History and Future: House of Arts and Its White Shadow

STYLE labán, Hana Puchová, Jiří Šigut). V tomto ohledu by měly být aktivity všech institucí masivnější. Teď trochu osobně. Co byste, Vy osobně, doporučil návštěvníkům Moravskoslezského kraje ke zhlédnutí, a to nejen ve výstavních prostorách galerie? Jsem velmi rád, že na poli výtvarného umění je v Ostravě mnoho kvalitních příležitostí. Mimořádné i z mezinárodního pohledu je Milan Dobeš Museum v Dolních Vítkovi- cích, zajímavé jsou aktivity na Dole Michal, interesantní výstavy se konají v galeriích Sokolská 26, Fiducia, Jáma 10 a dalších. V neposlední řadě je třeba zmínit i ostravské PLATO, které velmi progresivně vytváří živý prostor současného umění. Pane řediteli, děkujeme Vám za rozhovor. Redakce magazínu. History and Future: House of Arts and Its White Shadow Mgr. Jiří Jůza, Ph.D. is the CEO of the Gallery of Fine Arts (Galerie výtvarného umění) in Ostrava (GVUO). Under his management the regional gallery has grown into a highly respected institution of national importance, annually attended by over 100,000 visitors. Mgr. Jiří Jůza is the Chair of the Association of Galleries of the Czech Republic (Rada galerií České republiky), a member of purchasing and cultural committees, councils and special teams at the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Czech galleries, and City institutions. Mr Jůza, fine arts in Ostrava typically relate to and reflect its industries and hard work. What is the present and future focus of GVUO? Industry has played a significant role in the view of the arts. First, the foundation of the House of Arts (Dům umění) was closely connected to important industrialists (Eduard Šebela, Oskar Federer, and other) who contributed to its plans and operation. Fine arts have always reflected industry as an element shaping the city and its social issues. Currently, the gallery is a contributory organization of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It is a traditional museum of arts with an outstanding collection of masterpieces from the late Middle Ages up to the present. I believe we have earned a significant position amongst regional galleries. We successfully organize significant projects and do whatever an institution like ours is supposed to. I am very happy that various awards in contests such as Gloria Musealis, Czech Grand Design, Most Beautiful Czech Book of the Year (Nejkrásnější česká kniha roku), the Amber Award (Cena Jantar) prove our quality and confirm the direction we’re heading. We are not in competition with national galleries with much greater budgets, staff and room, however, we made the best and most efficient use of what the House of Arts allows. Still we know that our potential and opportunities are bigger. “Black Ostrava” is history. What is the future you plan for the White Shadow, an extension of the House of Arts? The White Shadow is our future, a crucial element in development with great potential in the region. It will house presentations of our collections, exhibitions and supporting programmes; it will allow education and become a true community centre open to any generation and individual interests. Even in 1926 the House of Arts was considered a key organization for improving our understanding of history and local identity; it was an important centre of education and leisure. Almost a hundred years later, there are still some barriers. Worst of all is the lack of permanent expositions to bring in school excursions. Schools are interested but we cannot respond to their demand. There is a huge difference in our activities with or without the White Shadow--going into details would produce an entire book. You are the chairman of the Association of Galleries of the Czech Republic. What is the position of fine arts of our region in the context of the whole Czech Republic? By national comparison, our region is doing well. Artists of Ostrava have a good reputation also thanks to the Faculty of Arts generating very interesting personalities. On the other hand, our geography as well as insufficient official support put certain limits on our efforts. We never forget that and do our best to improve that situation. Even that may be not enough. We organize exhibitions and prepare publications promoting significant local artists (e.g. Daniel Balabán, Hana Puchová, Jiří Šigut), and feel that such support from all relevant institutions should be greater. Now personally: what would you recommend visitors to the Moravian-Silesian Region see in and out of the exhibition halls of your gallery? I am very happy that Ostrava offers so many good opportunities to enjoy fine arts. Even by international standards, the Milan Dobeš Museum in Lower Area Vítkovice is an extraordinary experience. There are very attractive events at Michal Mine (Důl Michal), interesting exhibitions to be found at Sokolská 26, Fiducia, Jáma 10 and other galleries. Last but not least, Plato is a very progressive living space for contemporary arts. Thank you very much for the interview. Editorial of Magazine. Text: redakce Foto: Martin Straka www.gvuo.cz POSITIV 2/2019 ǀ 103