Introduction

RESEARCH REPORT “RELATIONS BETWEEN MUSEUMS AND SOCIETY”

Summary

Introduction

The Law on Museums, passed by the Saeima in 2005, defines tasks and functions of public and state accredited museums and marks them as institutions that serve society and its development.1 In the past few decades the involvement of museums in various spheres of social life has increased significantly. Today museums are not only key promoters of fine art and culture, but also play central role in regional development by forming and shaping identities, preserving cultural heritage and making it accessible to widest possible audience. Contribution of museums to education is beyond any doubt.

There has been very little research of museum visitors and non-visitors in Latvia, and no systematic inquiry into how museum performance corresponds to interests and needs of various social groups. Also, the importance of qualitative measures of museum performance has not been recognized enough, although it has lately been acknowledged by museums and museologists around the world that only through a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures it is possible to assess the actual social impact museums have. This research project “The importance of museums for various target groups: Relation between museums and society”, that was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of Latvia and was conducted by the Academy of Culture from March to November 2018, aims to fill this gap and to provide in depth understanding of the social role museums in Latvia play using both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Audiences of museums in Latvia has been studied relatively little. This research is the first attempt to do a multilayered analysis of museum audiences, putting statistical data in context of museum sector development from the early 1990s until today, future development trends in Latvia and the rest of the world, and overall changes in consumption of culture. Although the scope of the research is rather broad, the key focus is on the social roles of museum and on relation between museums and society, therefore certain issues, such as , such as museum governance and collection policies, are left unaddressed. Also, it is important to note that state accredited museums in Latvia are very diverse in terms of management, size, scope, and place. Each museum has its own unique mission and a specific target audience. The report mentions specific examples or best practices in Latvian museums to reflect this uniqueness and diversity, but its overall focus is on aspects that are comparable across the museums and not on in-depth analysis of specific cases or specific groups of museums. Finally, it is important to note that, although the main focus of this report is on the state accredited museums, it is acknowledged that these museums compete for audience with numerous other cultural,

1 Law On Museums. Adoption: 15.12.2005. Entry into force: 17.01.2006.Available: https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/124955-law-on-museums 1 education and entertainment institutions, including more than 100 non-accredited museums, science centers, art galleries, e.g. players in culture and entertainment field.

Methodology

The research objective was to find out and to analyze what social roles museums play in society, how accredited museums (state, municipal, autonomous, private) address and work with various target audiences, how museum audiences have changed over the past 10 years, and then use this analysis to illuminate main mid- and long-term challenges and to suggest a framework for how social impact of museums might be monitored and measured.

Key topics addressed by the project was: museum visitors and non-visitors, target groups and segments (socio- demographic characteristics, leisure patterns, attitudes to culture and museums, i.e.); motivations and obstacles of museum attendance; the role of museums amidst other culture consumption activities; museum practices for reaching specific audiences (communication and marketing strategies); opportunities for wider audience outreach and strengthening of social impact of museums; measurement of quality of museum performance and of social impact.

Applied methods: data collection combining quantitative and qualitative approaches resulted in multilayered set of information and data, where a synergy of objective measures, subjective opinions, and examples of best practices provide a rich basis for evidence-based policy making. The key quantitative research methods were analysis of museum statistics collected by the Ministry of Culture, a survey of population of Latvia (1040 respondents), survey of museum visitors (529 respondents), survey of museum management (116 respondents representing 150 museums). Key qualitative research methods were in-depth interviews with experts (13 interviews), focus groups with museum visitors and non-visitors (6 discussions), case analysis of specific museum practices (with respect to reaching specific audience), and content analysis of museum missions.

Short description of the museum sector in Latvia2

The museum sector in Latvia consists of state, municipal, autonomous, and private museums that are regulated by the Law of Museums. It is a decentralized system. State founded museum can be supervised by the Ministry of Culture or by another ministry depending on the profile of the museum. Municipal museums are founded and managed by municipalities. Autonomous museums are founded and managed by commercial enterprises or by a derived legal person governed by public law (e.g. universities). Only those private museums that

2 Sources of Information: Cultural Policy Guidelines 2014-2020 "Creative Latvia": Strategy in The Museum Sector, 2015; Webpage of Ministry of Culture (www.km.gov.lv). 2 are accredited by the state are addressed in the state strategy for the museum sector. There is a significant number of non-accredited private museums in Latvia, but their operations are not specifically regulated.

The Ministry of Culture directly supervises eight state museums and four branches of these museums. It is also responsible for the supervision of the museum sector as a whole. An important sectoral player is the Latvian Council of Museums – a consultative institution that aids cooperation among museums and takes part in strategic planning of sector development. The largest NGO of the sector is the Latvian Museums Association. Other NGOs with significantly fewer members are ICOM Latvian National Committee, the Promotional Society of Museology in the Baltics, and a think-tank “Creative Museum”.

State culture policy and development priorities for 2020 are laid out in Cultural Policy Guidelines 2014-2020 “Creative Latvia”. The strategy for the museum sector is one the subdocuments of these guidelines. The key task of the strategy is to map out how the strategic goals of “Creative Latvia” are supposed to be implemented in the museum sector. Museum professionals has set the following goal for the museum sector development from 2014 to 2020:

“Implementation of the strategy for development of the museum sector in Latvia will ensure necessary preconditions for museums to operate as dynamic, contemporary, inclusive institutions that are in line with needs of society, focused on the use of material and non-material cultural heritage as a source of creativity, national wealth, education, science, and economic development, as well as means of personality enrichment and qualitative leisure opportunity”.

The museum sector in Latvia has undergone significant changes since 1990. The number of visitors diminished dramatically in the early 1990s and graduately increased over the subsequent decades. One of the most significant audience widening initiatives have been the Museum Night. The management and the overall policy of the sector has developed and matured as well. Some museums have been closed, others have been consolidated and some have undergone reconstruction and had acquired a completely new shape and identity.

Timeline of key changes in the museum sector in Latvia, 1992 - 2018 1992 Foundation of the Association of Latvian Museums. 1993 Latvia establishes its National Committee at the International Council of Museum (ICOM)s) and joins the Network of European Museum Organization (NEMO). 1998 The Law on Museums comes into force. 1998 Foundation of the State Culture Capital Foundation with the purpose to support and promote creativity across all sectors of arts and culture, as well as to ensure preservation of cultural heritage and to advance cultural education. 1999 The system of accreditation is put into operation. 2000 Museum studies program opens at the Academy of Culture. 2002 The first initiative of “Museum Spring”. Eight Latvian museum get involved in an international initiative organized by the Ministry of Culture and Communications of France. This initiative subsequently transforms into Museum Night. 3

2004 Latvia joins the EU and gets access to the EU Structural Funds for culture development projects. One of the largest projects involves creation of the National Catalogue of Museum Collections. 2004 The first session of the Baltic Museology School – a long-term initiative to advance education of museum professionals in Baltic countries. 2005 The first Museum Night held in Latvia in May 14, 2005. 2006 Amendments of the Law on Museums come into force. 2006 The Cabinet of Ministers approves the Program for Improvement of Cultural Infrastructure 2006- 2018 “Heritage 2018” that envisions to reconstruct and modernize all 105 state culture infrastructure objects by the 100th anniversary of Latvia in 2018. 2007 The first stage of the EBRD project “National Catalogue of Museums” completed under supervision of the Center for Culture Information Systems. As a result, a framework for an online data base of museum collection objects is created (www.nmkk.lv). 2008 Global financial crisis results in administrative and financial reforms and severe measures on the national level, the consequences of which are felt until 2010. 2010 The budget of the State Culture Capital Fund reaches its lowest level in 2010 – it is by 72% less than it was in 2008, and by 49% less than it was in 2009. 2012 A record number of 277 488 visitors attend the Museum Night. 2014 Guidelines for State Culture Policy 2014-2020 “Creative Latvia” are approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. 2015 Latvian presidency at the European Council involves an extensive cultural program and a number of traveling exhibitions. 2015 The strategy for the development of the museum sector is approved. 2016 Opening of the reconstructed building of the Latvian National Museum of Art in May 4, 2016. 2016 Reopening of the Riga Motormuseum. After a major reconstruction it becomes the largest and the most modern museum of automobiles in the Baltic region. 2016 Construction of the National Museum Storage Complex in Rigā, Pulka street 8, starts. The storage is planned to serve four museums - the National History Museum, The Museum of Literature and Music, the National Museum of Art, and the Riga Film Museum. 2018 Amendments in the Law on Museums. The definition of the museum changed in accordance with ICOM definition: “A museum is a permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of study, education, and emotional enjoyment, and the primary goal of which is fulfillment of these function and not profit”. 2018 Exhibition “Symbolism in the Art of Baltic States” (“Le symbolisme dans l’art des pays Baltes”) opens in Orse museum in Paris. It is one of the largest international cooperation projects carried out as the part of 100th anniversary of the three Baltic states. 2018 A commencement of a project “Latvian School Bag” that brings art and culture projects into Latvian schools and gives an opportunity for children and youth to take part in art and culture events as a part of general education framework. 2018 The 100th Anniversary of the Latvian state is celebrated through numerous cultural projects throughout 2017 to 2019. One of the biggest anniversary projects in museum sector is a co-joined exhibition “Latvia’s Century” that unites 68 national, municipal, and private museums.

The museum network in 2018 is composed of 28 museums under supervision of the Ministry of Culture, 11 museums under supervision of other ministries, 11 autonomous museums, 6 private museums, 94 municipal museums that are located across Latvia, but most part in Riga or in its vicinity. The total number of museums in Latvia is much larger because it includes more than 100 private museums that have not been accredited and therefore are not included in official statistics. 4

Statistics of museum visits

While the population of Latvia is decreasing, the number of museum visits is going up

Number of museum visits per 1,000 inhabitants and population of Latvia from 1990 to 2017.

Number of visits per 1,000 inhabitants Population at the beginning of year, thousands.

2 668 2

2 658 2

2 643 2

2 586 2

2 541 2

2 501 2

2 470 2

2 445 2

2 421 2

2 399 2

2 382 2

2 353 2

2 321 2

2 299 2

2 277 2

2 250 2

2 228 2

2 209 2

2 192 2

2 163 2

2 121 2

2 075 2

2 045 2

2 024 2

2 001 2

1 986 1

1 969 1

1 950 1

1 913 1

1 812 1

1 648 1

1 490 1

1 460 1

1 321 1

1 301 1

1 235 1

1 174 1

1 153 1

1 093 1

976

925

1 016 1

909

822

738

703

656

651

633

625

600

559

531

506

488

487

2004 2011 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Museum visits 2001-2017, thousands.

3 715 3 507 3 260 2 948

2 554 2 580 2 627 2 621 2 399 2 424 2 175 2 187 2 074 1 859 1 689 1 544 1 623

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Latvia has one of the highest number of museum visits relative to the size of the population in Europe

Comparison with other European countries: Museum visits per 1,000 inhabitants

Denmark (2017) 2 815 Estonia (2016) 2 627 Austria (2016) 2 089 Netherlands (2016) 2 023 LATVIA (2017) 1 905 Switzerland (2016) 1 580 Portugale (2016) 1 504 Lithuania (2017) 1 458 Germany (2016) 1 361 Spain (2016) 1 290 Finland (2017) 1 284 Czech Republic (2017) 1 274 Slovakia (2017) 1 107 Hungary (2017) 1 100 Poland (2016) 950 Italy (2017) 830 Bulgaria (2017) 719 Romania (2016) 718 Serbia (2017) 304 Bosnia un Herzegovina (2015) 98

The number of individual visits has increased significantly, while the number of school children groups has slightly decreased

The number of visitors of special events and activities has increased

Importance of various types of visitors 2001 -2017

Individual visitors Pupils in groups Tourists in groups Others in groups Visitors of events and activities 100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0% 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Museum visitors by type of the visit 2001 - 2017, thousands.

Individual visitors Pupils in groups

2 244 2

2 155 2

2 010 2

1 684 1

1 529 1

1 522 1

1 475 1

1 389 1

1 352 1

1 310 1

1 234 1

1 052 1

1 025 1

859

785

775

736

395

385

372

367

355

351

341

322

313

286

281

266

265

262

232

2004 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

2005 2010 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Tourists in groups Others in groups

315

272

267

265

251

242

227

224

223

222

215

204

194

192

191

182

179

179 179

172

167

163

150

148

147

144

140

127

113

109

2005 2010 2004 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Visitors of events and activities

553

539

507

499

458

453

451

444

438

424

399

391

335

313

292

263

219

2005 2010 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Nine most visited museums make up 50% of total museum visits in Latvia

The number of museums with more than 100 thousand visitors per year has increased significantly.

Museums by the level of annual attendance 2009 - 2017 (number of museums)

0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Over 100 thousand visits 5 6 6 6 8 9 12 13 11 Over 50 thousand visits 13 12 14 14 12 14 14 16 18 Over 10 thousand visits 44 45 46 48 48 49 52 51 53

Museums with attendance higher than 50 thousand visits per year 2009 - 2017 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Turaida Museum Reserve 183 919 192 227 207 472 220 744 232 647 250 492 258 932 262 206 265 352 Rundale Palace Museum 134 877 135 273 225 494 233 792 215 199 258 301 235 695 242 998 255 600 Museum of the History of Riga and 138 004 138 099 145 773 152 561 176 779 182 882 179 315 191 826 223 379 Navigation The Art Museum Riga Bourse 71 354 34 000 68 624 147 508 122 605 128 080 155 819 137 374 222 642 Latvian National Museum of Art 84 605 70 142 99 727 80 622 15 225 125 000 262 321 215 558 Bauska Castle Museum 34 808 35 368 38 699 40 733 37 171 144 302 168 117 187 721 182 837 Rīgas Motor Museum 28 345 49 159 55 009 70 107 42 309 21 170 17 940 115 195 180 582 Latvijan War Museum 76 307 116 694 134 658 116 651 124 557 141 700 160 452 147 953 153 601 Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia 126 257 113 923 113 168 96 323 115 325 119 802 134 765 124 756 137 453 Latvijan Occupation Museum 104 924 242 954 103 249 86 392 72 252 136 045 122 366 102 368 116 631 Cesis History and Art Museum 70 672 68 823 84 253 79 311 90 704 95 784 97 892 104 361 100 869 Ventspils Museum, Seaside Open-Air 44 349 66 200 92 719 33 021 110 246 87 510 101 481 106 356 96 565 Museum Latvian Museum of Natural History 87 710 85 091 93 852 100 743 108 312 100 131 104 684 101 148 91 030 Valmiera Museum 58 121 52 053 68 525 70 250 69 104 80 562 96 504 91 000 85 013 Museum of Decorative Arts and Design 77 516 84 765 62 473 81 036 92 419 72 896 120 898 80 259 84 689 Latvian Museum of Architecture 10 400 10 700 10 185 11 505 10 975 11 150 10 207 13 430 58 400 Ventspils Museum, The Castle of the 69 860 31 269 32 688 40 725 43 332 39 192 38 269 53 311 57 113 Livonian order Latvian Railway History Museum 19 067 20 650 22 423 24 757 28 367 37 021 42 226 49 976 50 175 Exhibition Hall "Arsenals" 28 391 46 766 50 371 45 484 59 267 42 003 31 007 42 283

The proportion of free of charge visits is going down in the long-term.

Number of paid and free of charge visits as a proportion of total number of visits 2009-2017

Free of charge visits Paid visits 100%

90%

80%

70% 1 281 1 398 1 952 1 552 1 600 1 631 1 860 2 243 2 332

60%

50%

40%

30%

20% 906 1 026 1 308 1 028 1 027 990 1 088 1 264 1 383

10%

0% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 The share of visits during the Museum Night in the total number of museum visits gradualy diminishes.

Museum visits and Museum Night visits 2005 - 2017, thousands.

Museum visits Museum Night visits 3 715 3 507 3 260 2 948

2 554 2 580 2 627 2 621 2 399 2 424 2 175 2 187 2 074

199 264 270 249 271 277 219 228 221 251 243 65 129

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

The Museum Night visits as a proportion of total museum visits 2005 – 2017. Data source: Latvijas muzeju parvalde (2001 - 2008), Latvijas digitala kulturas karte (2009 -2017), data collected by the Ministry of Culture, calculations done by the authors.

12 10 10 11 11 8 8 8 7 6 7 7 3

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Characteristics of museum visitors and non-visitors

Visiting museums is among the most favorite means of culture consumption for inhabitants of Latvia

Survey: Culture consumption by population of Latvia (%)

Attended local city or town fests 69

Attended events in local culture center 52

Visited sites of cultural heritage 52

Finished reading a book 48

Visited a museum 46

Attended a show of a local amateur art collective 46

Visited a pop concert 46

Visited an entertainment park 45

Visited an event for families with kids 37

Visited a library 34

Visited a local dance party 33

Attended a professional thater show 32

Visited a ZOO in Riga or elsewhere in Latvia 31

Visited an exhibition or an art gallery 30

Attended a movie screening 29

Attended an amateur theater show 25

Attended a music fest (pop or classical) 20

Attended a concert of classical or contemporary music 18

Attended a circus show 14

Attended an opera or a ballet 14 10

Statistics: Visits to state accredited museums, theaters, cinemas per 1,000 of inhabitants 1997 - 2017

Museums Theater Cinema Museums 1913

Cinema 1275

Theater

515

1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 1997 1998 2000 2001 2003 2004 2006 2007 2009 2010 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017

Many Latvians go to museums, but they do it on rare occasions

Survey of Latvian population: Frequency of museum visits (%)

In the past 3 years In the last year

52 44 36 31

17 9 3 1 2 0,3 2 2

Not once 1-2 times 3-5 times 6-10 times More than 10 times No answer

In a long-term the number of visitors does not increase, but increases the frequency of their visits

Survey of Latvian population: Proportion of museum visitors 2007 – 2018 (%)

54 52 47 46 43 41 38

2007 2008 2009 2010 2014 2016 2018

About a half of Latvian population has attended the Museum Night

Survey of Latvian population: Attendance of Museum Night (%)

25 12 9 1

Not once One time/year 2 times/years 3 times/years No answer

The Museum Night attracts a very small number of new visitors

Museum Night does not stimulate to visit museums on a regular basis.

Survey of Latvian population: Relationship between museum attendance and attendance of the Museum Night (%)

Have attended Museum Night Have visited museums 12 24 54 46 76 88 88 76 46 54 24 12

All (n=1040) Those who have Those who have not All (n=1040) Those who have Those who have not visited visited museums attended Museum attended Museum museums(n=557) (n=483) Night (n=480) Night (n=560) Have attended Museum Night Have not attended Museum Night Have visited museums Have not visited museums Museum visitors feel very positive about the opportunities offered by museums, but many feel not enough informed about them.

Survey of Latvian population: Detailed evaluation of museums (%)

Disagree Agree

It is pleasant to be at a museum -8 87

Museum personell is nice and welcoming -7 87

Latvian museums are interesting and exciting -13 84

I would definitely suggest to visit a museum to my friends -9 84

Working hours of museums fit to my schedule -16 77

Museums offer plenty of opportunities to interact (to touch, to -19 74 listen, to feel) There are enough interactive, technologiacl and multimedia -20 67 opportunities at the museums

The ticket prices are adequate -29 65

I have been well informed about whats going on in museums -38 58

Every fourth inhabitant of Latvia is not interested in museums, two-thirds might be motivated to visit more regularly.

Survey of Latvian population: Potential to motivate current visitors and non-visitors to visit museums more regularly (%)

Have visited but is not interested to visit more often 11

Have visited and want to visit Have not visited, more often but is interested 46 to visit 18

Have not visited and is not interested to 24

Lover ticket prices, new exhibitions, and recommendations by friends and relatives are main motivating factors for visiting museums more often.

More than one-third of current non-visitors might be motivated to visit a museum.

Survey of Latvian population: Potential motivators for more frequent visits (%) Visit museums Do not visit museum

Discounted tickets or lower ticket prices 39 13 New exhibitions 36 8 A recommendation by a friend or a relative 27 13 Museum Night events 24 5 A guided tour 23 7 For a sake of company/ If somebody organized a visit 17 11 Creative workshops for adults 14 2 Creative workshops for kids 13 2 Regular information and news from museum 11 4 Meetings with experts, artists, historians 10 2 Interactive, digital, multi-medial opportunities 10 2 Lectures, talks, seminars 7 1 Special events 0,3 0,4

Those who visit museums are also more active consumers of other cultural products and acttivities.

Museums do not compete with other types of cultural consumption. Non-visitors tend to prefer to spend their free time outside the field of culture. 13

Survey of Latvian population: Culture consumption by museum visitors and non-visitors (%)

Visit museums Do not visit museums

80 Attended local city or town fests 56 73 Visited sites of cultural heritage 28 63 Wached a culture related show on TV 42 62 Attended events in local culture center 40 61 Visited a pop concert 28 59 Visited an entertainment park 30 57 Finished reading a book 38 53 Attended a show of a local amateur art collective 37 47 Visited an event for families with kids 25 47 Attended a professional thater show 15 46 Visited an exhibition or an art gallery 11 43 Visited a library 24 42 Visited a ZOO in Riga or elsewhere in Latvia 19 40 Attended a movie screening 16 38 Visited a local dance party 27 34 Attended an amateur theater show 15 30 Attended a movie or show in local cultural center 10 29 Attended a music fest (pop or classical) 9 27 Attended a concert of classical or contemporary music 6 22 Attended an opera or a ballet 4 18 Attended a circus show 11

Museum visitors take very active part in cultural and social life.

Survey of Latvian population: Culture participation by visitors and non-vistors (%)

Visit museums Do not visit museums

FOLK GROUP MEMBERSHIP 15 4 Choir 8 1 Folk dance group 3 2 Theater group 3 1 Vocal group 1 0,2 Folk ethnographic collective 1

Folk music group 1

Folk crafts group 1 0,2 Wind orchestra 0,2 0,4 OTHER CULTURAL ACTIVITIES 38 15 Photography 18 6 Craftwork 14 9 Visual arts 6 1 Musical instrument 6 1 Creative IT work 5 2 Creative writing or poetry 3 2 Contemporary dance 2

Music band 1 0,4 DJ-ing 0,4 0,4 OTHER ACTIVITIES 69 40 Environmental conservation 31 20 Fundraising and donation to charities 30 18 Sports and active recreation 25 7 Seminars, classes, workshops 22 6 Social clubs 13 2 Community work 13 4 Volunteering 11 4 Local political acivism 7 3 Crowdfinancing 6 1 NGO activism 3 2 Start-ups and creative industries 1

Political parties 1 0,2 NONE OF THE ABOVE 23 53

Museums are rarely visited together with children

Survey of Latvian population: Museum visits accompanying children or grand-children (%)

All who have underage children or Those who have visited museums grandchildren

Survey of Latvian population: Culture consumption together with children and grandchildren (%) All who have underage children or grandchildren Those who have visited museums

Visited an entertainment park or a theme park 53 64 Attended local city or town fests 40 45 Visited an event for families with kids 37 45 Visited a ZOO in Riga or elsewhere in Latvia 33 40 Read a book 29 38 Visited a museum 28 47 Attended an event at the local cultural center 26 33 Visited sites of cultural heritage (castles, parks, gardens, etc.) 21 29 Attended a circus show 18 20 Visited a library 15 21 Attended a show of a local amateur art collective 15 17 Atended a pop concert 14 18 Attended a movie screening 12 16 Watched a movie or a show in the local culture center 11 16 Wached a culture related show on TV 11 14 Attended a local dance party 8 9 Attended an amateur theater show 8 13 Visited an exhibition or an art gallery 8 13 Attended a professional thater show 8 11 Attended a concert of classical or contemporary music 4 7 Attended an opera or a ballet 4 7 Attended a music fest (pop or classical) 3 4

Every third visit spontaneous and unplanned, only every fourth visit is planned a week or longer in advance.

Museum visitors survey: Spontaneous and planned museum visits (%)

21 18 13 13

A spontaneous visit/ Decided to visit a day Decided to visit a Decided to visit a week Decided to visit more No answer Did not plan to come before couple of day before before than a week ago

Visitors search for information in social networks right before the visit.

Museum visitors survey: Information sources (%)

Did not search for information 33 Social networks (facebook, twitter, instagram,e.a.) 26 Museum website 26 Friends, collegues, relatives 20 Printed media 8 TV and radio 7 Tour guides 5 Advertisements 3 No answer 1

There is surge of museum website visits during the Museum Night, there are twice as little use of museum websites during the rest of the year.

Google Trends data: Search for “muzejs” in internet (relative indicator) 2014 -2018 Note: Numbers indicate an interest about word “muzejs” (museum – in Latvian) in the relation to the peak of the diagram. 100 refers to the highest level of popularity of the unit. 50 indicates of of the highest level of the popularity of the unit.

100

05.01.2014 09.02.2014 16.03.2014 20.04.2014 25.05.2014 29.06.2014 03.08.2014 07.09.2014 12.10.2014 16.11.2014 21.12.2014 25.01.2015 01.03.2015 05.04.2015 10.05.2015 14.06.2015 19.07.2015 23.08.2015 27.09.2015 01.11.2015 06.12.2015 10.01.2016 14.02.2016 20.03.2016 24.04.2016 29.05.2016 03.07.2016 07.08.2016 11.09.2016 16.10.2016 20.11.2016 25.12.2016 29.01.2017 05.03.2017 09.04.2017 14.05.2017 18.06.2017 23.07.2017 27.08.2017 01.10.2017 05.11.2017 10.12.2017 14.01.2018 18.02.2018 25.03.2018 29.04.2018 03.06.2018 08.07.2018 12.08.2018 16.09.2018 21.10.2018 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Google Trends data: Searches for word “muzejs” (museum – in Latvian) in internet (relative indicator) 2014 -2018, tendencies by month Note: Numbers indicate an interest about word “muzejs” (museum – in Latvian) in the relation to the peak of the diagram. 100 refers to the highest level of popularity of the unit. 50 indicates of of the highest level of the popularity of the unit.

100 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Jul01 Jul02 Jul03 Jul04

Jun01 Jun02 Jun03 Jun04

Okt01 Okt02 Okt03 Okt04

Apr01 Apr02 Apr03 Apr04

Feb01 Feb02 Feb03 Feb04

Dec01 Dec02 Dec03 Dec04

Mai01 Mai02 Mai03 Mai04

Aug01 Aug02 Aug03 Aug04

Nov01 Nov02 Nov03 Nov04

Mar01 Mar02 Mar03 Mar04

Janv01 Janv02 Janv03 Janv04

Sept01 Sept02 Sept03 Sept04

The interest about Museum Night is decreasing

Google Trends data: Search for a phrase “muzeju nakts” (museum night – in Latvian) in internet (relative indicator) 2008 - 2018 Numbers indicate an interest about word “muzejs” (museum – in Latvian) in the relation to the peak of the diagram. 100 refers to the highest level of popularity of the unit. 50 indicates of of the highest level of the popularity of the unit.

100

2008-01 2008-04 2008-07 2008-10 2009-01 2009-04 2009-07 2009-10 2010-01 2010-04 2010-07 2010-10 2011-01 2011-04 2011-07 2011-10 2012-01 2012-04 2012-07 2012-10 2013-01 2013-04 2013-07 2013-10 2014-01 2014-04 2014-07 2014-10 2015-01 2015-04 2015-07 2015-10 2016-01 2016-04 2016-07 2016-10 2017-01 2017-04 2017-07 2017-10 2018-01 2018-04 2018-07 2018-10 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Interest in a specific exhibition is the key motivator to visit a museum

Museum visitors survey: Reasons for visit (%)

To see a specific exhibition 33 To inquire into a specifuic topic 18 Sightseeing of the museum building 16 To learn something new or useful 14 Upon recommendation of a friend, a relative, or a collegue 13 Was on my way/ Happened to pass by 13 Family members or friend wanted to visit 13 Wanted to spend quality time with children 11 Tourism 9 I visit this museum regularly 9 Professional interest 9 Wanted to show guests or visitors 8 To get inspiration 7 Got interested from an advertisement 5 Got interested from information in social networks 3

People most often visit museum in a company with somebody

Museum visitors survey: Company with (%)

31 27 26 19

8 4 3 2 1

Alone Husband, wife, Friends, Children Other relatives Parents Guests Grandchildren Granparents partner acquintances

Museum activities towards specific audiences

Most museums have seen significant changes in their audiences

Museum management survey: Evaluation of changes in audience (%)

Hard to tell 2 Yes, it has changed a lot 12 No, it has not changed 24 Yesw, it has changed a little 62

Museum management survey: Changes in the audience (%) The number of visitors is increasing 28 The number of foreign tourists is increasing 25 The museum has reached a new audience 25 The number of visitors is decreasing/ has decreased 13 The number of pupils visiting is increasing 13 The number of families visiting is increasing 12 The number of pupils visiting is decreasing 11 More individual visitors 8 Repeated and regular visits are increasing 6 The young people visit more often 6 Local population visits more often 4 Youth/children visit less often 1

Most museums have invested more in reaching out to potential visitors

Museum management survey: Evaluation of changes in reaching out activities of the museum (%)

Yes, we have changed a lot Hard to tell 16 3

No, we have not Yes, we have changed changed a little 7 75

Museum management survey: Changes in reaching out activities (%)

More intensive marketing 49

Change in ticket policies 33

Change in working hours 26

More active presence in social networks 22

New/ additional services 16

New expositions 14

Development of educational programs 8

Expanded expositions 5

Out-of-museum events and activities 2

Majority of museums plan special activities for pupils, but there is much less work done with youth, seniors, Russian-speakers, and foreign tourists

Museum management survey: Target audiences addressed through specific activities (%)

Pupils 83

Families with children 57

Locals (of the city,town) 52

Youth 39

Seniors 35

Local tourists (from other cities, towns) 35

Teachers 34

Artists 29

Students 23

Creative industry professionals 19

Foreign tourists 17

People with special needs 12

Russian-speakers 10

Latvian citizens in diaspora 9

Scientists 9

A group that corresponds to the specific profile of the museum 9

Tour guides 2

No specific target groups 13

The majority of museums have initiatives for promoting regular visits

Museum management survey: Activities aimed to promote repeated visits (%)

Use of social networks to inform about events and activities 93

Offer to use guided tours 92

Participation in Museum Night 87

Change of expositions and exhibitions 86

Regular update about future events in the museum 79

Partnerships with other museums 78

Creative workshops for children 70

Partnerships with travel agencies and tour guides 64

Discount and free of charge admision policies 62

Visitor satisfaction surveys 60

Lectures, seminars, talks 58

Meetings with experts, artists, historians, e.a. 55

Distribution of information through mailing lists 44

Interactive, digital, and multimedia activities in the museum 41

Creative workshops for adults 37

Museums see an extreme diversity in possible leisure options as the main obstacle for audience growth

Museum management survey: Perceived obstacles for audience growth (%) Not an obstacle Is an obstacle

Too many alternative leisure options available -11 72

No interest in museums in general -20 60

Laziness -19 53

Lack of time -28 47

Distance/ lack of transportation -28 39

Inconvenient working hours of the museum -49 26

General distaste for museums -47 22

Museum offer seen as boring -48 20

Too little activities for families with children -47 20

Poor service in the museums -56 20

Too litle possibilities to interact and participate -47 19

Not enough information -61 18

Poor technical condition of museum building -64 18

Too little interactive, digital and multimedial opprtunities -42 18

Financial obstacles/ too high admission fees -52 17

Language barrier -60 17

Lack of company -48 16

Health issues -53 16

Too little new exhibitions -59 14

Unpleasant museum personell -61 11

Social roles of museums

The role of museums has changed significantly in the past few decades. Museums have transformed from guardians of well-defined national treasures to dynamic and open platforms for social interaction. The preservation, research and communication functions of museums are now seen as being equally important and interrelated. These changes have an impact on what society expects from museums and consequently on how museums are managed, how they define their strategic priorities, and how they communicate with their audiences and partners. The social impact of museums extends from the narrow field of preservation of cultural heritage to wide range of social influence - socio economic development, territorial and regional development, definition of identities. There are museums that embrace and act upon these new functions and opportunities and there are museums that keep their main focus on the preservation.

Latvian legislation defines that museums should collect, preserve, and popularize cultural heritage and make sure that it is used for purposes of education and social development. It is up to each museum to specify what kind of development it aims to trigger and in what areas it hopes to educate the society. Museum mission analysis, interviews with museum management and a survey of museums carried out as a part of this research project sheds light on how museums perceive themselves, what social roles they aim to play and how they interact with other social players.

The results of the museum management survey suggest that museums see themselves primarily as guardians of cultural heritage, and only then as institutions of education and research. The least important is the role of museums in economic development. Museums see themselves as promoters of social integration, but this self-view does not always correspond with actual everyday practices. The investment of Latvian museums in education and social integration could definitely be greater.

Museum management survey: Roles of museums un society (%) Not important Important COLLECTING FUNCTION

Collection and preservation of cultural heritage -1 97

Ensure a present day relevance of the past, both in form and in content 1 95

Streghten national identity and loyalty -2 89

Representation of local identities -4 88

Representation of national identities -7 78

CONNECTING FUNCTION

Strenghten political and social engagement of the population -7 80

Promote dialogue between various groups of society -5 74

Promote partnership among various private and public organizations -3 73

Provide space where individuals can connect with each other -15 70

EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION

Raise the general level of knowledge and intelligence of the society -2 94

Engage in specific in depth research -2 90

Support the system of general education -3 83

Promote creativity -5 74

Support academic research -6 63

REGREATIONAL FUNCTION

Provide an opportunity to recreate and respite -3 86 Provide an opportunity to see personal experince in broader social context -2 82 Provide an opportunity for adventure and entertainment -13 55

ECONOMIC FUNCTION

Promote tourism -2 85

Provide jobs for museum professionals -30 44

Create economically viable services and products -34 41

Strengthen local economies -31 40

Promote local entrepreneurship -39 25

Main challenges in relation between museums and society

To raise the level of awareness and information

The general survey showed that 38% of the population does not feel well informed about museum activities and offered services. Well administered information is a crucial factor for increasing museum attendance. Therefore, museums should invest more planning and care in information and communication activities to make sure that a museum visit is considered among other free time spending options.

To spark and develop interest to visit a museum

While awareness of what is happening in museums is an important precondition for a museum visit, a general interest in museums is crucial. Survey shows that every fourth person in Latvia is not interested in museums, and this group is hardly accessible. At the same time, about 75% of population is potentially ready to visit a museum more often, and every third of those who have not visited a museum is ready to do it. These data suggest that museum information campaigns cannot be plainly informative but should be attractive and intriguing enough to spark interest. In this respect it is worth to consider a match between the museum offering and the societal expectations. Although the majority of the population feels positive about museums, there are some factors that receive some criticism – 16% see the museum working hours as an obstacle for a museum visit, 19% would prefer museums to be more interactive (providing opportunities to listen, touch, feel, and participate), 20% value tickets as being too expensive.

To build upon interest sparked at the Museum Night

The success of the Museum Night shows that museums have a potential to attract wider audience and make visitors to return for another visit. At the same time, Google data reveals that there is twice as much interest in museums during the Museum Night than throughout the year. If the Museum Night can spark this much interest, it is likely that similar initiatives might attract visitors. It is important also note that the Museum Night has not significantly increased the frequency of the museum visits. The majority of those who visit museums during the Museum Night have not become frequent museums visitors and the frequency of museum visits in general has only slightly increased,

To increase frequency of visits

Data shows that a large proportion of the population has been in a museum, but the frequency of visits is very low – most often people visit a museum one or two times a year, and one of those visits is during the Museum 27

Night. Even though the overall number of museum visits is increasing, the proportion of the population that has visited museums has gradually decreased over the past four years. This means that the interest in museums is decreasing and the increase in visits is due to a slight increase in frequency and an increase in visits by specific target groups (foreign tourists and visitors of special events). Also, we should take into account that the overall increase in museum visits in the past three years is partly caused by one-time visits to the newly reconstructed museums (e.g. the Latvian National Museum of Art and Riga Motor Museum together make up about 10% of annual museum visits). Thus, one of the challenges that museums face is to spark an interest to return among those visitors that have been to a museum only once or twice over the past year. Taking into account that the population of Latvia is decreasing and will continue to decrease in long-term, the focus on regular visitors should be a priority. The value added of regular visitors is also their social circles (of family, friends, and relatives) that they bring into the museum or that visit museum upon their recommendation.

To broaden the content of museums by strengthening its social role

The survey shows that museums currently are perceived as places to see specific exhibitions or expositions. New exhibitions are the main reason for deciding to visit a museum for the first time or repeatedly. A part of population points out that additional activities in a museum – creative workshops for children or meetings with experts, artists, and historians – would be a reason for their return visit. Consequently, it is clear that society is eager to come to museum for activities other than exhibitions. Although many museums offer guided tours and other activities, the existing offering of museums is attractive only for a part of the population. In this respect it is worth considering the diversity of roles museums might play in a society. Survey of visitors and non-visitors show that museums successfully fulfill the function of collection and its popularization but are not associated with other potential social functions. For example, overall museums currently are not perceived as places to meet others, to debate, co-create, participate, and learn. The demand for additional museum activities points to unused potential to enroll in other social rolls, such as take part in life-long education, meaningful entertainment and recreation, socialization and social integration. This demand is in line with museum development tendencies abroad, where museums work in partnerships with NGOs and make significant contribution to life-long learning, education, social integration, as well as social work, public health, environmental protection, and social rehabilitation.

Broadening of museum audiences

Survey data shows that museums are very successful in attracting the following target groups: women, pupils, age group 15-34, Latvian speakers, those with higher education, those with high level of income (above 600 28

EUR per month per a family member), families with 3 or more under-age children, and Riga residents. Museums are much less successful in attracting the following target groups: men, age group 65-74, Russian speakers, those with secondary or professional education, unemployed, those with low level of income (299 EUR per month per a family member), single adults without under-age children, rural residents. Also, the survey of museum management shows that the majority of museums have special programs for pupils, families with children and for local population, but very few museums have any special activities and programs for Russian speakers, people with special needs, foreign and local tourists, or youth. This observation is in line with previously discussed need for museums to take on more diverse social roles. It is important to note that although families with children are well represented among museum visitors, only 1/3 of people with children or grandchildren have visited museums. It is possible that the museum offering is seen as inappropriate for children audience.

To evaluate the impact of the Museum Night on the development of the sector

Although the Museum Night activities attract large audiences and is one the most attended cultural events in Latvia, there is many reasons to discuss more thoroughly its role in the general museum scene in Latvia. Population survey shows that the Museum Night does not increase frequency of museum visits – in long-term the number of museum visits has not increased significantly, and in the past four years the proportion of population that has visited museums has actually decreased. Also, data shows that the Museum Night attract only a small proportion of current non-visitors, the majority of those who attend the Museum night has visited a museum 1 or 2 times a year. It is important to stress that it does not mean that they would visit a museum if there was no Museum Night. It would be more precise to argue that the Museum Night stimulates interest about museums and motivates people to visit museums during this special occasion, but it does not have any significant long-term effect on museum visits outside this occasion. Thus, in conclusion from everything said above it would be important to have a discussion among museum professionals on the overall effect of the Museum Night. Such necessity for a discussion is also seen from the survey of museum management – 59% believes that the Museum Night is in need of a reform (14% argue that this initiative should be canceled and should be replaced by alternative events, while others suggest various improvements and changes).