Eugenija Bakšienė is a florist. She makes Easter palms (bouquets of dried plants which are blessed in a church on Palm Sunday), plant compositions, and postcards, and uses natural material for her handmade goods. Some plants are collected from fields; others are grown in the garden of her home. Varėna Ph: +370 615 45 762 Ona and Algirdas Guntulioniai are felt makers. They make paintings, scarves, shawls, hats, berets, dresses, slippers, and felt boots. Ona and Algirdas use merino wool and silk, apply a wide range of felting techniques, and combine wool with other materials. Varėna Ph.: +370 686 89 972, +370 620 25 935 Rūta Indrašiūtė is engaged in ceramics; she uses stoneware, red clay, and glaze. Apart from making whistles and glazed pottery, Rūta Indrašiūtė also moulds sculptures. Since 2006, Rūta Indrašiūtė has the status of the artist. Her exhibitions and expositions were organized not only in Lithuania, but also in Italy, France, and other European countries. Maksimonys village, Merkinė eldership, Varėna district Ph: +370 680 93 538 Saulius Jonas Indrašius is engaged in educational, ethnographic activity, and ecology. He works in the fields of black pottery (jars, pestles, roasters, bowls, candlesticks, etc.) and monumental sculpture. His works were exhibited in the House of Lithuanian Parliament, France, and elsewhere. Maksimonys village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 680 93 538 Teresė Jankauskaitė is a ceramist artist and belongs to the club of artists "Plekšnės", and Pelekiškė and Zakavoliai community. Teresė Jankauskaitė has been participating in exhibitions since 1973, and has organized over 50 solo exhibitions in North Ossetia, France, Poland, Latvia, and many cities of Lithuania. Pelekiškė village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 310 39 493 Algirdas Juškevičius is the head of art studio "Kadagys", belongs to Vilnius Folk Artists Association, has the status of art creator since 2005, and is a maker of national heritage products since 2009. Algirdas Juškevičius has been participating in exhibitions since 1980. His solo exhibitions were organized in Vilnius, Druskininkai, Varėna, Nedzingė, Marcinkonys, and Merkinė; group exhibitions were organized not only in Lithuania, but also in Russia, France, Italy, and Iceland. The artist creates sculptures (sacred and domestic), crosses, shrines, monuments, Mardi Gras masks, bas-relieves, wooden toys, birds of happiness (toys), nesting boxes, outdoor furniture, articles of interior design, and items of home decorating. He uses different kinds of wood: linden, oak, aspen, and alder. Varėna Ph: +370 687 82 043 Saulė Lazaravičienė weaves bands, and makes Easter palms (bouquets of dried plants which are blessed in a church on Palm Sunday), straw gardens, birds, Christmas decorations, and floral arrangements. The artist grows plants in the garden or picks them from nature and dyes bought threads. Since 2005, Saulė Lazaravičienė has the status of the artist; she was also awarded the Medal of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania. Panočiai village, Kaniava eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 310 49 333 Albertas Lisovskis is engaged in painting. Since 2006, he has been participating in exhibitions. Albertas Lisovskis paints on canvas or cardboard with acryl paint. Varėna Ph: +370 625 27 588 Laima Mačionienė is a craftswoman of certified traditional crafts; she cherishes the old felting of wool and rough cloth, grinding, cooking, and traditional crafts of livestock and crop. Laima Mačionienė is also a maker and promoter of certified buckwheat dishes and the initiator of an educational program. Pamerkiai village Matuizos eldership Ph: +370 614 24 814 Email: laima.macioniene@gmail.com Artūras Matonis Takimantas is an artist ceramist. He attended Art School of M.K. Čiurlionis, Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, and studied the interior design in the Tallinn Art Institute for one year. Artūras Matonis Takimantas has been participating in exhibitions since 1999. Beržupis village, Matuizos eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 671 44 060 Romas Norkūnas works in Dzūkija National Park as a craftsman. He is engaged in endangered crafts: weaving, rope making, wild beekeeping, tar production, and covering of reed and straw roofs. Romas Norkūnas produces a variety of baskets, straw hats, bast shoes, etc. He uses only natural materials: linden fibre, birch bark, osier, reeds, etc. Musteika village Marcinkonys eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 310 48 034 Elvyra Teresė Petraitienė is a ceramist artist who does a creative job at home. She uses simple and fire clay, stoneware, slipware, and glaze. Elvyra Teresė Petraitienė creates human and animal figures of mythological themes. Since 1980, she is the member of the Lithuanian Artists' Union, and has the status of the artist since 2005. Maksimonys village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 620 88 279 Džiugas Petraitis is a freelance artist, graphic ceramist. He makes jugs, jars, poppy seed grinders, bowls, cups, glasses, plates, candlesticks, chandeliers, and sculptures. Džiugas Petraitis produces ceramic works using clay, slipware, and glaze; clay, paint, and paper are used for graphic works. The status of the artist was granted for him in 2008. Džiugas Petraitis has been participating in exhibitions since 1988. Maksimonys village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 686 49 360 Petras Pretkelis creates the articles of black pottery: jugs, jars, cups, souvenirs, candlesticks, vases, etc. Since 2005, he has the status of the artist. The artist has been participating in exhibitions since 1972. His solo exhibition was organized in Vilnius in 1983. He also participated in exhibitions in Russia, Hungary, and Germany. Pelekiškė village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 606 06 089 Laima Saviščevienė is engaged in traditional art; she makes straw gardens, stars, Christmas decorations, pictures of straw and dried plants, Easter palms (bouquets of dried plants which are blessed in a church on Palm Sunday), dried flowers bouquets, etc. Since 2010, Laima Saviščevienė is a maker of national heritage products. Maksimonys village, Merkinė eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 616 52 606 Rūta Sakalienė weaves from straw (straw birds) and is engaged in graphics (decorating eggs), textile (sewing ethnic costumes of Dzūkai of Southern Dzūkija) and culinary heritage (ethnographic cooking: homemade bread, buckwheat pie, pies with mushrooms, mushroom soup, and potato pudding). Naujalių St. 15, Marcinkonys village Varėna district Ph: +370 615 34 306 Stasys Truncė is a blacksmith of the third category. He makes a variety of handmade ironwork: crosses "daisies'', and necessary items to decorate homesteads (fences, door handles, fireplace tool sets, candlesticks, hangers, and other household accessories). Ūta village, Kaniava eldership Varėna district Ph: +370 616 57 254 Ceramic ware company "Žiestė" The owner and director of the company is a traditional artisan of certified national heritage products; he cherishes ancient crafts, pottery, and brick making and has been professionally engaged in ceramics for 20 years. In the company, handmade bricks, various other pottery and clay products are made according to technologies of the 14th-19th centuries. Head: Gintaras Knieža Krūminiai village, Matuizos eldership, Varėna district Ph: +370 659 64 737 Irena Žukauskienė is a folk artist. She has been participating in exhibitions since 2000. 6 solo exhibitions of her paintings were organized. The artist paints and makes images from wool on canvas. What is more, she makes beads, flowers, souvenirs, and Ester eggs from wool. Varėna Ph: +370 685 68 998