Friday. It is early fall in the Catskill Mountains. Powerful rain, heavy fog coincide with the trek of hardy Latvian artists eager to meet up with colleagues and friends at the annual ALMA conference in Elka Park, NY.

Landscape artist Aivars Zandbergs greets early arrivals with a tool box, the smell of fresh paint and gusto! He has already spent a day repairing and adjusting the picture hanging “apparatus” and is now ready to help hang the usual unpredictable variety of various media works for the annual ALMA conference art show.

Dace Marga, ALMAs treasurer, rolls in from Pennsylvania with the master list of expected attendees. Linda Treija, ALMAs president from Texas, soon arrives together with Sarma Muiznieks Liepins, from Boston and Dr. Dace Lamberga, curator at the National Museum of Art in Latvia and one of the primary lecturers at this year’s conference. Helpful hands hang festive, decorative lights, roll out industrial extension cords, set up tables and audiovisual equipment. Exhibition tables load up with art books, periodicals, member recent exhibition catalogs and advertisements for upcoming shows; an impressive temporary Latvian art library. The downstairs refrigerator magically fills with appetizers, artisan cheeses, fresh berries and of course, a great selection of beer and wine. Cheery voices greet each new arrival. Two huge pots of fresh, tasty chili appear on the stove from Janina’s kitchen.

The Friday night presentations kick off with Dr. Dace Lamberga’s first formal talk of the week-end. A variety of current topics from the art world in Latvia are covered: the reconstruction and plans for a dynamic underground addition designed by young Lithuanian architects for the National Museum of Art, the prestigious V. Purvitis’ awards, the inner workings of the Latvian government funded Culture Capital Fund, with a focus on the fine arts section.

Maira Reinberga from Attleboro, MA shares her recent work and explains the complex techniques that she uses. We get an inside view of Gerda Roze’s latest solo show, Zane Treimanis’ latest solo show (with an original Treimanis’ Haiku interpretation by Eleonora Sturma!) and Linda Treija’s last fall’s solo show in Latvia. New ALMA member graphic designer X is called into action to masterfully adjust nuances in the color hues projecting on the screen. The volume in the cozy fire-placed room rises from the many simultaneous conversations as the evening progresses late into the mist filled night.

Saturday morning starts with the annual ALMA business meeting. Discussion points of special interest to ALMA members include Lamberga’s presentation about plans for the May-July 2013 Latvian Diaspora Artists’ Show at the National Museum of Latvia affiliate Museum “Arsenals” in Riga. It is the beginning of a lively art history lesson as she shows photographs of and comments on work already owned by the Museum that will be the backbone of the exhibition as well as describes potential new gifts and acquisitions. Art history takes a turn toward contemporary art as Treija shows pictures from the July 2012 Art Show at the XIII Latvian Song Festival in Milwaukee. (Treija served as one of the curators of this show along with Liga Ejupe, Director of the Klinklava Latvian Art Gallery in Michigan.) A jury of ALMA members (I. Avens, M. Meirane-Slesers, S. Muiznieks-Liepins and U. Nigals) evaluated the works on-site in Milwaukee and presented four ALMA sponsored awards at the art show opening reception.

Although the theme of this year’s ALMA conference “Modernism” is one of Lamberga’s academic specialties, her afternoon lecture on art book publishing in Latvia, the publishing house Neputns, artists V. Tone, J. Kazaks and many others from the 1920’s and 1930’s in the context of European Art of that era evolves to encompass much more of the 20th century. After Lamberga’s lecture, NYC art critic Eleonora Sturma seamlessly takes over the reins and guides us through the work and lives of the master painters of the Latvian diaspora in NYC and the East Coast in the 1950’s and 1960’s to glimpses of the museum quality work of current Latvian painters throughout the USA and Canada, some comfortably seated in the room tonight.

Comments. Questions. Lively exchanges. The after dinner group “tour” of the ALMA show with “artists statements” by each exhibiting artist is again a highlight of the week-end. The “modernism” themed Saturday evening continues to include a short poetry reading by V. Avens and SML reading a poem by modernist Latvian poet Juris Kronbergs from his collection “Wolf One-Eye”, and an auction to benefit future ALMA projects.

Sunday morning discussions feature an update from PLMS (the Global Society for Latvian Art, www.latvianart.org ) board members Guna Mundheim and Juris Ubans. The Society has reached an agreement for a long term lease of a suitable building in a very desirable location in the historic city of Cesis, Latvia. Now the organization is embarking on an ambitious fund-raising effort for the renovation of art exhibition space for the ever-growing PLMS high-quality collection of Latvian diaspora art and for the eventual development of an adjoining research center and Latvian art library in Cesis.

U. Nigals presents an update on how the Philadelphia Society of Free Letts has managed to celebrate its 120 anniversary year with 120 (!) Cultural events, including many art shows. 2013 will feature a show of E. Dajevskis work (currently on view at the Embassy of Latvia in Washington, DC), and a premier show of R. Kaneps’ paintings before they are sent to Latvia).

Another delicious meal prepared by Janina Brigis, well-wishes, parting hugs and singing. Yes – singing!

by Sarma Muiznieks Liepins, ALMA secretary

Click here to see more pictures from “Saiets”…

Please “save the date” to join us next year at the annual ALMA conference on September 27-29, 2013.
ALL Latvian artists and art enthusiasts are welcome!