News

International conference in Riga and online exploring education and training across culture and health

The conference “Learning to Care: Education and Training in Culture and Health” will take place on the 15-16 October 2026, at Riga Stradins University. The event builds on two EU projects - WITAC* and CARE** - bringing together artists, health and social care professionals working at the intersection of culture and health, representatives of higher education institutions, mentors, experts and local decision-makers. Together, they will discuss education and training opportunities in the cross-sectoral field of arts, culture and health, in the Baltics and across Europe. The event aims to support the further development of the culture and health field by exploring and strengthening education and training pathways for professionals across formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts.

Latvian Academy of Culture Announces Call for Entries for the Second International Short Film Festival "Easy to Be Young?"

From March 11 to 13, 2027, Riga will host the second international student short film festival "Easy to Be Young?", organized by the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC). Following a successful inaugural edition, the festival is taking the next step—significantly expanding its international reach by transitioning to an open film selection via the international platform "FilmFreeway" and promising an even broader program for both film students and audiences.

How Does Latvia Preserve and Safeguard Its Culture? What Does Culture Contribute to Latvia? Researchers Present Three Years of Research Results at the CERS State Research Programme Closing Conference

On 9–10 September 2026, Riga hosted the closing conference “Cultural Research for Our Future Choices” of the Ministry of Culture’s State Research Programme project “Cultural and creative ecosystem of Latvia as a resource of resilience and sustainability”/CERS. Over two days, researchers, cultural sector professionals, policymakers and students discussed the project’s key results and how research-based knowledge can contribute to cultural policymaking, the development of culture as a sector of the economy, and the quality of life in society.

The Design Economy – Latvia’s Invisible Economic Infrastructure

Is a blood donation campaign design? What about a biometric wallet? And what about chairs, lamps and posters? The debate over what constitutes design resurfaces in Latvia almost every year following the presentation of the Latvian Design Awards and the announcement of its nominees. The 2026 finalists once again vividly demonstrate just how diverse the field has become. They include product design, which is still most commonly associated with design in the traditional sense, as well as a campaign commissioned by the State Blood Donor Centre (created by McCann Riga), nominated in the communication design category, and Handwave, a biometric wallet (created by Handwave and Cube), which won in the service design category.