Baltic russian institute

Short description of the practical work

“Active” practice consists of 5 levels. Taking into consideration the specific character of the field of activity, active practice is not tied to the strict calendar schedule. The students are involved in the practice depending on the concrete projects or events, what’s more the students have a chance to participate in several projects.

The report on every “active” practice level is to be formed as the portfolio. Starting with the 2^nd study year the students give reports about the practice stage they’d been through and the portfolio filling. An individual portfolio about the total scope of practice is to be given to the faculty governing body not later than 1 week before the bachelor paper defence.
During the practice the students have a chance to confirm their knowledge and complete professional skills, and to gather material for the development of the bachelor paper.

First active practice- observation practice- 1^st year II semester, continues 1 week or 40 working hours.

The students’ skills of analyzing elements of the city’s artistic environment (architectural styles, park ensembles, city sculpture, etc) are improved, as well as the students have a chance to get to know the principles of organizing museum and exhibition expozitions, main problems of the preservation of historical architecture and memorial ensembles. Practice includes both individual and group work, as well as tours outside Latvia’s borders.

Second active practice- gallery practice- 2^nd year III and IV semester, continues 2 weeks or 80 working hours.

Practice is held in different Riga galleries. The students get to know the gallery curator’s duties, develop skills in cooperation with artists and visitors. A compulsory element of the practice is the organization of an art expozition in the students’ art gallery “BRIART”.

When organizing an exhibition, the students follow every stage of the project (conversation with an artist, selection of the pieces of art, development and location of an expozition, preparation of brochures andmaterials, work with audience and press, prezentation of an exhibition, analysis of the audience’s evaluation).

Third active practice- mass event organization- 3^rd course V and VI semester, continues 3 weeks.

During the practice the students have an opportunity to participate in the preparation and realization of mass events of different level and character (festivals, city festivals, sport contests, etc.). Practice envisages both group and individual work.

These practices are being organized on the basis of cultural establishments, as well as participation in the public actions and festivals organized by commercial structures. This type of practice also envisages the students’ participation in the individual projects of the senior students or BRI long-term projects.

Fourth active practice- project practice- combines practice at the place of work and pre-diploma practice, 4^th year VII and VIII semester, continues 12 weeks (5+7).

During the practice the students have an opportunity to participate in the project development and realization in its defferent development stages, get to know different models of the stuff management, participate in business researchs, acquire skills of the cooperation with sponsors and creative groups, conduct particular functions and accomplish concrete tasks within the project realization.

Practice envisages both participation in the projects which are being implemented by by different professional bodies, cultural establishments, and commercial structures, and participation in the individual projects which are being developed basing on the students’ initiative or particular client order.

Fifth active practice- post-diploma practice- 4^th year VIII semester, continues 4 weeks.

During the practice the students have a chance to learn skills for organization; participate in the development and organization of a concrete project; receive an expert evaluation on the developed project. Practice is necessary to approve the level of the professional readiness of the students and give an objective evaluation of the cultural project developed by the students.

Organization and course of the professional practice

When organizing the professional practice, the governing body of the study programme single-mindly cooperates with different non-official organizations, creative bodies and enterprises, concludes agreements, and keep the data base which processes the employeers’ offers.

Applying BRI structural bodies’ demand the programme secures the highschool with the forthcoming organizators of the cultural life, but the students are secured with the practice when realizing the highschool’s projects.

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  BRI “Communicator” scientifically practical study journal editorial office;
  
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  BRI “World’s cultural foundation”;
  
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  BRI students’ art gallery BRIART;
  
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  BRI advertisement agency;
  
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  BRI students’ newspaper’s „БРИтва” editorial office;
  
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  BRI theater „Kabriolets”; etc.
  

The students’ art gallery’s BRIART and “World’s culture” foundation’s common projects have a long-term interdisciplinary character. Its realization guarantees the practice opportunities not only for the students of the faculty of cultural administration, but also for the designer-students and forthcoming PR specialists.

Every year the students’ art gallery BRIART participates in the Latvian Art days events organized by the Latvian Artists association, which annualy take place around Latvia in April- May. Within the art days’ events the students’ gallery annualy arranges the exhibitions of the works of BRI design college tutors. Exhibitions like this help the students to know their tutors’ (teachers’) creative potential and professional craftsmanship. Besides, preparation of the exhibitions helps students to maintain and develop the skills to communicate with professional partners. From 2003 the students’ art gallery BRIART due to the Art days action annually organizes big thematic exhibitions of the professional artists. In 2004 there was organized an exhibition “Humans: joys and passions”, where more than 20 Riga artists took part in. In 2005 at the thematic exhibition “Catastrophes” the 19 artists’ works were exhibited. At such exhibitions the communication with the Latvian Artists union and Latvian Artists union foundation takes place. Participation in major projects teaches the students skills of the team work, realization of different project stages, and comprehension of the specific character of thematic expositions, as well as abilities to maintain the contact with creative people who have different opinions, artistic reference points and manners. When cooperating with the professional curators the students learn all the stages of a project- from the concept of expozition to the leaflet/poster preparation, presentation of an exhibition, and its closing. In 2005 the gallery organized a famous water-colourist’s and book illustrations author’s, a Lithuanian artist’s Ramune Kmielauskaite exhibition.

The foundation “The world’s cultures” realizes a long-term nacional culture evening programme. Different specialities students take part in every project- cultural administration, PR, design, entrepreneur’s business. In the course of the programme realization there have been established contacts with many Latvian nacional cultural union (Ukrainian, Belorussian, Lithuanian, Danish, Polish and other cultural unions). Participation in the foundation projects helps the students to develop practical skills in organizing mass events, scripts development, cooperation with psonsores and foreign partners.

Therefore, these projects in general maintain integration process, as well as tolerance and comprehension of different cultural tradicions and values.
The most important projects in 2004 and 2005 the students participated in:

BRIART gallery’s event programme within the project “Art days in Latvia” in 2004.

Exhibition of the BRI College tutors’ works (Curator- S. Hajenko).

Annual drawings charity auction “From heart to heart” exposition of the pieces of art offered for the auction (Curator- S. Hajenko)

Riga artists’ exhibition “Humans: joys and passions” (Curators- V. Danilenko, S. Hajenko)

Students conference “Modern visual environment: problems of conceptual art”

Students works exhibition-action “Modern visual environment: possibilities of esthetization”
BRIART gallery’s “Art days” programme in 2005:

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  International exhibition of the works of Nothern countries’ water-colourists “Baltic hope” (Curator J. Spalvinsh)
  
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  Riga artists exhibition “Catastrophes”(Curator V. Danilenko)
  
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  Exhibition of the works of the Lithuanian artist Ramune Kmieliaskaite (Curator S. Hajenko)
  
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  Annual drawings auction “From heart to heart”
  
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  Scientifically practical conference “Package in the space and space of the package”
  
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  Students’ works exhibition action “Seven lifes of a package”.
  

Gallery “Anna” (Bruninieku, 20)- charity auction exposition and charity auction arragement. (2005)

Russian Drama theater (Kalku, 9, Responsible person- N. Bastina)- Preparation and mainteinance of the children festival, charity auction exposition and charity auction arragement; J. Elgurts anniversary exhibition, Edgar Mikelson personal exhibition. (2004)

“Children festival agency” Ltd (Responsible person- Boris Zavjalov)- Annual youth amateur theater festival “Russian classic in Latvia” organization. (2004, 2005)

Foundation “Young talents” (Responsible person- Jelena Senkane)- pupils’ creative collectives’ festival “Phoenix”. Festival organization, events’ scripts writing, event management. (2004)

Union “Šamir” (Responsible person- Anna Gubermane)- International project “Latvian children draw old synagogues”. Maintainance of the drawing contest’s exposition and organization and maintainance of the closing ceremony. (2005)

S/SO “Baltic Master Class”- international children creative work festival (participation in the festival at the stage of its preparation, organization, closing). (2004)

“Sinepes un medus” Ltd (Responsible person- Imants Pulkstenis). International project “Baltic guitar players’ session” (2004)

V.I.S.& Valeri (Responsible person- Valery Balashov)- World championship in the barber’s art WELLA 2004, preparatory stage.

Bilžu Birojs (Responsible person Tija Auzina)- 19. Music and art festival. Preparatory stage, introduction stage. (2005)

Students’ research

The students of the BRI programme “Cultural administration” conduct independent researchs both within the course plan and investigating and analyzing topical mass and professional actualities of culture and problems and development tendencies connected to the study programme in the course papers in the 2^nd and 3^rd years and bachelor paper, which is being developed during the four study years. The paper’s goals, tasks, thesises, and planned way of development of a research are discussed at special colloquimeees, students also evaluate their colleagues’ works, analyzing them and performing as the opponents at the defence of a course paper. The students take part in the conference of a year with their bachelor paper materials. In such a way the students develop their scientific paper’s reading and analysis skills, as well as stimulate their participation in the academic discussion.

Starting from 2003 the BRI faculty of “Cultural administration” organizes annual students’ conference about the cities environmental problems within the programme of the Latvian Art days.

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  In March, 2004 the conference “Modern visual environment: problems of conceptual art” took place, where also professional artists (for instance J. Spalvinsh, G. Huskivadze) with their reports, BRI and LAA students and tutors took part in. In the 2005 conference “Package in the space and space of the package” with the reports and notes along the students of the faculty participated also pupils- laureates of the scientific works contest.
  

In 21.-22. October, 2004, the 4^th year student of the faculty “Cultural administration” Ivanova Irina was awarded with the Diploma for the best report at the section of social sciences at the international students’ scientifically practical conference “Europe: career, time, possibilities” organized by BRI

The students’ of the faculty of culture participation in the

14.05.04 conference
“Modern visual environment: problems of conceptual art”.

Table 7

Name, Surname	Study year	Theme
Tamila Stepanova	3^rd year student	Shop-window as the city’s preentation. Design problems of modern advertisement.
Ksenija Kļepikova	1^st year student	Riga cafes: European or provincial style?
Iolanta Suprijanoviča	4^th year student	Graffiti in Riga
Inga Grezmane	2^nd year student	Write- artist
Linda Lietuviete	1^st year student	Ceramic materials’ application in the building facades
Ieva Brieža	2^nd year student	„Riga fountins”
Dita Medniece	1^st year student	Picteresque and happy corner on earth
Viktors Ratobiļskis	2^nd year student	Riga established parks

The students’ of the faculty of culture participation in the

13.05.05 conference