Partner – MO Museum
Location – Throughout Lithuania
Since 2021
The project Exchange of Visual Thinking in Art aimed to strengthen critical thinking, dialogue, and intercultural understanding among members of the education community through contemporary art and the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) methodology. This internationally recognised educational approach encouraged participants to analyse artworks from multiple perspectives, articulate and justify their opinions, distinguish facts from interpretations, and critically assess context.
The project began with participants visiting the exhibitions “Why Is It So Hard to Love?” and “The Meeting That Never Happened,” which invited reflection on themes of inequality, otherness, and empathy, and explored how cultural and social contexts shape our perceptions and attitudes.
A strong focus of the project was placed on strengthening teachers’ professional competencies. Educators were trained to apply the Visual Thinking Strategy across different school subjects, not only in arts education. These trainings supported teachers in developing students’ critical thinking, argumentation, listening, and discussion skills, as well as in facilitating classroom dialogue around sensitive and complex topics.
Work with mixed and multicultural communities became another key component of the project. Teachers were equipped with diverse skills and qualifications necessary for working with students from different linguistic backgrounds and with varied cultural and social experiences. The Visual Thinking Strategy proved to be a universal tool connecting art and education, helping to create inclusive, dialogue-based learning environments where every voice was heard and learning was grounded in respect and collaboration.
During the project:
More than 480 schools in ethnically diverse regions of Lithuania were engaged in the programme activities
Reach-out to 10 different communities in Lithuania occurred through the Travelling Museum initiative
720 teachers and almost 2 000 students participated in various educational sessions and training delivered both locally, and at the MO Museum
As a result of this programme, MO Museum's educational programmes have recently been accredited by the Ministry of Education, making them accessible to educators across Lithuania