11
ART ACADEMY OF LATVIA
SELF-ASSESSMENT
APRIL, 2001.
Strategical principles in the development of education
For the near future the Academy will be focusing on providing education, namely:
- On the creation of the study pattern that ensures universal rights to study art, design and art theory.
- On the elaboration of the educational standards in the field of arts, involving the secondary and the tertiary level educational establishments of arts and related spheres in the process.
- On the development of individually oriented research study programmes.
- On the development of IT study courses.
- On the implementation of classical method study programme for the basic courses in the art studies.
- On ensuring the transformation of the acquired education into artistic creation and scientific research.
- On the introduction of theoretical projects into the practical disciplines of art and design.
- Consolidation and development of the international cooperation programmes.
- On setting up the Association of art educational establishments with a mutually coordinated multigrade system of education.
The tasks of the Art Academy:
- To train highly qualified specialists for professional activities in art, design and art science.
- To educate art scholars.
- To motivate students for the independent creative work.
- To preserve and give theoretical basis to the academic traditions in art education.
- To train highly qualified specialists for local and European labour market.
- To keep up spiritual values as basic ones for existence of art.
The place and tasks of the Art Academy in the higher educational system of Latvia.
Art Academy is the only higher educational establishment in Latvia to provide a complete course of studies in arts - Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate study programms, ensuring appropriate academic knowledge and necessary skills for professional career in the corresponding field of art.
The Art Academy is a higher educational establishment which represents branch of “Art science, Art” and the tasks are:
- The role of the Academy (the original and present) is to create prerequisites for the development of art and art theory preserving high professional and research requirement standards.
- The Academy caters for the conditions of studies that would encourage the students to devote themselves to independent creative work and research.
- At the same time the Academy is the centre of research information, as it accumulates and systematizes the materials on national art and provides an opportunity to do thorough research within Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate study programmes.
- To guarantee conditions for obtaining higher education on the basis of secondary education and advanced studies for the graduates of the art schools.
The average number of students at the Academy for the study year 2000./2001 is 585.
History and the main stages of development.
1. August 20, 1919.
The foundation of the Art Academy of Latvia de jure.
2. 1921 – 1945
February 1, 1921.
Establishing of the Academic Board.
October 12, 1921.
The opening ceremony of the Academy and the beginning of study process.
The pattern for the structure of the Academy is a combination of two models of Russian Higher Art institutions ( Art Academy in St. Petersburg and Stiglitz’s School of Technical Drawing ) – the general classes were divided into four years and 7 master-studios ( meistardarbnīca ) were established. The total duration of studies was 6 years.
Master-studios.
- Since 1921: Figural Painting, Landscape Painting, Decorative Painting, Graphic Art, Sculpture.
- Since 1922: ( in addition to existing ones ) Applied Sculpture.
- Since 1924: ( in addition to existing ones ) Ceramics.
1924. The Constitution of the Art Academy of Latvia was ratified by the Saeima Parliament of Latvia.
3. 1945 – 1991.
The adoption of the centralized programms, reglamentation and supervision of the Soviet Union. According to the Soviet Union’s model the study period is fixed at 6 years.
Since 1945 the Department of the Art History provides theoretical study courses.
1948 – 1950.
The Master-studios were gradually eliminated. The ideologically motivated “cleaning” and “struggle against the formalists” was carried out. The content of study programmes became ideologized and socialist realism was announced as the main-stream style of art.
The department of Ceramics was renamed Applied Decorative Art Department and in 1963 the speciality of Glasswork was added to it.
In 1959 the external department of Art History and Theory was established and the full-time department - in 1970.
In 1961 three new departments were established, those of: Textile Art, Interior and Furnishing, Metal Art.
In 1961 the Information Centre was established at the Art Academy.
In 1962 the external Department of Pedagogy was.
In 1964 the Department of Industrial Art was established on the basis of Metal Art department.
In 1973 two Master studio’s were revived – Monumental Painting and Easel-Painting.
4. 1991 – 1995.
In the period of early 90s Art Academy started the process of reconstruction of it’s programs but preserving the basic principles of planning and structure of the studies.
On 1991 politically oriented courses such as History of Communist Party, Science of Communism, etc. were replaced to the general programme of History of Culture courses.
June 18, 1992. The second Constitution of the Art Academy was ratified and the autonomous status and democratic type of governing were revived..
On 1992 the basic preconditions were made for the computer studio with an assistance from Hochschule fur Kunst Bremen.
The first steps were taken to divide the study programmes in general part and special part.
The names of the specialities were changed and new specialities were added on the basis of the old ones: Stage Design, Restoration ( from Painting ), Graphic Design, Metal Design, Functional Design ( from Industrial Art ), Fashion Design ( from Textile Art ), Community Art ( from Interior and Furnishing ).
In 1995 the standard principles of the Bachelor of Arts programme were worked out.
5. 1995 – 2001.
The reforms according to the Law on Higher Educational Establishments (LHEE).
November 15, 1995. The LHEE was ratified.
In 1998 the structure of the four study lines, those of Visual-plastic Arts, Design, Theory of Art and Culture, Academic Arts were confirmed by the Ministry of Science and Education.
April, 1998. The first election of the professorship was made in accordance with LHEE. The coefficient of the costs of educational branches were confirmed and the Art Academy becames an university type of higher educational establishment.
January 20. 1999. The third Constitution of the Art Academy was ratified.
Commission by the State.
The current state budget subsidies provide for the matriculation of 71 applicants into the bachelor’s program every year. This amount is nearly optimal, however, an increase of 4% is needed to make up for the number of students who fail to complete the study course.
Demands of labour market.
Coordinating the contents of study programs with the demands of labour market, the Academy:
- regularly involves representatives from the professional art and design organizations in the assessment of the study works.
- promotes students’ exhibition activities in art galleries, exhibition halls or international cultural events.
- facilitates the inclusion of IT in the curriculum.
- takes part in working out professional qualification standards and profession standards.
Entrance examinations.
To start the bachelor’s program in art, design and art theory specialities the applicants have to take entrance exams.
Art Academy has no other entry restrictions than those provided for by the legislation and regulations of the Republic of Latvia. In accordance with the Law on Higher Educational Establishments, clause 46, in addition to the general procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Academy announces its specific terms for entrance examinations every year.
The results of competitive entrance examinations in 2000 (2.8. applicants to a place subsidized from the state budget) corresponded to the proportion of the annual art college leavers to the number of study places at the Academy: 170 college leavers to 71 study places.
The average competition is: 4 applicants to 1 study place subsidized from the state budget. In 2000 the entrance competition was not keen, which could be accounted for by the fact that in 2000 in one of the major Riga art colleges the pupils did not finish school.
The analysis of the entrance results show that real competition is 2 applicants to 1 place subsidized from the state budget.
Investment projects.
Every year from 1998 the Academy works out and submits investment projects for capital construction and informatics in accordance with the state determined order.
The investment project for capital construction envisages the renovation of the Academy’s building in Riga, 13 Kalpaka blv. (the state cultural monument) and creation of modern art studios. The project with the necessary alterations was updated in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
The informatics project is shared by the Latvian Music Academy and it envisages setting up of the data bases for the written and visual information gathered by the Art Academy. This project with the alterations was updated in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
International cooperation.
Bilaterae agreements of the SOCRATES programme.
Art Academy has signed bilateral co-operation agreements with the following art institutions:
1) Utrecht School of the Arts (Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, NL UTRECHT 29)
2) Manchester METRPOLITAN UNIVERSITY (Faculty of Fine Arts)
3) Hochschule der Künste Berlin
4) EVITech INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND DESIGN (SF Helsinki)
5) KENT INSTITUTE OF ART & DESIGN
6) Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (E CIUDAR 01)
7) UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO (P PORTO 02)
8) Akademie der bildenden Künste München
9) UNIVERSITY OF ART & DESIGN HELSINKI (UIAH)
10) ECOLE SUPERIEURE D'ARTS DE LORIENT
Participation in the european projects of modernization.
As a contractor ( responsible person from the Art Academy prof. Aleksejs Naumovs – contract Nr: UM_JEP-13315-98) on the informatization of the Academy’s library. The project involves the following institutions:
1) Academy of Music of Latvia - as a coordinator;
2) Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht – as a partner instiution;
3) 3) Sibelius Academy of Music Helsinki - as a partner instiution.
The Academy’s students and teachers also participate regularly in the regional project system - scholarships and grants financed by the Council of Ministers of the Nordic states.
Since 1991 the Academy has been a member school of the European League of Institutions of the Arts (ELIA).
The Association of Art Higher schools
The Association of Latvian Art Higher schools was established in 1991 and it comprises 3 higher schools: Art Academy of Latvia, Latvian Academy of Culture and Latvian Music Academy. All three higher schools are state institutions under the supervision of the Latvian Ministry of Culture.
The purpose of establishing the Association was to work out the common cultural policy and regulations of the study work, to make a rational use of the common resources and to create joint projects.
The results of the activities by the Association: the standards for the Bachelor of Arts in the Republic of Latvia are elaborated, joint investment projects are submitted, TEMPUS projects for the computerization of libraries are carried out and a part of the newspaper “Izglītība un kultūra” is financed together.
Structure and academic personnel.
Structure
Art Academy is an autonomous educational establishment entitled to work out its constitution and to decide on the following:
1. Content and forms of studies.
2. The content and line of research.
3. Management, organizational structure and hire personnel.
Art Academy is entitled:
1. To confer professional qualifications, academic and scientific degrees.
2. To co-operate independently with educational establishments, art institutions, firms and private persons abroad.
Management ( See apendix... )
1. Constitutional Board – highest collegiate representative and management institution with the rights to make decisions.
2. Senate – collegiate institution of personnel management with the rights to make decisions that approves the order and regulations in all spheres of the Academy activities and supervises study process.
3. Advisory Board. Consults the Senate and rector on the questions of high school strategy.
4. Rector. Elected by the Constitutional Board for 5 years but not more than two times successively. The rector forms the Academy management which consists of vice-rectors, deans and representatives of administrative units.
5. Auditory commision.
6. Court of Arbitration.
7. Administrative Commission.
8. Study Board.
The existing structure of the Academy comprises of: departments ( line of studies ), master studios, workshops, speciality departments, laboratories.
Academic personnel.
Academic personnel carries out the training of education process and supervision of the study research in the field of art, design and theory of arts and culture.
The right and responsibilities of the personnel are:
1. Promote study and research work .
2. Participate in the management and self-management activities.
Academic personnel is responsible to the head of respective academic or administrative unit. The teaching load and tasks of educational training process and supervision of scientific research, artistic creation and development of quality of the corresponding branch are determined by existing normative documents, regulations on academic staff and load normative document approved by the Senate.
The tasks of the academic personnel are the following:
1. To supervise study process – to teach, to consult, to examine, to review.
2. To work out course programs.]
3. To participate in the process of artistic creation and scientific research.
4. To promote the co-operation between studies and labour market.
5. To ensure the continuity of professional experience and create liberal conditions for creative self-expression.
6. Self-development in the field of artistic creation and scientific research.
The academic personnel currently consists of :
1. Professors 17 staff members.
2. Associate professors 17 staff members
3. Docents 15,5 staff members
4. Lecturers 43 staff members
5. Assistants 5 staff members.
The election procedure of the academic personnel proceeds accordingly to the regulations approved by the Senate.
Planning of the studies.
The study year at the Art Academy of Latvia starts on September 1 and ends on June 30. The number of study weeks – 40 weeks in an academic year corresponds to the regulations of the state.