The Ministry of Fluxus ( lt, Fluxus ministerija) is an inclusive, publicly accessible art project in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. The "Ministry of Fluxus", or FxM, was established on 23 April 2010 in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, the capital of Lithuania. The FxM Project began in an abandoned medical building on

Gediminas Avenue Gediminas Avenue ( lt, Gedimino prospektas) is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries. It is also the loca ...

in Vilnius, but it is currently housed in a former shoe factory in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

, Lithuania's second city by size. The Ministry turns abandoned buildings into publicly accessible studio, performance and exhibition space. Participating artists need only check with organizers to ensure that there is space for them. Most events hosted at the FxM are free. The project's open and accessible structure make it an excellent atmosphere for artistic collaboration. The project began as a celebration of the

Fluxus Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...

art movement. The Fluxus movement began in the 1960s and 1970s in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and later spread to the rest of the world. It opposed the commercialization of art and its domination by an elite caste of self-important artists. One of the movement's main initiators was Jurgis Mačiūnas, a Lithuanian-American artist who brought together a group of international artists to create collaboratively. Mačiūnas was pivotal in forming and implementing the movement's goals. Other significant participants included

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

and Jonas Mekas. One excellent example of their accomplishments is the revitalization of New York's

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

neighborhood in the 1970s. By repurposing old, abandoned manufacturing spaces as studios, artists turned urban blight into productive artistic spaces.

External links

* George Maciunas * Jonas Mekas *{{in lang, lt, en

Cultural organizations based in Lithuania Fluxus