Saldus Art School (Latvian: Saldus Mākslas skola) is a public art education institution located in Saldus, Latvia, specializing in visual arts training for children and youth.
History. The school was founded on March 22, 1984, by decision No. 36 of the Saldus District TDP Executive Committee, and began operations on October 3, 1984, initially with 50 students.
Curriculum. The school offers a seven-year program consisting of drawing, painting, sculpture, introduction to the language of art, composition, and work with material. Students participate in nature studies (green practice) each summer in June. In the final semester of the seventh school year, students create graduation pieces such as wall paintings, ceramics, mosaics, paintings on silk, graphics, and other artworks displayed in public places.
Student body and staff. Approximately 130 students from ages eight to sixteen attend the school three times per week after their regular school lessons. The teaching staff includes ten professionals: painters, ceramic artists, designers, and an architect. The headmistress is Vēsma Krūmiņa.
Facilities. The school shares a building with the Saldus Music School, designed by the architecture firm MADE arhitekti. Completed in 2013, the building was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award (2015) and received the Grand Prix in the Latvian Architecture Award (2012). The two schools operate independently while sharing common spaces such as the lobby, cloakroom, and concert hall.
Projects and community engagement. The school offers courses and master classes for both children and adults during the school year and summer. In cooperation with the Council of Saldus, it organizes an open-air workshop during the summer months, with participants from Latvia as well as from Saldus's twin towns: Paide (Estonia), Mažeikiai (Lithuania), and Sergiyev Posad (Russia).
