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Description
The aim is to create 4 sets of professional contemporary art and culture products for Latvian children and youth (aged 6-18), promoting the availability of contemporary culture and the involvement of the target audience in the regions of Latvia, reducing social exclusion. Bilateral co-operation has been established with The Cultural Schoolbag Nordland, implementing an international exchange of experience on creating cultural products for young audiences in Latvia and Norway. The partner participates in product development consulting, educates Latvian professionals about contemporary art and related product creation. 5 interactive objects of contemporary art in the regions will be created, promoting accessibility and understanding for society. Target group is involved in all project activities. Art, culture and education professionals are involved in the implementation, ensuring the interdisciplinarity of the project, creating the interaction of literature and contemporary culture.
Summary of project results
The impact of the project was to broaden the availability of contemporary art and culture in all Latvian regions, increase the interest for knowledge of contemporary art among the Latvian youth and to create an example for interplay between literature, contemporary art and education.
Research made by Latvian Ministry of Culture implied that in the last few years consumption of culture products has decreased among younger generations and people with secondary education, as well as among people living in Kurzeme, Zemgale and Vidzeme. Based on these facts the guidelines for policies of culture in 2021 to 2027 in Latvia have prioritized the reinforcing of skills between learners, implementing a set of various events, designed to decrease the objective obstacles for accessibility and availability of culture products, decreasing the gap between rural and urbanized areas, as well as developing diverse content in products of culture. To make this happen it was important to create a diverse content or products of culture for children and young adults, which are available free of charge not only in Riga, but also in various regions in Latvia, reducing the social gap in Latvia.It was particularly important to create and develop the understanding of culture processes especially among children and young people. This understanding forms right from childhood and it affects their interest in culture and its consumption, as well as part-taking in events of culture in the future. This is the why it is important to look for several ways to introduce children and young people to professional contemporary art, as well as to develop their interest in literature, create understanding in both areas, seeing their interdisciplinarity and giving a chance to take part in these processes.
Literature:
While questioning students in focus group discussions, they pointed out that there is a low interest in reading and literature in general among them and their peers. The research on the effect of participation in consumption of culture shows that frequency of reading books among young people decreases (in 2018 books are being read by 55%, in 2020 - 30% of the questioned young people in Latvia). (Precise statistics on children target groups are not yet available.) It can also be distinguished that shopping habits of young people have decreased when it comes to books - in 2013, 5.3% of young people bought books, journals, newspapers on the internet, but in 2019, these purchases were made by only 3.3% of all young people (between ages 16 - 24).
Research results of “OECD PISA 2018” show that in Latvia the average student habits of reading are a bit lower than Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) countries average and that when it comes to students'' competence of reading, comparing to the previous research in 2018, this competence was lower by nine points. The results of this research indicate that in 2018 the relative count of students with high achievements in reading was 4.8%, which is lower than average in OECD countries - 8.6%. In Latvia students show better reading skills when searching for information than for receiving a literary experience, therefore, the competence of reading informative text is averagely better than reading when it comes to literary texts. It is concluded that schools'' attention must be put in to developing the students'' reading habits of literary texts.
Contemporary art:
In Latvian society there is a gap in knowledge about contemporary art, as well as the market and events in the contemporary art scene in Latvia. Based on the research on creative industries in Liepāja conducted in 2019 there is a certain pattern, that, compared to other culture industries, the biggest gap of events is exactly in contemporary art. It is important to emphasize that in Latvia there still is not a museum of contemporary art, which could exist as an institution representing the contemporary art scene in Latvia, with regular research and education programs being made. Overall, up until this point contemporary art industry and the economic consumption of this industry is researched minorly in Latvia. In research on culture consumption and participation, researchers distinguish, for example, contemporary music. In Latvia only a narrow part of the society visits and takes part in contemporary art’s events. As research made in 2020 shows - culture organizations lack knowledge on audience development and on promoting an interest in such forms of culture which are not mainstream, for example, contemporary art. That can also be said about focus on children and young people. Currently there was no connection in Latvia between the contemporary art scene and events made for children. Latvia’s culture and contemporary art organizations offered very few inter-disciplinary events, especially when looking at literature and contemporary art. While talking with young people in focus group discussions, it was concluded that students have very low knowledge when talking about contemporary art and its connection with other art industries in Latvia.
There was:
- development and creation of the content of a set of professional contemporary art and culture products for 4 age groups ages from 6 to 18;
- creation of 5 freely accessible contemporary art objects in all regions of Latvia made in collaboration with artists from Latvia;
- discussions and workshops with children and young people;
- exchange visits between project partners to learn from each other, etc.
Project:
- increased the interest of children and young people in contemporary art and literature, involving representatives of each given field, who would create dialogue with the target audience;
- created professional contemporary art and culture products for children and young people, in that way providing the accessibility of these products in all regions of Latvia;
- developed educational events and materials on contemporary art and literature, thus stimulating the targets audience’s interest.
Main results:
- created 4 different interdisciplinary (visual arts, music, literature) creative materials for children and youth audiences in various fields of contemporary art;
- created 5 wall paintings in the regions of Latvia (Talsi, Ādaži, Jelgava, Daugavpils, Smiltene) in cooperation with Latvian contemporary artists, the local community and Latvian students.
It was important to create an opportunity to share professional contemporary art and culture product development with the young and create interest in the process, promote knowledge about art and culture, popularize contemporary art and culture and its development in Latvia.
As a result of the project, 5 freely available works of art of contemporary art have been created, which will be available in the long term, the interaction of Latvian school children with contemporary art, their understanding of it has been promoted. 4 professional art and culture products have been created, which are available to Latvian schoolchildren in all age groups, as well as included in the "Latvian School Bag" (Latvijas skolas soma) program, to ensure the durability and accessibility of the project''s results to the target audience.
Broader Latvian society has been educated about contemporary art and culture, international cooperation has been established with the potential to continue after the end of the project.
Summary of bilateral results
Since the idea of the project was related to the development of interactive products for a young audience, the representatives of Cultural Schoolbag (DKS) Nordland, which creates and produces cultural products for a young audience in Norway, were approached as project partners.During the exchange trip to Norway was a very successful, very valuable collaboration with the DKS Nordland team. The project implementation team got acquainted with the implementation of the Culture School Bag in Norway, the methods of working with children and young people in relation to culture and art, got to know various cultural institutions both in Bodo and Oslo, for example, the Deichmann Library, recognized as the world''s best new library in 2021 library, museum of the artist Edvard Munch, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, as well as educational institutions in Bodø. As well as project implementer shared their experience in working with children and young people in Latvia, and gave to the Norwegian team the opportunity to experience the breakout game "Twaddle and tales". This cooperation was a valuable experience both for the team of project implementers from Latvia, as well as for partners from donor country. Negotiations have been started on the continuation of cooperation after the end of the project - it is planned to develop new cultural products for the Norwegian DKS related to contemporary culture and literature in cooperation with the project partner.The sharing of experience of operations and methods was equally valuable to both parties involved in the project.During the exchange trip to Norway, the Latvian team gained knowledge about 5 new innovative methods of working with children and youth audiences.During and after this exchange project, professional staff (eight people) received training and expertise in audience development, developed professional knowledge and experience in educational work and creating contemporary art products for children and young people.