The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA) has announced Open Call for applications for the annual LCCA Summer School. This year it is entitled “Care of Earth, Care of People” and will focus on issues that address the changes needed in different systems to promote inclusion and sustainability in the broadest context. The Summer School will take place in Smiltene from 4 to 11 August, and the applications are welcome until 25 June.
This year the Summer School programme is focused on inclusive and sustainable contemporary culture and environment, thinking of them as interconnected and mutually supportive. It will cover topics such as the impact of climate change in our lives, social and environmental justice and responsibility, eco-friendly lifestyles and conservation of natural resources, methods for mental health and well-being and socially engaged artistic practices, and it will offer interdisciplinary perspectives and approaches on how to think about them.
The participants will have the opportunity to explore and discuss current approaches to reducing ecological footprints, conserving natural resources, sustainable practices and their promotion in different sectors, the interlinkages between environmental sustainability and social inclusion, ensuring equal access to resources and opportunities for all people, regardless of their background or abilities. Participants will also discuss inclusive institution-building practices, systemic change and the promotion of diversity and inclusion in different contexts, among them education, governance and public services, as well as the link between mental health and environmental sustainability. The Summer School is open to early career artists, art historians, humanities and social science scholars, curators and cultural studies researchers. MA and PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply.
The event will take place in Smiltene, a town in the Vidzeme region in northern Latvia, combining lectures, workshops, guided tours, discussions and creative practices aimed at fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. Speakers holding workshops and lectures are environmental researcher Jānis Brizga, curator and researcher Krzysztof Candrowicz, social anthropologist Agita Lūse, architect and urbanist Līva Kreislere, artists Stanislav Turina & Katya Libkind, researcher in climate politics and populism Baiba Witajewska-Baltvilka and others. The curators of the Summer School programme are Ieva Astahovska and Elza Medne.
The LCCA Summer School is organised in collaboration with Smiltene Municipality, the Art Academy of Latvia and ISSP, a platform for contemporary photography, art and education. The Summer School is part of the project “Islands of Kinship: A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions”, supported by the Creative Europe Programme.
Participation in the Summer School is free of charge; however, participants must cover partial accommodation and catering costs of 100 EUR. To apply, please fill out the application form and enclosing a motivation letter: https://forms.gle/bmvbdmt9GSYkferX9
Application deadline: 25 June 2023. The LCCA team will respond to applicants by 29 June.
For any questions regarding application, please contact Mārīte Lempa: marite@lcca.lv
