Preserving Queer History: From Vilnius to Bergen

“Strengthening cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries is essential – it reminds us that we are not alone in this work,” says Augustas ?i?elis, chair of i?girsti, a Lithuanian hub for queer initiatives. As one of the curators of the Lithuanian Queer Archives, he is dedicated to preserving and amplifying queer voices.

“Our work spans queer culture, archiving, and psychosocial well-being. We create safe spaces for cultural and social initiatives, ensuring that the community has a platform to express itself and engage with society at large. We believe queer self-expression, visibility, and acceptance must be seen within the broader context of human rights, social justice, and ecology,” he explains.

Since 2014, i?girsti has organized the Vilnius Queer Festival Kreiv?s. In 2020, they launched the queer magazine Kreiv?s, followed by the Lithuanian Queer Archive and a dedicated cultural-social space in Naujininkai, Vilnius, which houses a library and reading room.

Thanks to mobility funding from the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture in 2024, Augustas visited Bergen, Norway, where he explored the National Queer Archive of Norway, attended a conference on queer archiving and historical preservation, and joined a meeting of the Nordic Queer Archives Network.

“This experience was invaluable in understanding how queer archival data is collected, sourced, stored, and organized. Witnessing the diversity of queer archives in different contexts gave us the confidence to take bolder steps in our own work. Meetings like the one in Bergen are crucial in helping us move forward,” he says.

Application rounds for Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture: Mobility Funding:

• 02.01–31.01. 2025
• 03.03–31.03. 2025
• 18.08–19.09. 2025