Madison is featured in two episodes of Dalelė Lietuvos (“A Piece of Lithuania”). The film crew came at the invitation of MVSC Director Milda Aksamitauskas.
filming process
First episode
Viewers meet Dr. Jonas Juozevičius, a retired UW–Madison physician and grandson of Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuania’s second president. Jonas shares a moving family story. In 1941, when his grandparents were deported to Siberia, they threw a letter from the train to their daughter, his mother, asking her never to forget she was Lithuanian. That letter is now kept at the Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas. Jonas reflects on his grandfather’s legacy, growing up in Chicago’s Lithuanian community and Madison’s Lithuanian community today.
Milda then tells how Madison Vilnius Sister Cities began in 1989. Madison was looking for a “pen pal” city in the Soviet Union, and the choice landed on Vilnius. The partnership grew from home stays and humanitarian aid into the cultural organization it is today. She shares MVSC’s next chapter: a Vilnius committee to strengthen ties between the two cities, more visiting Lithuanian artists, and new business, research and university exchanges.
▶ Watch the episode on YouTube (in Lithuanian; English auto-translated captions available)
Second episode
The episode opens with a Madison story many people don’t know. Architect Vaidas Aksamitauskas tells the story of Maušas Erdmanas, born in Tverai, Lithuania, in 1922 and sent to America as a boy. As Marshall Erdman, he became one of Madison’s best-known builders. He built Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unitarian Church, pioneered the suburban medical clinic and grew a nationally known healthcare construction firm. Throughout his life he proudly called himself Lithuanian, and his reputation may have helped put Vilnius on the map when Madison looked for a sister city in 1989.
The second half turns to today’s community and Žaibas, Madison’s Lithuanian folk dance group, active for 35 years. Longtime leader Nijolė Etzwiler, dancer Edita Logan and photographer Paulius Musteikis talk about how three generations of Lithuanians come together here. They also talk about what keeps the culture alive for the next generation.
▶ Watch the episode on YouTube (in Lithuanian; English auto-translated captions available)
Thank you note
Madison Vilnius Sister Cities community received a thank you note from the TV series producers. They sincerely appreciate our involvement, willingness to share our stories and welcoming them to Madison, WI.
