University of Tartu Centre for Arts to close doors

The Centre for Arts of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy will cease its activities from 31 August 2021. The professorship of liberal arts and the courses of the master’s curriculum of Teacher of Arts and Technology taught at the centre will continue.

The development of creative activities remains important for the University of Tartu. Thus the professorship of liberal arts will continue under the Institute of Cultural Research from 1 September. The courses of the master’s curriculum of Teacher of Arts and Technology that have taken place at the Centre for Arts remain to be managed by Viljandi Culture Academy. Students will have the opportunity to complete the courses of this spring semester at the Centre for Arts. From autumn, optional arts and culture courses can be taken from Viljandi Culture Academy and other institutes of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Activities for which students used to get credit points via the Centre for Arts continue at Üliõpilasmaja.

Director of Viljandi Culture Academy Juko-Mart Kõlar said the decision to close the Centre for Arts was a difficult one, as the long-time employees of the centre have performed their work very well and with commitment. The main reason for closing the centre lies in the long-lasting underfunding of higher education. In this situation, the university must continuously assess which activities it can keep up and which it cannot.

“My main task as the director of the academy is to ensure the sustainable development of Viljandi Culture Academy, but unfortunately, our financial situation did not allow that. Several central curricula have been underfunded and in the conditions of the increasing salary pressure, it was more and more difficult to negotiate with teaching staff working under authorisation agreements, who make up the majority of our teaching staff,“ said Kõlar.

Juko-Mart Kõlar thanked all employees of the Centre for Arts for their dedicated work and assured the students that all compulsory courses of the master’s curriculum will take place as planned this spring.

The Centre for Arts located in the Old Anatomical Theatre in Tartu was created in September 2017 to coordinate art studies at the University of Tartu and support students in acquiring and applying their main specialisation.

Further information: Juko-Mart Kõlar, Director of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, juko-mart.kolar@ut.ee