The Ministry of Culture has launched a new financing model, which provides for the financing of private, state-accredited museums of its choice to be placed in the hands of the State Culture Capital Foundation (VKKF). With one important nuance – it predicts that these museums will have to participate in the “hunger games”. The best-written project will determine which museum will continue the work of Imants Ziedonis, warns Rūta Šmite, the head of the Ziedonis Museum.
“This autumn, Imants Ziedonis Museum “House of Muses” in Murjāņi is undergoing repairs – the replacement of the reed roof that has served its time. This is possible with the funds donated by the public and businesses. Meanwhile, at the end of the record high number of visits to the Ziedonis Museum this season, the Ministry of Culture made an unexpected decision without prior notice – to selectively exclude the Ziedonis Museum and three more private, state-accredited museums from the annual state funding. The offer of the Ministry of Culture – to put the joint budget of all these museums at the disposal of the State Culture Fund, with the permission to organize a project competition, as a result of which (read – in the case of a successfully written project) museums will each year receive financing covering the main activities,” explains Šmite.
“This means only one thing – a regular battle between museums, which will take away resources not only for creativity and development, but also for each other. Apart from the damage to the creative sector, such financial redistribution will also mean undesirable competition among organizations that are friendly to each other, cooperative and have a unified public education function. Among other things, questions arise about the criteria set by the VKKF, because the functions of these museums are diametrically opposite, the types of activities are different, but contemporary, compared to the overall offer of Latvian museums. Due to its often innovative nature, the Ziedonis Museum has not always earned the recognition of the jury of the VKKF project competitions. During the ten years of the museum’s experience, the VKKF has rejected almost 40 projects, indicating that they are “not relevant”. Despite the judgments of the competent jury, the “off-peak” projects submitted have received museum and public vote awards and nominations nine times,” said Šmite.
“We can be pleased that after more than a decade of struggle, the Ministry of Culture is ready to take action and allocate funding to all the private accredited museums that really deserve it. However, the way this is happening at the moment does not indicate a thoughtful and systemic course of action. Ministry of Culture announcement shortly before the end of the year about the withdrawal of funding of private accredited museums and future procedures, which provides for a change from the state basic budget to the tender procedure at the State Social Insurance Fund, is incomplete, hasty and degrading the museum environment, in fact putting every museum in front of an impassable one – will the museum work next year or will it have to be closed,” said the head of Ziedonis Museum.
In the case of the new funding model, the main function of museums will be to survive, not to fulfil the most important task – educate the public.
In the case of Ziedonis – to tell about everything that Imants Ziedonis has done in his lifetime: epiphanies, poetry, journalism, a group for the liberation of noble trees, film scenarios, theatrical performances, updating folk songs, promoting self-education, the research of Rainis’ works, the highlighting done by Krišjānis Barons and Krišjānis Valdemars – in fact – the transfer of the sum of life and intellect of several generations of Latvians to future generations. Because they will shape the future of Latvia. Because they will shape the future of Latvia. At present, judging by the application of the ill-considered reform, the Ministry of Culture has no place for these values in the future of Latvia.
The Ziedonis Museum was founded in 2015 as a result of cooperation between Imants Ziedonis himself and the “Viegli” Foundation, which he inspired. Over the course of nine years, it has received several national awards for the work of the museum and this year, for the third time, it has won the title of the winner of the Annual Award from the Latvian Museum Society.