2025 Wykłady, spotkania, film, debaty

DemArt Conference in Riga

Date	22.02.2025
Venue	Latvian Academy of Culture “Gara māja”, 58a Miera Street, Riga

The Art Transparent team – consisting of Karolina Bieniek, Michał Bieniek, and Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz – along with artistic commissioners Arleta Gosławska and Małgorzata Tutko, took part in the international conference “How Can Your Community Commission Art? Principles of Democracy in Art Funding, Commissioning, and Community Engagement”, which took place on February 22, 2025, at the Latvian Academy of Culture in Riga.

The conference in Riga marked the conclusion of a two-year project under the Creative Europe programme titled “Democratising Art Commissioning by Involving Local Communities” (DemArt), implemented by Bethlen Theater / Pro Progressione (Hungary), Art Transparent (Poland), and the New Theatre Institute of Latvia. The project’s goal was to democratize art funding and commissioning practices. The event was organized in cooperation with the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia, and the Latvian Academy of Culture.

During the conference, project participants presented the newly developed Open Art Methodology Toolbox – a tool designed to support local governments and cultural organizations in more effectively engaging communities in the art commissioning process. The event brought together local art coordinators from Latvia, Poland, and Hungary, who had been testing this innovative methodology over the past two years, as well as researchers and representatives of institutions supporting their work.

The conference was opened by external expert Dr. Daniel Valtueña (Director of the Arts & Culture Lab, IE University) with a keynote lecture titled “Your Neighbors Are Also Artists: Takeaways after Two Community Art Commissioning Experiences in the US and Europe.” Researchers from the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology gave presentations on community-building, inclusive cultural offers, and socially engaged art.

The event also featured panel discussions and roundtable sessions focused on regional cooperation and community engagement, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions to experts and practitioners. The conference was open to local government representatives, policymakers, cultural organizations, active community members, and all interested individuals.

Discover the project outcomes →

Programme

10:30 Open doors

11:00 Welcome words by Community Art Commissioners (IICCA)

11:15 Your Neighbors are also Artists: Takeaways after Two Community Art Commissioning Experiences in the US and Europe – keynote by Daniel Valtueña (Arts & Culture Lab Director, IE University) and presentation of the newly created DemArt Methodology Toolbox

12:00 How You Can Commission Art: Arts Commissioners and Artists Take the Word – public discussion followed by Q & A Participants: expert Daniel Valtueña, community art commissioners Arleta Goslawska, Małgorzata Tutko, Vendija Bakanauskaite, Ieva Štro, Dominika Gergő, Juda Jelinek, Dorottya Ács, artist Jurģis Spulenieks, artistic advisor Márton Csuzi, moderator Santa Remere

13:00 Coffee break

13:30 What an Artist Can Do for Community Building, perspective by artist and researcher Kaspars Lielgalvis (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia)

14:00 Socially Engaged Art as a Resource for Democracy: Sociological Observations with Young Artists in Latvia – a short presentation by researcher, associate prof. Liene Ozoliņa (Latvian Academy of Culture)

14:15 Building an Inclusive Cultural Offer: Balancing Policy Perspectives and Community Needs – presentation by researcher, associate prof. Agnese Hermane (Latvian Academy of Culture)

14:30 Building Bridges: Cultural Needs and Community Power in Central-Eastern Europe – perspectives from László Váczi (HU), Márton Csuzi (HU), Karolina Bieniek (PL), Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz (PL), and Santa Remere (LV)

PAUSE

16:00 Coffee and Round Table Conversations: Cards on the Table. Everyone is welcome to ask any question to major cultural event organizers, representatives of municipal cultural departments, art commissioners, artists and community representatives. Open sharing in groups about experiences, intentions and desires regarding collaboration between communities and contemporary art projects

17:30 Wrap up and goodbye words

This project is led by partner organizations Bethlen Square Theater – Central European Art Network, Pro Progressione, Art Transparent, and the New Theatre Institute of Latvia. Project “Democratising art commissioning by involving local communities” (DemArt) co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The conference is organised in cooperation with the state research programme “Development of a cohesive and civically active society” project “Vectors of societal cohesion: from cohesion around the nation-state (2012–2018) to a cohesive civic community for the security of the state, society and individuals (2024–2025)” (VPP-KM-SPASA-2023/1-0002), implemented by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia. The aim of the cooperation is to promote social cohesion by developing approaches to the democratisation of art.

Report by Arleta Gosławska, Artistic Commissioner

During our stay in Latvia, we had the opportunity to personally meet the artist Jurģis Suplenieks, who created a sound guide in the town of Kuldīga, inspired by the façades of historic buildings and the stories of the town’s residents. The project, “Upside Down Kuldīga,” revealed the hidden tales of various places through a series of audio narratives. Locals recall that a former establishment known as the “Loaf of Bread” is now a bar, the “Talsu Meat Shop” has been transformed into a furniture store, and the Cultural Centre now occupies a former supermarket. Enriched with humorous elements, the guide presents the history of Kuldīga in an engaging way, further strengthening the already close-knit community.

We also participated in the final conference of the DemArt project. During the event, we discussed the methodology for democratizing the financing and commissioning of artistic works in local municipalities and cultural organizations. We explored ways to empower communities to support their own cultural needs. We presented the outcomes of our months of work, detailing the process we went through and its final results. We shared stories about the cities and districts involved in the project, introduced the artists and their works, and discussed the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and suggestions for future improvements. The conference served as a summary of two years of intensive work, inspiring participants to undertake similar initiatives.

Konsorcjum

Discover the project outcomes →

Programme

Report by Arleta Gosławska, Artistic Commissioner

June Art Break!