Falls Church resident Irena B. Chambers received the 2015 Award of Excellence from the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in October. The Chicago-based museum chose Chambers, an artist, a curator and museum professional, to receive the award because of her professional achievements and for her dedication to capturing, preserving and educating others about the history of World War II refugees from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Her exhibit “No Home To Go To,” features evocative stories, rare artifacts and allows visitors to hear and feel what the displaced people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania felt. The traveling version of the exhibit has been featured across the nation, including in Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York, and world. It is currently on display in Chicago.
Chambers, who was born in Lithuania and raised in Brooklyn and Detroit, is a board member of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, a member of Falls Church Arts and a member of the Arts and Humanities Council of Falls Church. She is also the founder of the Amarath Art Barn, a Pennsylvania countryside retreat setting for mid-career artists.
