the changing needs of society and using new possibilities, the museum is constantly developed and redeveloped. In 2009, the biggest reconstruction of the building in the history of the museum was started. At the beginning of these changes, in formulating the concept of the museum’s reorganization, the museum’s history and its identity were taken into consideration. The present article reviews the development of the museum’s creation from the idea till its implementation, museum’s concept and the changes that have been taking place till now. The opening of the first temporary exposition on May 25, 1973 is treated as the birthday of Photography Museum. However, till the moment of this opening, the museum founder Antanas Dilys together with his colleagues did a lot of organizational work, collected a lot of valuable exhibits. The museum’s creators faced challenges. At that time, there were no such specialized photography heritage museums in all Soviet Union, and in the world there were only from 20 to 30 of them, usually supported by the initiative of several people. In 1976, when the museum moved to permanent premises, the museum gradually expanded, several museum expositions were prepared in 1979 and in 1990.Since the establishment of the museum, the collections of Lithuanian artistic and historic photography, photo technique, things, printings, and documents, the specialized publications of photography have been accumulated. Presently, the essential reorganization of the museum’s infrastructure and modernization is being carried out, the museum’s space has been maximally expanded, the new concept of exposition, exhibitions and educational activities has been implemented (the concept of reconstruction – Vilija Ulinskytė- Balzienė, an architect – Šarūnas Sabaliauskas). Today the museum is important and multifunctional centre of photography: the intensive cognitive and educational activities are carried out. The long-term museum exposition, whose preparation is going towards the end, declares a contemporary approach, creativity and interactivity, the traditional and innovative principles of exhibiting are purposefully used and harmonized. Modern and reasoned space of the museum provides an active cognitive and creative activity, immediate and non-formal communication. Vitas Luckus Photography Centre, established in the museum, has given a new impetus for the museum’s activity, that represents Lithuanian artistic photography of the second half of the 20th century and the creation of one of its most conceptual representatives – V. Luckus. The museum collection holds almost 150,000 exhibits, a big part of them is available online LIMIS, on Europeana portals, the museum’s educational activities also have been moved into the virtual space, the innovative electronic services are being equipped as well. Keeping up with the time and striving to maintain relevance and constant development, Photography Museum regularly takes into consideration its activity and is changing, it is regularly developed and redeveloped.