During the programme, participants explore space, form, materials, scale, positive and negative space, as well as the interaction between people and their environment. The programme encourages participants not only to discover and engage with art, but also to become its interpreters and creators themselves.

Programme Structure:

• Introduction to sculpture and the exhibition of contemporary spatial art from the Baltic region, “Exhale. Space”.

• The multisensory activity “Exhale. Space” – exploring the museum space through different senses.

• Creating a collaborative spatial composition, developing creativity, spatial thinking, and teamwork skills.

• Work with plaster – an introduction to plaster casting techniques and the principles of form-making.

The programme is adapted to different age groups and is intended for students in Grades 1–12 and adult groups (10–30 participants).

Programme dates: 15 October 2026 – 9 January 2027
Venue: Ogre History and Art Museum

Fee per session: EUR 1.50 per person

Registration:

Liena Subatiņa-Brazeviča, Museum Educator
Tel. +371 20217889
liena.subatina@ogresnovads.lv

“Exhale. Space” is a pulsating environment where experiences and cultural narratives meet, overlap and intertwine. It is a gathering point for different voices and artistic media, with each artist contributing a distinct narrative — from the raw vibrations of Icelandic landscapes, experiences of ancient hillforts and memories embedded in historic wooden architecture to intimate family archaeology and powerful socio-political statements.
The exhibition is rooted in themes of dialogue, empathy, space and time, with a particular focus on materiality and spatial thinking. Wood, metal, porcelain and sound move beyond their static roles, entering into dialogue with one another as well as with the surrounding space and architecture.
At its core, the exhibition is an invitation to reflect on the role and possibilities of contemporary art in today’s turbulent and uncertain world. At the same time, “Exhale. Space” evokes the world of childhood — a time when perception was still free from preconceptions, when we believed that objects had souls, that the sky could speak, and that entire imaginary worlds could be built from the simplest things found in a backyard.
The exhibition brings together a shared, poignant and at times unexpected reflection on vulnerability and healing, seeing and being saved, and the continuous experience of being present within ourselves and the spaces we inhabit. The exhibition aims to create a direct, vibrant and unmediated space for contemporary artistic exploration and engagement with pressing issues beyond the major cultural centres.
Come, breathe, and let yourself enter the space.

Artists: Aigars Bikše, Xiyao Chen & Julija Počiūtė, Daina Dieva, Rokas Dovydenas, Rimantas Milkintas, Kristine Mifsud, Oto Holgers Ozoliņš, Pauls Pudžs, Mykolas Sauka, Augustas Serapinas, Dārta Sidare, Elza Sīle, SkujaBraden.
Exhibition Team

Curator: Māris Grosbahs
Space: Oto Holgers Ozoliņš, Māris Grosbahs
Visual Identity: Anitra Eglīte-Poikāne
Communications: Laura Tuča
Technical Support: Guntars Andersons, Nils Miķelsons

]]> https://ogresmuzejs.lv/en/juris-germanis-solo-exhibition-about-the-human/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:10:41 +0000 https://ogresmuzejs.lv/juris-germanis-solo-exhibition-about-the-human/ On January 22, the Ogres History and Art Museum will open “ABOUT THE HUMAN,” a portrait exhibition by artist Juris Ģērmanis. In this collection, the artist invites you to explore his world of portraiture—featuring individuals he has encountered throughout various stages of his life. For over half a century, Ģērmanis has focused his work on the human figure, particularly portraits of his contemporaries, where he captures not only a physical likeness but also the subject’s personality, environment, and essence.

The exhibition features portraits with stories ranging from personal memories to cultural history. Among the subjects are chess grandmaster Mikhail Tal, the artist’s wife—sculptor Lūcija Kleina, stage actor Uldis Vazdiks, and other figures significant to the artist’s life, including personalities associated with Ogre and its surroundings.
Juris Ģērmanis is one of the most prominent figures of his generation in Latvian painting. He has participated in exhibitions since 1967, served as an educator, and has been an active member of the Artists’ Union of Latvia. Even at the age of 85, the artist continues to paint.

• learn what oil paints are;
• learn to identify the expressive techniques of impasto painting;
• gain an insight into the history of the invention of oil paints and impasto oil painting.

In the creative and practical part of the programme, participants will learn what pigments are, how oil paint is made, and try their hand at making their own oil paints and using them to create a painting that tells the story of an object.

The aim of the programme is to:

• introduce participants to the work of Dārta Madara Cielava and the themes of the exhibition, and develop an understanding of public and personal space in art;
• promote an understanding of impasto oil painting;
• encourage participants to reflect on their everyday lives and personal experiences, using painting as a means of visual expression;
• introduce participants to the process of making their own oil paints.

Duration: 1–1.5 hours, depending on the age group

Price: EUR 1.50 per person

The presentation and activities are adapted to the participants’ age group.

Target audience: students in Grades 1–4 and Grades 5–12

Registration: liena.subatina@ogresnovads.lv |20217889

* In the “The Creation of the Self-Tree” session, participants draw their own tree using the neurographics technique, which is a creative drawing method. By drawing free lines and shapes, it combines art and psychology, helps express feelings and emotions, promotes thinking, and reduces stress. The session is led by a neurographics specialist.
* The tree as a symbol reveals the unity of nature and humanity — continuous formation and transformation. Through the exploration of natural processes and personal
experience, the growth of a tree is compared to a human’s path to self-improvement.
Content by age group:

• Grades 1–5 (45 min.): Who I am and who I want to become; the name of my tree; power words for the tree.

• Grades 5–9 (60 min.): Life stages of a tree and a human; environment and cooperation; power words (Me – Me/Community – Us).

• Grade 9 and adults (90 min.): life timeline, growth, future planning, the significance of one’s “Self-Tree” in society, short 1:1 reflection

The museum provides materials for the workshop.
Participation fee: €1.50 per person

Registration:
📧ogresmuzejs@ogresnovads.lv |☎️65024345
📧liena.subatina@ogresnovads.lv |☎️20217889
📍Brīvības iela 36, Ogre

Children connect with historical developments through values such as courage, unity, and love for Latvia, without needing to delve into complex historical details.

The program allows history to be understood through one’s own feelings and associations.
The narrative in the exposition outlines 4 major 20th-century events that allowed Latvia to become a free country, integrating a task, game, or interactive activity into each, including important details needed to form the state and its identity.

– How the Latvian people’s desire for their own state developed
– World War I in the territory of Latvia and the War of Independence, riflemen, courage to fight, founding of the state and gaining independence. Identification marks of one’s own and awards. Latvia in the interwar period, its development, inventions.
– World War II, occupation, partisans, forms of resistance, hiding and preserving items valuable to Latvian identity.
– The beginning of the Awakening, the Baltic Way, the Barricades, regaining independence.

In the creative section, children draw what they like about Latvia based on the impressions they have gained. At the end, they sing a song, creating a sense of togetherness.

Activity fee: €1.50/person

Duration: 1.5 h

Registration: uldis.veliks@ogresnovads.lv

📍Brīvības iela 2, Ogre

It encourages reflection on the idea that freedom is not merely a historical achievement or a value won once – it is a continuous process based on people’s choices, responsibility, participation, and actions in daily life. The program will help students recognize their connection to the Latvian state, strengthen their sense of belonging, and develop an understanding of the importance of national identity.

In the first part of the program, participants will embark on an interactive journey through the exhibition, where the narrative will be supplemented with thought-provoking questions, discussions, and moments of reflection. Students will explore Latvia’s path to freedom, tracing in a concentrated manner the most important 20th-century events and personalities whose courage, choices, and actions influenced the nation’s destiny.

The narrative is structured into four significant thematic blocks:

– World War I, the founding of the Latvian state, and the Latvian War of Independence;

– World War II, the occupation of Latvia, and repressions;

– The struggles of national partisans and resistance movements;

– The Awakening and the restoration of Latvia’s independence.

In the second, creative and practical part of the program, students will work in groups, researching various historical sources, documents, and materials. Through tasks, they will analyze information, critically evaluate events, and seek answers to questions about freedom, choices, and identity.

During the work process, participants will be invited to connect historical events with their own experiences, values, and personal identity, developing the ability to formulate and express their opinions with arguments.

At the end of the program, participants will discuss symbols of freedom and their significance in Latvian culture and society, and how Latvian identity, belonging, and values are expressed through them. Students will share their impressions of the program, reflecting on the insights gained, what resonated with them most, surprised them, or inspired them.

Activity fee: €1.50/person

Duration: 2 h

Registration: uldis.veliks@ogresnovads.lv

📍Brīvības iela 2, Ogre

The program will foster an understanding of people’s courage, choices, and actions throughout various historical periods, highlighting personal stories, destinies, and events that have become a vital part of Latvia’s identity.

During an interactive narrative and exploration of the exhibition, participants will gain a concentrated understanding of four significant themes that unite people in their persistent pursuit of freedom:

– World War I, the founding of the Latvian state, and the Latvian War of Independence;

– World War II, the occupation of Latvia, and repressions;

– The struggles of national partisans and resistance movements;

– The Awakening and the restoration of Latvia’s independence.

In the creative practical part of the program, students will work on tasks included in folders, ponder questions, focus on the power of words, search for subtexts, meaning, expressions of identity, and their impact. They will learn about resistance tactics and leaders. They will engage in role-playing, putting themselves in the situations of people from that time when significant choices had to be made and the consequences of actions realized. Finally, they will discuss what they have learned and reflect on the meaning of freedom.

Activity fee: €1.50/person

Duration: 2 h

Registration: uldis.veliks@ogresnovads.lv

📍Brīvības iela 2, Ogre

Target audience: Grades 3–12

The creative workshop offers insight into the museum’s exhibition section dedicated to the city’s historic summer houses, their architecture and distinctive features, as well as Ogre’s significance as a resort town in pre-war Latvia. Ogre’s buildings are associated with prominent Latvian architects, including Art Nouveau master Konstantīns Pēkšēns, the notable representative of functionalism Teodors Hermanovskis, and Vladimirs Šervinskis, the author of many summer houses in Ogre.
Participants are invited to embark on an engaging and creative journey by taking part in the cardboard house-making workshop “Ogre’s Historic Architecture”. The workshop introduces the art of cardboard house folding while familiarising participants with Ogre’s historic architecture, offering a creative and educational experience suitable for both children and adults.

Program available year-round
Workshop duration: 1.5 h
Fee per session: 1.50 EUR/person

The museum’s permanent exhibition presents the story of the city of Ogre across many centuries through visual and interactive means, using digital technologies such as projections, sound showers, interactive maps, and video and audio materials.

Accompanied by a museum educator, students become acquainted with the history of their city through the exhibition, learning about its earliest inhabitants and the settlement on Ķente Hillfort.

An interactive map with diodes allows for a better understanding of Ogre’s former territorial division. Audio installations with sword clashing or gunfire volleys transport visitors into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages or World War I.

During the activity, students also learn about the stories of visitors to Ogre’s renowned air and bathing resort, as well as the successes and challenges of the notable Soviet-era enterprise, the Ogre Knitwear Factory.

Following an introduction led by the museum educator, students work in teams to view, research, and explore historical exhibits, placing them within the appropriate historical periods of the exhibition. The activity also includes creative worksheet-based modelling tasks that engage all participants.

Benefits of the activity: participants gain knowledge about Ogre’s history, strengthen their ability to work in a team, respecting and listening to others’ opinions; fostering team cohesion. At the end of the activity, results are summarized, and winners receive prizes – museum souvenirs.

Programme available throughout the academic year.

Activity fee: €1.50/person