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Audio Recording Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

Interview with Mr. an d Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

About this Item

Title

  • Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1

Names

  • Bradunas, Elena (Collector)
  • Variakojis, Vilius (Interviewee)
  • Variakojis, Bronislava (Interviewee)

Created / Published

  • Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1977

Headings

  • -  Lithuanian Americans
  • -  Ethnography
  • -  Interviews
  • -  Illinois -- Chicago

Genre

  • Ethnography
  • Interviews

Notes

  • -  Mr. & Mrs. Variakojis, part 1
  • -  Part 1 of a 4-part interview in Lithuanian with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius and Bronislava Variakojis, recorded at their home at 6919 South California, adjacent to Marquette Park; he is a woodcarver and model maker, including the creation of miniature models of Lithuanian farmsteads; she is a fabric artist, whose work includes embroidering textiles with Lithuanian folk motifs; the basement of their home is a personal museum in which they display their work; part 1 is with Bronislava Variakojis and topics include discussing her embroidery patterns and the development of her interest in the craft, some patterns were drawn by her husband, she makes place mats, “only in America,” for a craft fair (Kazuiko Muge, English Kaziukas fair), organized by Lithuanian scouts in Chicago; about the influence of the Tamosaitas family on developing respect for Lithuanian folk patterns; Bronislava Variakojis’s aesthetic has changed, new appreciation for folk patterns, “they are uniquely our own”; about Girl Scouts and their interest in crafts, they seem to prefer non-Lithuanian expression, e.g., clowndolls; in general most craft items are made by adults while youngsters sell them at the fair; about learning from her mother who died at 97, has an heirloom from her mother; Bronislava Variakojis has three tablecloths brought from Lithuania, everything she made; about leaving Lithuania, done in haste, though it only temporary, she was in Dresden during the U.S. bombing of that city; refugee story continues in part 2.

Medium

  • audiocassette, C-60

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Call number: AFC 1981/004: AFS 20837a
  • MBRS Shelflist: RYA 0825
  • Field Project Identifier: CH77-T309-C

Source Collection

  • Chicago Ethnic Arts Project collection (AFC 1981/004)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

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Credit line: Chicago Ethnic Arts Project collection (AFC 1981/004), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bradunas, Elena, Vilius Variakojis, and Bronislava Variakojis. Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois, 1977. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20837a/.

APA citation style:

Bradunas, E., Variakojis, V. & Variakojis, B. (1977) Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20837a/.

MLA citation style:

Bradunas, Elena, Vilius Variakojis, and Bronislava Variakojis. Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Vilius Variakojis, Lithuanian American woodcarver and textile artist, Chicago, Illinois, part 1. Chicago, Illinois, 1977. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc1981004_afs20837a/>.