Australian Lithuanian History

Born on February 10, 1946 in Memmingen Refugee camp. He immigrated to Australia with his parents Antanas and Jadvyga in 1950. In 1963 Vytas graduated from Woodville High school and enrolled in the South Australian school of Art, where he graduated in 1966. In 1963 Vytas was awarded the Sands & McDougall Prize for drawing, and the Osborne Art Gallery Prize. At that time abstract art especially hard edge and colour painting was the prevailing style. Vytas preferred figurative and realistic art. He stopped painting and turned to music because he felt pressed to paint a certain way. Vytas held his first solo exhibition in 1967 at the North Adelaide Gallery. That same year, Vytas in the generation of flower children, travelled to India, studying Indian music and mystical life. At the invitation of Akbar Khan school of Music in Calcutta he studied there. He explored several different types of sitar and decides to make himself one of them. He returned to Australia for a short time, before...

In 1981 a Lithuanian folk dancing group from Chicago "Grandis", came to Australia and performed in Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. The dancers were billeted out to local families in each town. They performed their concert at Lithuanian House. The dancers were; DIDZBALYTE, Vida GUDAS, Viktoras KIAUSAITE Laima KUCAS Linas LAURUSONIS Linas LESECKAS Linas LIETUVININKAITE Zibute MEILUS Alius MOMKUTE Vida PLIOPLYTE Rasa POLIKAITIS Arunas POLIKAITYTE Dalia SINICKAS Ricardas SMILGAITE Ramona SODONIS Giedrius SADAUSKAS Voldemaras VALAVICIUTE Ruta VASILIAUSKAITE Lora VASILIAUSKAS Erikas VIERAITYTE Lina ZALATORIUTE Ale ZYGAS Edmundas Grandis is still active in Chicago, you can view more on their website. http://www.grandischicago.org/