Exhibition The Community Project is open from 30 June to 20 August in Rucka Manor,
Cesis. The exhibition can be visited Thursday to Sunday from 12.00 to 19.00. Entry to
the exhibition is free of charge.

The exhibition consists of collaborations between six interdisciplinary artists and adolescents, seniors, people with visual impairment and people with functional and mental impairments. The works of art were created not only by artists, but also more than 100 community members. Through these works, the presentations provides an opportunity to get to know the everyday life, dreams and desires of six different communities in Cesis. The form and content of the works was decided by the members of the communities. The artists were involved in the creation of the works either as mentors who stood beside the community during the creative process or as leaders of community workshops.

In community projects, art in the most literal sense is a bridge between the society and the individual, since it allows the viewer to approach less visible social groups. At the same time, these projects allow members of the community to determine the nature and form of the narrative as well as to keep their distance or even anonymity, if necessary. These projects allow the viewer to delicately peek into the lives of people living right next to us and for the artists to embody those lives in the forms these people have chosen to express and present themselves.

“At the moment, we see community art as one of the most meaningful artistic practices, since it not only tells about the lives, desires and challenges of different social groups, but also ensures a link between the public and the art and culture scene. Everyone wins in the creation of community art, since it is based on cooperation. In this process community members, with the mediation of art and culture, are able to work with and find a representation for burning questions and vexing problems, be part of the broader artistic and cultural life and spend quality time. Typically, this process involves the participation of artists and mediators who provide the community with the necessary support and tools to carry out their designs and guide the brainstorming and realization of ideas. Produced by Rucka Art Foundation, The Community Project presents portraits of contemporary society in the language of art. These are not only works of art, but also powerful stories about the society in which we live”, comment curators Oskars Goba and Līga Lindenbauma on the significance of the community project.

The Community Project is curated by Oskars Goba and Līga Lindenbauma and realised by artists Aleksejs Beļeckis, Alberto Di Gennaro, Henrijs Laķis, Liene Mackus, Vivianna Maria Stanislavska, Rvīns Varde and the communities. Altogether, the project involved more than a 100 participants from both the art and community scenes. The event is supported by the Society Integration Foundation from Latvian State Budget funding allocated by the Ministry of Culture, Vidzeme Planning Region with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation and the Cesis Municipality.