20 March 2026

Open Call for the National Library’s Palanga Summer Reading Room

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is inviting creators from a variety of fields to submit applications for the exhibition project at the Palanga Summer Reading Room in 2026.

Application period: 20 March–7 April 2026. 

The Palanga Summer Reading Room on Vytauto st. was designed by Palanga’s chief architect, Albinas Čepys, in 1965 on commission from the National Library. The reading room opened to visitors as early as 1966. The graceful building, with its glass and wood structure and an oak tree with branches piercing through a roof reminiscent of Baltic waves, was hailed as a masterpiece of organic modernism from the outset. It remains one of A. Čepys’ least altered works and one that has best preserved its original purpose, and it was granted heritage status in 2014. 

The Reading Room is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. To mark this occasion, we are inviting artists to contribute to the programme of events by creating an exhibition or art project for the Reading Room. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to realise their project in the Reading Room’s unique space.  

We encourage creators to reflect on the Reading Room’s architecture and history in their work, and to develop projects based on themes related to the Palanga Summer Reading Room’s photo archive, the building’s history, structure and facade, as well as other architectural elements such as reading spaces, natural and artificial lighting, the oak tree that grew inside the building and the integration of recycled or local materials. 

This open call is intended for artists, designers, architects, researchers, and creators in other fields working on visual, spatial, or interdisciplinary projects.   

The selected participant (or collective) will receive a fee of 2,000 euros, and the production costs of the work (installation, object, or sculpture) will be covered.  

The project should be completed by June 20, 2026.  

Application requirements:  

• Creative biography (CV) and a brief introduction (bio);
• Portfolio with examples of work (please submit your 2 most relevant projects);
• Description of the project idea;
• (Recommended) visual materials or sketches.  

Please submit all documents in PDF format in a single file (max. size 5 MB), following the specified order. Send application documents via email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Selection Criteria and Process  

Applications will be evaluated by the National Library’s Exhibition Committee and invited experts contributing to the reading room’s 60th-anniversary program.  

The evaluation will be based on the submitted materials according to the following criteria:  

• The quality and relevance of the artistic practice;
• The originality of the proposed idea and its relationship to the architecture and context of the Palanga Summer Reading Room;
• The feasibility of the project in the specific space;
• The anticipated impact of the project on the visitor experience and the activation of the public space. 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.