Rothko Museum Opens Applications for Its 2026 Symposium Season
The Rothko Museum invites artists from around the world to take part in its 2026 symposium programme – a year of inspiring encounters and creative exploration in painting, printmaking, and ceramics. Four major international events will bring together artists, ideas, and cultures, continuing the museum’s mission to foster artistic dialogue beyond borders in the birthplace of Mark Rothko.
The Latgale Graphic Art Symposium is the largest event of its kind in the Latgale region, distinguished by its strong international pull. Organised in partnership with SIVIA, it strengthens the presence of printmaking in the region and places Latgale firmly on the world’s cultural map as a space rich in artistic traditions and alive with contemporary impulses. The symposium’s fourteenth instalment will take place from 23 February to 8 March 2026. Applications are open until 2 January.
The Ceramic Laboratory Symposium, organised by the Rothko Museum in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics, offers a dynamic and experimental platform for creative exploration. Each year brings leading artists from across the world, who spend nearly three weeks in Daugavpils creating in a range of firing techniques – from electric kilns and wood firing to more innovative, experimental methods. Ceramic Laboratory 2026 will mark the symposium’s fourteenth edition, running from 26 April to 16 May, with applications accepted until 31 January.
The Valdis Bušs Plein Air has evolved from a regional collaboration between the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils and the Balvi Municipality. Held in Viļaka – a picturesque small town in eastern Latvia – the plein air honours Latvian landscape master Valdis Bušs in his native region, positioning Viļaka as an appealing international residency location marked by quality, professionalism, and sustainable growth. The tenth instalment, Valdis Bušs 2026, will take place from 20 to 30 July, with applications open until 30 April.
The Mark Rothko Painting Symposium pays tribute to the legendary founder of abstract expressionism in his birthplace, Daugavpils. Open to Latvian and international artists alike, it welcomes those who feel a connection to Rothko’s painterly language and philosophical depth. Celebrating the symposium’s twenty-second edition, Mark Rothko 2026 will run from 18 September to 3 October. Applications are open until 1 June.
Further information about each event and the application process is available here.
Be part of the story – create where Mark Rothko’s own began.
The Rothko Museum’s international symposium programme is supported by the Daugavpils City Council and Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.
Publicity image: Rothko Museum, photographed by Pāvels Terentjevs
