The open-air repository of the Rothko Museum’s contemporary ceramics collection is freely accessible in the casemates of the 7th bastion of Daugavpils Fortress.

The open-air repository is an opportunity to view cultural heritage values in museum collections outside the closed storage rooms of museum objects, which has not been implemented in Latvia so far. Such repositories are created to maximise access to museum collections that would otherwise be largely out of public view. The idea of making museums’ closed and restricted collections accessible to the wider public dates back to the 20th century. The idea of accessible museums and their access to the public domain was first developed in Canada in the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, this approach was seen as radical and reflected an effort to move away from the traditional museum model. However, today’s definition of the museum is much broader, with accessibility to an ever wider range of audiences and multifaceted communication through the tools of tangible and intangible cultural heritage at the forefront.

The contents of the Rothko Museum’s open repository consist of a collection of contemporary ceramics, purposefully assembled over a decade. The collection dates back to 2013, when the first international ceramic art symposium “Ceramic Laboratory” was held at the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre and became an annual event. The collection was regularly supplemented by the works of the participants of this symposium, the artworks of the participants of the Latvian Ceramic Biennial competition exhibition “Martinsons Award”, established in 2016, other competition exhibitions in ceramic medium and individual purchases of artworks. Professional curatorial work ensured the attraction of Latvian and internationally renowned ceramicists and the representation of their works in the Rothko Museum’s collection. Currently, the Rothko Museum’s Contemporary Ceramics Collection contains more than 500 works of art, making it the largest and most artistically valuable collection of contemporary ceramic art media in Latvia.

The open repository houses works by more than 100 artists representing 40 countries. Its open access allows you to get to know the various manifestations of ceramic art and appreciate the creative and professional performance of artists working with a variety of ceramic materials (clay, chamotte, stoneware, porcelain) and firing techniques.

Free admission.

Photos from the Daugavpils TIC archive.