In this session, Dr. Harald Haarmann and Joan Marler discuss the
significance of the civilization of Old Europe that sustained
peaceful, egalitarian, matristic societies throughout southeastern
and central Europe for three millennia (c. 6500-3500 BCE).ย The
arrival of nomadic herders from the Pontic-Caspian steppes created a
“collision of cultures” that caused the destruction of Old Europe,
the spread of patriarchal systems, male dominance, and warfare that
have continued to the present day. The subsequent development of
European societies cannot be fully understood without recognizing the impact of this collision in which certain Old European patterns have remarkably endured.
Dr. Harald Haarmann
Dr. Harald Haarmann is a German linguist and cultural scientist who taught and conducted research at a number of German and Japanese universities, and is a member of theย Research Centre on Multilingualismย inย Brussels. He is also Vice-President of theย Institute of Archaeomythology,ย and director of its European branch. Haarmann is the author of more than 40 books in eight languages. His studies on the influence of Old Europen cultures include Myth as source of knowledge in early western thought (2015);ย Roots of ancient Greek civilization: The influence of Old Europe (2014);Interacting with figurines: Seven dimensions in the study of imagery (2009); and (with Joan Marler) Introducing the Mythological Crescent. Ancient beliefs and imagery connecting Eurasia with Anatolia (2008).
Registration for symposium recordings is now available to the public! Register here.ย ย
To give you plenty of time to view the program at leisure, all sessions will remain available, to those who register, until the end of July 2022.
Performances of Dance, Opera, and Contemporary Song
Our 2021 program is enhanced by the inclusion of performances byย accomplished musicians and composers. We especially want to highlight samples of Lithuanian traditional culture and contemporary performance, of which Marija Gimbutas was justifiably proud. These performances are included during interludes between sessions, and are also available to view at any time in our “On Demand” page which is open to the public.
ย Our dancers are from the renowned Lithuanian Folk Dance group “Suktinis.”The director of the group is Giedrฤ Knieลพa. The group is the most popular Lithuanian folk dance group in United States, having participated in Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day parade live stage performance twice. Suktinis dancers have been representing Lithuanian culture at Science and Industry Museum events (Chicago, IL) for the last 15 years, among many other performances. We offer you their performance of “Malลซnas” (windmill). It was performed at Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival XV in Baltimore.
Giedrฤ says of this dance, “It is amazing how all the folk dance groups come to the festival and make such a beautiful event in only two days of practice. This time there were around eight hundred dancers performing this dance. “Malลซnas” symbolizes change of seasons and never-ending work in the fields in order to get bread on your family’s table. Times were hard for Lithuanians, but they found ways to enjoy and celebrate life with the help of songs and dances.”
Nida Grigalaviciute
We are pleased to include songs from internationally known Lithuanian soloist Nida Grigalaviciute, who currently resides in Chicago. Nida has performed in opera houses across Europe, Israel, and the United States. The songs are from the musical “ล nekuฤiai.” The first song “Tลซkstanฤiai darbeliลณ” tells how women have lots of jobs around the house since early morning. Women in Lithuania have been singing while working in fields, cooking, working around the house, singing with kids and for kids, as well as wedding celebrations, and so forth. The second song is called “Jau seniai ลกviesele” – a mother wakes up her kids since the sun has been up for quite some while. Women in Lithuania used to get up with the sun, with the songs of the birds. And again, they would wake up really early since there was always lots of work around the house and in the fields.ย
Agne G
Agne G is a nineteen-year-old award-winning classical artist who has won multiple international performance awards, performed across the United States and Europe, appeared on television, and graced the stage of Carnegie Hall. Agne has won multiple performance awards including โThe Baltic Voiceโ – Lithuania, โMusic for Kidsโ – Romania, as well as โAmerican Protรฉgรฉโ international competition. She has recorded 3 albums to date. Her 2018 release of โA Merry Christmas from the Heart,โ produced and arranged by Kc Daugirdas, earned her the Indie Music Channelโs Awards for โBest Teen Artistโ and the โBest New Teen Artist of the Year.”
Our thanks to the Lithuanian Foundation for support and to their Director of Cultural Affairs, Giedrฤ Knieลพa, for sharing these performances with us for our Symposium.
Jazz and Vocal Improvisation with the Lithuanian kanklฤs
Our 2021 program is enhanced by the inclusion of performances byย accomplished musicians and composers. These performances are included during interludes between sessions, and are also available to view at any time in our “On Demand” page.
Simona Smirnova
Simona Smirnova is a Lithuanian born jazz vocalist, composer and kanklฤs player based in New York City. Sheโs a fixture in the New York live scene with her quartet when sheโs not touring the world, including Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
โSimonaโs genre-bending style has a unique theatrical flavor and uncanny vocal improvisation techniques. She deftly implements chamber music, Lithuanian zither โ kanklฤs โ and folkloric chants into foundations of jazz and rock.
Simonaโs latest album, Joan of Arc, for String Quartet, is an original composition written as a soundtrack for the classic Carl Dreyer silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). The album is a cinematic landscape of chamber pop, jazz and folklore.
โClassically trained on the kanklฤs, Simona earned her BA in jazz vocals at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater. Shortly after receiving the European Touring Scholarship, she moved to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music where she earned a degree in Contemporary Composition and Production.
Our thanks to Giedrฤ Elekลกytฤ-Knieลพa, Chair of Lithuanian American Community Cultural Affairs, for her help in connecting us withย Simona’s work.
Registration for symposium recordings is now available to the public! Register here.ย ย
To give you plenty of time to view the program at leisure, all sessions will remain available, to those who register, until the end of July 2022.
“Wisdom Across the Ages: An International Women’s Art Exhibition”
July 7 – December 31 2021
ASWM Online Art Gallery
Association for the Study of Women and Mythology
Artemisia Gentileschi Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting
We are delighted to announce the opening of our inaugural juried exhibition in ASWM’s new online art gallery. This exhibition of works by 45 artists and filmmakers from around the world was created in concert with our 2021 online symposium, “Wisdom Across the Ages: A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Archaeomythologist Marija Gimbutas.”
Our organization was founded by women who appreciated the essential role of the arts in developing, promoting, and inspiring scholarship and research.
Patricia Monaghan
Patricia Monaghan was not only the author and editor of many books about goddess scholarship; she was also an internationally recognized poet. Pat’s well-crafted words continue to find their way into performances, ceremonies and women’s life passages. Sid Reger is a visual artist with a happy background in feminist theatre. She has also created and promoted festivals and arts events on local, national, and international stages.
Sid says, “We understood from the beginning that all of the arts were essential sources of inspiration and collaboration for scholarship. Many artists are scholars, and vice versa, and we were always excited to see what happens when they meet in the same room. We were guided by one simple idea: Change the images (or words or dances), and you can change the world.”
We dedicate this exhibition and the gallery itself to our beloved artist-foremothers, Mary B. Kelly and Lydia Ruyle.
Mary B Kelly, 2011 Keynote
Lydia Ruyle ~ Aloha!
Facebook Live Promo interview on 7/7/21 with Kathleen Koch and Alini Mondini:
ย Facebook Live Promo interview on 7/7/21 with Lyn Belisle:
ย The exhibition runs from July 7 to December 31 in our gallery and is open to the general public.
To give you plenty of time to view the program at leisure, all sessions will remain available, to those who register, for twelve months following the event.
New Compositions Inspired by Lithuanian Folk Music
Our 2021 program is enhanced by the inclusion of performances byย accomplished musicians and composers. These performances are included during interludes between sessions, and are also available to view at any time in our “On Demand” page.
We are pleased to be able to present new works performed by the Kalnas Ensemble. The Ensemble, which began performing right before the pandemic shutdowns, has happily recovered from that hiatus to be able to record recent concerts. The Ensemble is a string quartet focusing on Lithuanian musical roots, exploring compositions of Stanley Chepaitis with improvisatory overtones, as well as performing standard quartet repertoire. The ensemble is a diverse group of multi-talented individuals with a commitment to engaging audiences with a dynamic approach to live performance. In addition their wide spectrum of knowledge and interests allows them offer workshops and other interactive presentations that enhance the meaning and experience of the music they perform.
The Kalnas Ensemble, 2021
Dr. Chepaitis has provided these original folksongs that inspired his compositions:
Dr. Stanley Chepaitis, founder, composer, and Violinist, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and a Master of Music, asย well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. He is aย versatile performing and recording artist who is at home in a classical stringย quartet, a jazz band, and anything in between.ย ย His career spans fifty years in which time he has performed nationally andย internationally, composed and premiered his own works, and recorded sevenย CD’s mostly of original music.ย Dr. Chepaitis has been at the forefront of the Alternative Styles Movementย having had a leading role in ASTA Alternative Styles Conferences.
Swana Chepaitis, Violinist, ย received a diploma in Violin Performance and Pedagogy fromย the Hochschule fรผr Kรผnste in Bremen Germany. She studied with Mariaย Grevesmรผhl and Baroque violin specialist Christoph Heidemann. She has been aย member of L’arco (a professional Baroque orchestra based in Hanover,ย Germany), the Litton String Quartet. Mrs. Chepaitis currently performs with theย Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, does freelance performance as a baroqueย violinist in the Pittsburgh area, and maintains a studio of 20+ violin students inย Indiana, PA.
Simon Maurer, Violin, Baroque Violin, Viola ,studied violin at the Conservatory in Biel,ย and continued his studies in the U.S. with Geoffrey Michaels, Joyce Robbins andย Claire Hodkins. He is the founder and artistic director of Sunday Sinfonia, a String Orchestra ofย enthusiastic amateur string players, based in Lancaster, Pa.ย Mr. Maurer is the artistic director of the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, a group that takes pride in bringing classical musicย to underserved areas. In 2010 the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble took over theย leadership of the Schuyllkill Youth Orchestra, newly renamed Gabriel Youthย Orchestra.ย Mr. Maurer also ventures in the practice of jazz and freestyle improvisation. Heย has been a featured soloist in Philadelphia area jazz clubs, has performed atย โJazzfestโ in Schuylkill County and Reading Pa.
Nancy Baun, Cellist, ย has performed over 1,000 events throughout the United States, including three appearances at Carnegie’s Weil Hall, as well as in Switzerland, France, Italy, Iceland, and Canada. She appears on nine piano trio recordings, including a series on the Naxos International label โHome for the Holidaysโ, a favorite of Public Radio audiences. Her favorite highlights also include judging the semifinals of the renowned Koussevitzky Competition in New York City, and performing in a World Music Institute event at Merkin Concert Hall.ย ย She has been an elementary music teacher for over 10 years in urban Buffalo, where she designed curriculum for her passion, โcollaborative connections with musicโ. She has received a national Young Audiences grant for her education workshops integrating music with drawing. She currently presents S. T. E. A. M. training to elementary teachers, as well as using music to teach life skills to formerly incarcerated.
Registration for symposium recordings is now available to the public! Register here.ย ย
To give you plenty of time to view the program at leisure, all sessions will remain available, to those who register, until the end of July 2022.
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