A Project of the Global Society for Latvian Art

The mission of the Global Society for Latvian Art is to preserve works of art created by artists who were exiled from Latvia as a result of the Second World War, as well as other artists of Latvian descent, and to encourage global communication among people interested in Latvian art and culture, through the establishment of a center for Latvian diaspora art dedicated to collecting, studying, exhibiting and preserving such art for future generations.

Vision: A center will be established in Latvia to study and preserve for future generations a collection of art created by Latvian artists who were exiled from the country during the 20th century Soviet occupation. This collection will represent Latvian artists from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Sweden, South America, Europe, Russia, and wherever else such artists lived and worked in exile. The collection will be created through donations from artists, their families, organizations and private collectors, subject to guidelines developed by the organization. The center will be funded by earned and contributed income, attracting local visitors, tourists, artists and scholars. The center will present constantly changing exhibits from its permanent collection, invitational shows, and the work of non-exile artists from Latvia, in order to explore various curatorial themes and to contribute to the artistic education of the public. It will have partnerships with other cultural organizations, schools and international groups, and will strive to provide educational opportunities for children, families, and the general public. The organization will also preserve written and other materials pertaining to the collection and to the historical period it represents. This project will help to elucidate and preserve an important part of Latvian art history and encourage the unification of Latvian artists throughout the world.

Global Society Meets in New York – Jury Selects “Diaspora Art Returns” Exhibition

On January 12, a jury of five (Lelde Kalmite, Guna Mundheim, Arija  Pakere, Juris Ubans and Vija Zuntaks-Berzina) selected over 100 works for the up-coming exhibition of Latvian Diaspora art, representing artists from the United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. The exhibition will present contemporary art created by artists of Latvian descent living outside the homeland as a result of the Latvian Diaspora following the Second World War.

In collaboration with the Valmiera Regional Museum in Valmiera, Latvia, the exhibition will travel to regional museums throughout Latvia during the next 2-3 years, offering inhabitants of the country an opportunity to view a diverse collection of two- and three-dimensional work representing a range of styles and media that characterize contemporary art practice. The opening reception on August 8, 2008 in Valmiera, will take place in conjunction with that city’s 725th anniversary festivities.

At its Long Island, NY meeting, the Global Society’s Board of Directors welcomed three guests from the Valmiera museum – Iveta Bluma, director, Guna Medne, head of exhibitions and public relations, and Arija Pakere, artist, teacher and exhibition installer. Director Bluma presented a copy of an official December 2007 proclamation by Valmiera’s City Council and Mayor Inesis Bokis, expressing unanimous support for the establishment in Valmiera of a world center for Latvian Diaspora art. The future home of the Center is envisioned directly adjacent the museum, within a cultural complex that features historic Valmiera buildings as well as the site of an on-going archeological excavation of the 13th-century Valmiera castle ruins. The Center will serve as a research facility and open archive for Latvian Diaspora art, while the Valmiera museum will offer regular opportunities for exhibitions of work created by Latvian Diaspora artists.

During their week-long visit, Valmiera museum representatives visited many New York museums and galleries to obtain an overview of contemporary American art. On Sunday, January 13, at a private Manhattan reception, they were introduced to some of New York’s artists and supporters of Latvian art, including Latvian Ambassador to the United Nations, Solveiga Silkalns, and Honorary Consul Daris Gunars Delins of the Consulate of Latvia in New York.

Pasaules latviešu mākslas savienības sēde Ņujorkā

Pasaules Latviešu  mākslas savienību dibināja 2003. gadā, ar mērki saglabāt latviešu diasporas mākslinieku darbus un veicināt sakarus starp cilvēkiem kurus interesē latviešu  māksla un kultūra, izveidojot Latvijā diasporas mākslas centru kurā varēs savākt latviešu mākslas darbus no ārpus Latvijas un tos saglabāt nākamajām paaudzēm.

Kopš 2006. gada, savienība sadarbojas ar Valmieras novadpētniecības muzeju, plānojot lielu ceļojošu mūsdienu diasporas mākslas izstādi, kuru atklās Valmierā 2008. g. 8. augustā, saskaņā ar Valmieras 725 g. jubilejas svinībām. Izstāde ceļos 2-3 gadus par Latvijas novada muzejiem (un Rīgā), iepazīstinot Latvijas iedzīvotājus ar mūsdienu latviešu mākslu ārpus Latvijas.

12. janvārī Ņujorkas draudzes Salas Baznīcas telpās notika Pasaules latviešu mākslas savienības sēde. Sēdē piedalījās savienības valdes locekļi: prezidente Lelde Kalmīte (Chicago, IL), vice-prezidents Juris Ubāns (Portland, ME), un sekretāre Vija Zuntaka-Bērziņa (Long Island, NY); iztrūka valdes locekļi Valdis Muižnieks (Kalamazoo, MI) un Ilze Konstante (Rīga, Latvija). Sēdē pieņēma trīs jaunus valdes locekļus: Guna Mundheim (New York, NY), Dagnija Zariņa-Greste (New South Wales, Australia) un Ēriks Dzenis (Toronto, Canada). 

Sēdē piedalījās viešņas no Valmieras novadpētniecibas muzeja:  Iveta Blūma, muzeja direktore, Guna Medne, izstāžu un reklāmas nodaļas vaditāja, un Ārija  Pakere, māksliniece, izstāžu iekārtotāja. Muzeja pārstāves no Valmieras ceļoja uz Ņujorku Valmieras pašvaldības komandējumā, lai piedalītos sarunās un mākslas darbu žūrešanā.

Valmieras muzeja direktore Iveta Blūma pasniedza savienībai Valmieras Pilsētas Pašvaldības Domes Sēdes Protokola izrakstu, “Par Pasaules Latviešu  mākslas centra izveidi Valmierā”, kurā Valmieras pilsētas pašvaldības dome un domes priekšsēdētājs Inesis Boķis, vienbalsīgi “nolemj konceptuāli atbalstīt Pasaules Latviešu mākslas centra izveidi Valmierā”.

Sēdē notika žūrēšana ceļojošai izstādei (žūrijas sastāvs: Bērziņa, Kalmīte, Mundheim, Pakere, un Ubāns). Žūrija pārskatīja apmēram 300 iesniegtus mākslas darbus, attēlu veidā, no kuriem tika pieņemti apmēram simts darbu izstādei. 63 mākslinieki ir no ASV, 11 no Kanadas, 15 no Austrālijas, kā arī daži no Vācijas, Anglijas un Latvijas.

Pasaules latviešu mākslas savienība ir saņēmusi finansiālu atbalstu no vairākām diasporas latviešu organizācijām: PBLA Kultūras Fonds, ALA Kultūras Fonds, ALMA (Amerikas latviešu mākslinieku apvienība), un Ņujorkas Mākslinieku Grupa. Decembrī tika paziņots ka ir piešķirts atbalsts no Latvijas Īpašu uzdevumu ministra sabiedrības integrācijas lietās (IUMSIL) sekretariāta, ceļojošās izstādes sūtīšanas un kataloga sagatavošanas izdevumiem. Ir arī saņemti privāti ziedojumi. Ziedojumus var sutīt uz vārdu “Global Society for Latvian Art”, kas ir ASV inkorporēta bezpeļņas organizācija ar 501c3 statusu (skatot adresi Savienības mājas lapā tīmeklī: www.latvianart.org).

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