26/07/2026
🚌 Baltic Museology School 2026 | Study Visit Day
On 23 July, the Baltic Museology School 2026 programme took participants on a study visit across Kurzeme. Over the 22 years of the School's history, study visits have become an important part of the week. They offer an opportunity to step outside the classroom setting, encounter different practices in context, and, not least, provide valuable space for conversations and connections among participants.
◆ As always, however, the visits were guided by specific learning objectives. Reflecting this year's theme, participants were invited to approach each visit through four questions:
OBSERVE – What do I actually see happening?
QUESTION – What assumptions or power relations underpin this practice?
CONNECT – What does this reveal about the relationship between museum, place and community?
TRANSFER – What could I learn from this for my own practice?
◆ Our first destination was Aizpute Local History Museum (Aizputes novadpētniecības muzejs), where director Jolanta Berga and her colleagues introduced us to the museum's work with local communities, its educational programmes, and its role in the cultural life of the town. The visit offered many examples of how museums can combine heritage preservation, learning, creativity and everyday community engagement.
◆ The next stop in Aizpute was Interdisciplinary Art group SERDE (SERDE) where Signe Pucena and her team shared the organisation's work at the intersection of field research, artistic practice, traditional skills, experimentation and community involvement. The visit highlighted another way in which cultural heritage can be explored, documented and activated through collaboration and participation.
◆ The study visit continued at Kuldīga District Museum (Kuldīgas novada muzejs). Together with museum educator Baiba Vētrāja, we explored both the museum's permanent exhibitions and the collection exhibition "Preserved. Kuldīga District Museum 1935–2025", created for the museum's 90th anniversary. Particular attention was given to the exhibition's future-oriented section developed with children, which invites young people not only to visit the museum but also to contribute their own ideas, stories and visions of what a museum can be.
◆ At the museum's Open Collection exhibition A Journey Through the Museum Collection, Krists Zeidlers introduced participants to Kuldīga Museum's efforts to make a larger part of its collections accessible to the public. The visit sparked discussions about visibility, access and the many ways museums can share collections beyond traditional exhibition formats. It also highlighted the role of museum professionals as makers, problem-solvers and interpreters, showing how practical solutions, professional expertise and curatorial thinking are woven into the exhibition itself.
◆ During our time in Kuldīga, BMS alumna Krista Jansone guided participants through the town, helping us explore some of the stories, places and traditions that contribute to its unique atmosphere. The walk invited reflections on the many elements that shape a living heritage city – from cultural heritage and restoration practices to community involvement and everyday ways of life. While heavy rain prevented us from visiting every site we had planned to see, Kuldīga nevertheless left a lasting impression on the group and, we suspect, inspired many participants to return.
📷 Jana Šakare
