On March 8 students from grades 10 and 11 of the Jelgava Spīdola State Gymnasium, accompanied by the artist Eva Vēvere, visited the sneakers-themed exhibition Sneakers: Eco X Ego at the Pauls Stradiņš Medicine History Museum. The exhibition tells the story of consumer desires (ego) as opposed to responsible consumption and the use of environmentally friendly materials (eco). The exhibition was created in the context of medical history and orthopedic technologies.
One could explore the exhibition either independently, using a map and taking part in a group discussion afterwards, or by following the guide and then participating in a workshop on sneaker design. The workshop featured six separate assignments the students could solve as a team as they went about making a new model of sports shoes. Following the practical part, each team could present their work to the others, defending their creative and practical decisions. The students were also assigned the extra task of examining the creative media and curatorial methods used in the exhibition.
In the next meeting, the students of the Spīdola Gymnasium are to take the artist on a field trip through Jelgava that they’ve designed themselves, using the topics that had been outlined in their previous workshops on contemporary art.

A heartfelt thanks to the Pauls Stradiņš Medicine History Museum for their cooperation!

The photos from the visit were authored by Lita Millere.