"Summer in Museum: Cultural Parking Space" is a cooperative learning initiative of Gulbene Municipality Museum of History and Art together with NGOs "tabureTE" and "Radošā apvienība "Piektā Māja"". The initiative was organised in Summer, 2022, and consisted of series of learning activities provided mainly in Vecgulbene Manor Park that surrounds the Gulbene Museum. The main activities held was creative workshops, seminars led by professional artists, and alternative gardening activities.
Local
Latvia
Gulbene Municipality
Mainly rural
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
No
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Gulbene Municipality Museum of History and Art Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Valda Last name of representative: Dārgais Gender: Female Nationality: Latvia Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Street Pils 3 Town: Gulbene Postal code: LV-4401 Country: Latvia Direct Tel:+371 26 558 421 E-mail:valda.vorza@gmail.com Website:http://www.gulbenesmuzejs.lv
"Summer in Museum: Cultural Parking Space" is a cooperative leaaning initiative of Gulbene Municipality Museum of History and Art together with two NGOs - "tabureTE" and "Radošā apvienība "Piektā Māja"" ("The Creative Association "The Fifth House""). The initiative was organised in Summer, 2022, and consisted of series of learning activities provided in Vecgulbene Manor Park that surrounds the Gulbene Museum, as well as in the Red Palace and other places in Gulbene. There were several activities organised during the initiative:
- One day creative workshops, such as cianotype, scanography, linocut, traditional weaving, tapestry making, wood design and others in frames of the art festival "Divi Jūliji" ("Two Juliuses") at the Vecgulbene Manor Park;
- Regular educational activities at the Red Palace, such as creative writing class, screenprinting, performative art, discussions on democracy;
- Seminars led by professional artists: porcelain art seminar, linen printing seminar, wool dyeing in natural dyes, and tapestry weaving masterclass. Created art objects was exhibited at the Gulbene Museum exhibition halls all over the Summer 2022.
- Alternative garden project in the former greenhouse of the Vecgulbene Manor Oranjerie (at the museum building).
The main audience of the educational activities was local community - craftsmen, applied art masters, people interested in art and crafts in a hobby level, local youngsters, families and community leaders. The main objective of the initiative was to promote the Vecgulbene Manor Park and buildings as an open space for local community, as well as to respond to the needs of local people who are willing to acquire skills and knowledge in the field of crafts, applied art, innovative art pratcices etc.
Applied Art
Crafts
Belonging
Creative Learning
Cultural Parking
The sustainability can be understood and maintained in the contex or social (human), econimical and environmental aspects. The initiative "Summer in Museum: Cultural Parking Space" corresponds and goes in line with all the aspects.
In terms of the human aspect our objective was to:
- Bring local community together to meet their need for educational activities in the field of applied art, performative art and crafts
- Involve local NGOs in municipality`s social life, by creating learning programs together
In terms of environmental aspect our objective was to:
- Actualise the possibilities of alternative ways of gardening
- Connect to the nature by offering learning activities in the natural environment
In terms of economical aspect our objectives was to:
- Give opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge of participants in the different creative techniques, that can be replicated in their everyday life
Sustainability of the place has to enclose an aspect of changing. Changing the functions of former manor building, giving the space for local initiatives, complementing the usual activities, thus corresponding the needs of people in the everchanging life.
Firstly, aesthetics is provided by the environment of the activities. Gulbene is a typical rural town in Latvia overwhelmingly dominated by Soviet architecture. Vecgulbene Manor is a historical center of Gulbene represented by aesthetically pleasing architectural monuments enclosed by adjacent parks. This is an oasis helping to escape the classical block-house landscape. Secondly, beautiful were the subjects studied and art pieces created during the workshops and seminars. Participants developed their creativity and gained positive emotions through the learning process and socialising. It was a joy to create art pieces supported by professional artists and craftsman.
The event was inclusive, because part of the organisers were leaders form local community (representatives of NGOs), whose initiatives were supported by the local authority - Gulbene Museum. Leaders were supported from the municipal institution by giving them space for activities, creative a common learning program, involving them in the planning etc. The activities were available for all society member - they were accessible physically, as well as econimically. All the activities were for free and co-financed by national level projects and municipal funding. Activities mainly were organised on Saturdays or after working hours to make them accessible for working ones.
Important is an aspect of socialising - activities were the meeting points for people with common interests. Gulbene town is lacking the places where people can meet and learn in informal atmosphere. Activities served as an activator and matchmaker of local (and not only) people interested in crafts, art and applied art. "Summer in Museum" was a learning platform for two NGOs involved in the project. Youngsters from NGO "tabureTE" benefited also from the opportunity to develop their organisational skills. Amateur artists got an opportunity to learn in informal atmosphere without spending lots of money or going to distant cities. Gulbene Museum got a positive experience while cooperating with local NGOs. The activities were well attended and we are keen to continue such Summers also next years.
There were involved different stakeholders in designing and implementing the initiative mainly at local level:
- Gulbene Museum as a hosting organisation for the most part of activities, by providing the physical space, supporting with visibility and publicity, by attracting project financing and allocating the municipal budget; museun organised several one day workshops in Vecgulbene Manor Park - wood design, traditional weaving etc.
- NGO "tabureTE" that unites local youth activists. NGO provided different innovative art workshops for interested people, came up with an initiative to create an alternative garden in the former greenhouse, organised performative art workshops, creative writing workshops, screen printing workshop etc.
- NGO "Creative Association "The Fifth House""organised art seminars - porcelain decoration, textile printing, tapestry weaving, attracted proffesional educator; organised several one day workshops in Vecgulbene Manor Park - cianotype, block printing etc.; provided a space for theoretical lessons in Gulbene Art School.
Our activities were connected with such disciplines as:
- Applied art (textile design, porcelain decoration etc.)
- Innovative art techniques (cianotype, scanography, linocut etc.)
- Crafts (yarn dyeing, tapestry weaving, traditional weaving skills)
- Performative art performances for youngsters
- Creative writing
In the implementation were involved:
- Professional artists - leaders of seminars who shared their knowledge and skills
- Amateur artists from Gulbene District and around who studied the techniques and also had a possibility to socialise and share the knowledge. Several art pieces created by amateur artists were exposed together with professional artists in the Gulbene Museum buildings (textile exhibition "Chair and Apron", porcelain exhibition "Straume and Birds"). This was an opportunity for amateru artists to gain the first exhibition experience
- Local leaders who organised different activities - local youngsters who shared their knowledge of different innovative art techniques - performative art, linocut, screen printing, and arranged the alternative garden space
- Craftsmen who shared the knowledge and skills of traditional crafts - yarn dyeing, tapestry weaving, traditional Latgalian weaving
Usually when we think about learning the most common associations are made with classrooms, rooms, indoor, weel-equipped audories etc. But learning environments can be different, and innovative character of our initiative is connected with environment itself. Workshops were held in abandoned palace, former greenhouse, outdoor (park). The second element of innovations is connected with the co-working character. In our reality, it is not common that a society members are initiating activities like it was in our case. There were 2 NGOs involved - youth organisation "tabureTE" who offered the cooperation plan for the Summer, as well as "Creative Association "The Fifth House"" who were involved in the art workshop realization.
We consider that all of the elements could be transferred and replicated. The methodology and process is easy and flexible. It can take place in any realities. There are no huge investments. All the environments can be adapted to that kind of learning process - any outdoor territory, even a degraded one, any room or space. Of course, some of the activities requires investments of materials and reward to artists involved. If that kind of financial investments are not available, there can be used a resource of local people, knowledge sharing. In our case lots of activities happended on a voluntary base - local masters were keen to share the skills. There can be local project fundings attracted to ensure more professional approach and expertise.
The approcach combines a series of learning activities - workshops, seminars, masterclasses, and other activities. The basic learning approach is learning by doing. There can be a theoretical inputs, but the main emphasis is on the practical part. Participants right on the place are practicing concrete craft, art and applied art methods by themselves. A great award is the opportunity to create an aesthetic art piece that can be brought home. We are focusing on different learning environments - outdoors (park, former greenhouse), indoors (former Barn, the abandoned Red Palace, Art School).
None of those activities are academicaly and formally recognised. Cooperation, interest and initiative is the main recognition and guidance of our work.
There are several global challanges that we can highlight by applying our local solutions. The first visible one is connected with depopulation of rural areas that leads to decreased facilities for local community. Gulbene town is a lucid example of this process. Over the last 20 years, Gulbene has experienced a sharp decrease in the number of inhabitants (from 9536 (2000) to 6867 (2022)). It leads to limited socialisation and educational activities - the accumulation is too weak to maintain that kind of activities. Global temptations (urban allurement, learning or work opportunities) has increaed the youth outflow the most.
In the same time our target audiences are facing a geographical obstacles. Gulbene town is located 200km from the capital city Riga. The economical conditions and mobility options decrease the opportunities for a local community. Learning requires huge time and money investments and is connected with a permamnet mobility. Creative learning offers in their habitat is a great gift our people can receive, increases their well-being, socialising and economical potential.
There can be added a need for a changes in the educational process and approaches in general. We are fighting against the outdating methods in education providing alternative solutions.
The learning approach of the initiative will be implemented in 2023 and 2024. Sympathy of the local community is a reason to continue activities started. There is a plan to provide similar activities during the art festival "Divi Jūliji" that will take place in the Vecgulbene Manor on 2023 and 2024. There is a detailed plan attached in the section below (in Latvian). Summing up, the learning activities will consist of short-term workshops such as doll making, innovative art methods, traditional Latvian crafts and more in the Vecgulbene Manor Park, as well as long-term seminars organised by the NGO "The Creative Association "The Fifth House"" - mosaic seminar (leaded by an artist from Spain - Linda Riņķe), porcelain seminar (leaded by a professional Latvian artist Marika Busote-Uzuliņa), traditional Latgalian weaving masterclass (leaded by the local folk art NGO "Sagša" masters).
Long-term seminars will be attended by at least 50 participants, short-term workshops - at least 250. The target audience is local community and neighbor municipalties - people of a distant rural areas lacking the opportunities if a quality creative learning facilities and a space for socialising.
