INSTITUTIONALISATION OF AMATEUR ARTS IN LATVIA: INVOLVEMENT OF AMATEUR ARTISTS IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Abstract

There are 69.6 thousand amateur artists in Latvia (3.5% of the population) who take part in various amateur arts groups. Majority of these amateurs sustain the tradition of the Nationwide Song and Dance Celebration, a phenomenon which has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Even though in many countries amateur arts groups are self-governed, in Latvia the process has been institutionalised, mainly due to the organisation of the amateur arts sector during the Soviet period. Groups do not usually operate as civic associations, but are affiliated to municipal cultural centres. Both local and national authorities have a decisive role in the process. The study aims to identify gaps in the communication and decision-making process between amateur artists, artistic leaders of the amateur art groups and institutionalised decision-making bodies. Quantitative and qualitative data have been collected to analyse the governance of the Celebration and to identify the forms of amateur involvement. Keywords: