Objectives
1. To enhance adults‘ self-confidence by discussing art.
2. To introduce learners to the masterpieces of the most famous Lithuanian sculptors to the interwar period in Kaunas, Lithuania.
3. To enhance critical thinking and creativity in adults through the use of virtual reality experiences.

Digital Tools Utilized

Technical/Digital Skills to be Possessed by the Teachers
1. Soft skills (active listening, self-reflection, communication, time management)
2. Historical, art knowledge
3. Basic computer skills

Description of the Lesson Plan
Subject(s) Arts, Cultural heritage, Psychology

Teaching Methodologies:
„Brainstorming“, working in groups, group discussion, storytelling, reflecting.

Description of a practical activities:

-Participants observe 3 objects:
1. P. Rimša “Vargo mokykla” („The Lithuanian School 1864-1904.“);
2. J. Mikėnas “Rūpintojėlis”;
3. J. Zikaras “Laisvė”.
*Or you can choose another 3D objects in vrscit.pixel-online.org

-Participants are asked to answer 3 questions individually as they look at each sculpture:
1. What do I feel when I‘m looking at this sculpture? (a "Feeling Wheel" can be used to name feelings).
2. What do I think when I‘m looking at this masterpiece? Think of a short story about it.
3. Think of a name for the sculpture.

-Participants are then divided into 3 groups, where each participant in the group gives a short presentation of his/her experience: what feelings and thoughts each sculpture evoked and what name he/she gave for the sculpture. When all the participants have completed the task, they can return to their seats.

Step by step activities to complete the lesson plan:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)
Participants are asked how they feel when discussing art. What feelings do they have then? „Brainstorming" method is used, ideas are written down on the board. A "Feeling Wheel" can be used to facilitate the naming of feelings.
Ideas are summarized. It is likely that some people who are art profane find it quite difficult discussing art. People often don‘t feel knowledgeable about art, they are afraid of appearing stupid because they think that people around them will judge them on that basis and form a bad opinion. That is why we need a simpler approach to the subject of art.

2. Theory (10 minutes)
The impact of art on human emotional well-being. Art is a way of discovering oneself and giving oneself inner joy. Observing visual art, like the creative process itself, is undoubtedly a therapy in itself. We feel the power of art through our vision, our memory, our emotions and our physical body. Art helps our creativity to unfold, and creates a sense of peace and relaxation. Art develops personality, emotional intelligence, and encourages understanding of different artistic forms that people interpret in their own way.

3. Practice (20 minutes)
Participants observe 3 objects using vrscit.pixel-online.org website:
- P. Rimša “Vargo mokykla” („The Lithuanian School 1864-1904.“)
- J. Mikėnas “Rūpintojėlis”
- J. Zikaras “Laisvė”.

Participants are asked to answer 3 questions individually as they look at each sculpture:
- What do I feel when I‘m looking at this sculpture? (a "Feeling Wheel" can be used to name feelings).
- What do I think when I‘m looking at this masterpiece? Think of a short story about it.
- Think of a name for the sculpture.
Participants are then divided into 3 groups, where each participant in the group gives a short presentation of his/her experience: what feelings and thoughts each sculpture evoked and what name he/she gave for the sculpture. When all the participants have completed the task, they can return to their seats.

4. Conclusions (5 min)
The teacher briefly introduces the 3 sculptures, giving their authors, titles and the period in which they were created.
“The Lithuanian School 1864-1904”, by sculptor Petras Rimša, Kaunas. This sculpture is one of Rimša’s most famous works. This masterpiece represents the secret teaching of the Lithuanian language at home during the period when the Russian government had placed a ban on teaching and use of the language between 1864 and 1904. The sculpture shows a mother secretly teaching her child the Lithuanian language by her spinning wheel. By the break of the 19th and 20th centuries, in Lithuania, a clandestine school operated almost in every village, because of the Lithuanian press ban (1865 to 1904) in the Russian Empire. The idea for this was originally created in 1906 (as a painting), the model was the sculptor’s mother Magdalena Rimšienė. Soon it became the national symbol for the Lithuanian schooling in the period 1864-1904. In 1939 the sculptor made the present copy.
“Rūpintojėlis”, by sculptor Juozas Mikėnas. A wooden sculpture of sitting sad Jesus is one of the most popular objects of Lithuanian folk art, one of the symbols of Lithuanian nation. This sculpture was exhibited in the Baltic Pavilion of the 1937 Paris World Exhibition and won the Grand Prize. The wooden sculptures of sitting sad Jesus are common at the roadsides, yards and certain holy sites (šventvietės) rather than churches. It is believed, that “Rūpintojėlis” marks the entire interwar era of independent Lithuanian culture and reflects the mood and way of Lithuanian people. “Rūpintojėlis” seems to be sad and suffering. But although it appears helpless, it represents the people's dissatisfaction with the status quo.
“The Freedom Monument” in Kaunas, Lithuania by sculptor Juozas Zikaras was unveiled in 1928 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the reestablishment of the independence of Lithuania. At that time Kaunas was the temporary capital of the state. Juozas Zikaras is considered to be the first professional sculptor in Lithuania and one of the most famous Lithuanian sculptors of the first half of the 20th century. One of his most famous works is the sculpture "Freedom", which is fascinating for its allegory of freedom. The sculpture was intended to commemorate the memory of those who contributed to the consolidation of statehood and to honour those who died in the struggle for Lithuanian independence. The sculpture depicts a female angel with a broken chain on her wrist. This is a symbol of physical freedom, which allows us to identify the freedom of this figure with the liberation of the nation from the oppression of the tsarist Russian rule and the struggle against the Poles. To balance the sharp chain, in her other hand "Liberty" carries a flag, which flutters dynamically behind her, between the wings of "Liberty".

5. Reflection and evaluation (10 min)
Participants are asked to briefly reflect on the lesson: what feelings they felt, what new things they learned about themselves and about the art of Lithuania's famous sculptors of the interwar period.