ENO: the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education

The European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO, https://www.eno-net.eu/ ) was founded in November 2015 in Berlin, and was established as a registered association in January 2016. ENO operates within the framework of UNESCO global policies and several delegated of the UNESCO National Commission of Latvia were presented during ENO assembly in November 16, 2015, including Austra Avotiņa (the University of Latvia), Jolanta Klišāne (Latvian National Centre for Culture and Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) and Agnese Treimane (Latvian Academy of Culture). Together with representatives from 12 European countries they signed the official ENO Statutes, thus confirming their readiness to join the network of observatories.

Latvia joined the European Network of Observatories on December 8, 2015, when Professor Ina Druviete, Vice-Rector of the University of Latvia, signed a declaration of the Assembly of European Observatories on Arts and Cultural Education.

ENO Latvia is represented by two national observatories (https://www.eno-net.eu/members):

• University of Latvia, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art
• Latvian Academy of Culture (since 2019, Baiba Tjarve has been elected as co-opted ENO Board member)

Both observatories work together in cooperation with other interested parties in the field of arts and cultural education - the UNESCO National Commission of Latvia, Latvian National Centre for Culture, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Art Academy of Latvia and others.

ENO Latvia aims to facilitate the exchange of research findings and innovative practice, to stimulate new research in arts and cultural education and to support the development of arts education within the framework of global UNESCO-policies and guidelines for education, culture and sustainable development.

The overall tasks of ENO Latvia in order to reach these aims are:

• to initiate and provide opportunities for joint activities;
• to encourage and maintain an international discussion forum within the network;
• to exchange experience and research data; to discuss and update research-based knowledge in arts and cultural education;
• to improve the accessibility to information on the topical issues in the field of arts and cultural education through conferences and seminars;
• to use and update the online research database;
• to take part in the compilation of the ENO Yearbook;
• to launch international research projects in close relationships with UNESCO.

The national observatories of Latvia keep up with the topical issues in Europe in the field of arts and cultural education, act as the representatives for the trends and development of arts and cultural education in Latvia to the rest of the world and are actively participating in projects initiated by ENO.

The representatives of ENO Latvia attend ENO partner meetings and conferences organized by a member organization twice a year (available at: https://www.eno-net.eu/agenda).

ENO yearbooks:

Arts and Cultural Education in a World of Diversity – ENO Yearbook 1, Springer https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-06007-7

Arts, Sustainability and Education – ENO Yearbook 2, Springer https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-3452-9

The national observatories of Latvia also carry out research activities on the processes of arts and cultural education in Latvia, as well as other international research projects. There has been several academic research projects at the Latvian Academy of Culture on the connection between the arts and cultural education and the labour market in the relevant field, on the cultural needs of children and youth, on the trends in culture consumption and participation in Latvia, on the culture consumption and participation of children and youth audiences, on the possibilities of acquiring cultural competences in interest-related education programmes, etc. In addition, the Latvian Academy of Culture also conducts research projects commissioned by public administration institutions in the field of arts and cultural education to be used in the development of research-based cultural education policies.

At the national level, ENO Latvia observatories participate in activities related to the development and research of the content of arts and cultural education. The representative of the University of Latvia assoc. prof. Austra Avotina and the representative of the Latvian Academy of Culture prof. Anda Laķe are experts in the project ‘Competency-based Learning Approach in Education’ carried out by the National Centre for Education of the Republic of Latvia. Both are representatives of the working group ‘Cultural awareness and self-expression in art’ and are developing new curricula of arts and cultural education for the general education schools in Latvia (https://www.skola2030.lv/ ).

In 2022, LAC Vice-rector for research Anda Laķe has been elected as the Chair of the Cultural Education Council at the Ministry of Culture.

For more information:

Baiba Tjarve: baiba.tjarve@lka.edu.lv