Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre Board
Museum Staff
Sarma Muižniece Liepiņa
Chairperson
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, Sarma lives in Boston, USA since 1984. She attended Kursa Latvian Summer School and the Latvian Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany. She holds a degree in art and public policy. She is a former co-owner of the gallery Artistic License, has worked at Harvard Widener Library with Baltic books, and is the former head of the Culture Section of the American Latvian Association and the ALA Cultural Fund.
Sarma is a recipient of the Jānis Bieriņš, Ēriks Raisters and Andris Ritmanis memorial fund awards for her poetry and community work for Latvia. She is a board member of the American Latvian Artist Association, board member and archivist for the American Latvian national league (ALTS) founded in 1918, and manages the Boston Latvian Library.
She is a co-organiser of the alternative Latvian culture and design days (rainis/ marfa, light/marfa, art/marfa) in the desert in Marfa, Texas. Sarma has spent many years gathering documentation and finding new homes for unique Latvian objects, Latvian art and rare publications.
Chairperson for the Board of the Latvian Abroad Museum and Research Centre since 2020.
Marianna Auliciema
Board Member
Born in Toronto, Canada, Marianna grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Since 2001 she has lived with her family in Riga. Marianna holds a degree in anthropology and museology and has worked as curator in museums in Queensland and Victoria, Australia. She has a special interest in life story collections and their use in interpreting historical objects.
She is the author and creator of several Latvians Abroad projects and exhibition ideas. Founding member of the Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre association, board member 2007-2011; 2013-2018; 2020-…
E-mail: marianna.auliciema@lapamuzejs.lv
Ieva Vītola
Board Member
Born in Sigulda, Latvia, Ieva is a descendant of Latvians from Bashkortostan. Ieva is a graduate of the Latvian Academy of Culture with a Bachelor’s degree in Traditional Culture and Folklore. Her Master’s and PhD studies focussed on the theory and history of culture. Ieva received her PhD in 2007.
Ieva has managed and worked on many cultural, educational, and research projects representing various organisations, both governmental and non-governmental (Latvian Academy of Culture, Turaida Museum Reserve, Interdisciplinary Art Groups SERDE, Krimulda Region Friends of History Society, Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre, Vidzeme Planning Region). She has prepared and is the author of several scientific and popular scientific publications.
Ieva has been a member of the Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre Association since 2009, and board member 2009-2014, 2020 -.
E-mail: ieva.vitola@lapamuzejs.lv
Maija (Veinbergs) Hinkle
Board Member
Born in Latvia, grew up in Washington DC, and currently resides in the USA. She has a PhD in biophysics, taught for 15 years at Cornell University in the USA, and is the author of articles on neurobiology.
Since 1989 Maija has devoted herself to gathering, organising, using and promoting oral history and life stories in the USA and Latvia. She is the initiator and manager of the American Latvian Association’s Oral History project, and the initiator and co-manager of volunteer oral history gathering expeditions in Latvia (1995-2003). Maija has organised the oral history and history of diaspora sections at 3×3 camps for many years (main topics: ethnic identity and feeling of belonging for Latvians living abroad). She is the owner and manager of Mežābele publishing, and author of many presentations and articles published in popular and professional forums. She is the co-compiler of several books.
Maija is the initiator and founder of the Latvians Abroad Museum and was chair of the board 2007-2013, 2014-2020. Board member 2021 -.
E-mail: maija.hinkle@lapamuzejs.lv
Uldis Dimiševskis
Board member
Uldis has spent a number of years in Ottawa, Canada where he lived, studied and worked. He was an active member of the Ottawa Latvian community. He is a graduate of the Latvian Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany and studied art history at McGill and Queen’s Universities in Canada. He gained experience working at the Art and Photography Section of the Canadian National Archives.
After extensive work in the Latvian cinema environment and at the National Cinema Centre, Uldis now works as the Latvians Abroad Museum Collection Manager, participating in the development of the Museum collections, object registration, handling and digitisation.
E-mail: uldis.dimisevskis@lapamuzejs.lv
Uldis Dimiševskis
Executive director
Uldis has spent a number of years in Ottawa, Canada where he lived, studied and worked. He was an active member of the Ottawa Latvian community. He is a graduate of the Latvian Gymnasium in Muenster, Germany and studied art history at McGill and Queen’s Universities in Canada. He gained experience working at the Art and Photography Section of the Canadian National Archives.
After extensive work in the Latvian cinema environment and at the National Cinema Centre, Uldis now works as the Latvians Abroad Museum Collection Manager, participating in the development of the Museum collections, object registration, handling and digitisation.
E-mail: uldis.dimisevskis@lapamuzejs.lv
Marianna Auliciema
Collection Curator
Born in Toronto, Canada, Marianna grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Since 2001 she has lived with her family in Riga. Marianna holds a degree in anthropology and museology and has worked as curator in museums in Queensland and Victoria, Australia. She has a special interest in life story collections and their use in interpreting historical objects.
She is the author and creator of several Latvians Abroad projects and exhibition ideas. Founding member of the Latvians Abroad Museum and Research Centre association, board member 2007-2011; 2013-2018; 2020-…
E-mail: marianna.auliciema@lapamuzejs.lv
Guna Dancīte
Head Collection Manager
Studied history and archaeology at the University of Latvia. Participated in various archaeological excavations in Latvia, Sweden, Nicaragua. Worked at school and in several Latvian museums, maintaining an interest in history and human stories. Actively participated in the student corporation for several years.
Works at the museum “Latvians Abroad” since 2019. Currently responsible of the collection, taking care of all museum items, their documentation and digitization.
E-mail: guna.dancite@lapamuzejs.lv
Danute Grīnfelde
Museum Educator and Communication Specialist
Master of History with experience in implementing diverse cultural heritage education projects. She began her career as a history teacher and continued in the Education Department of the Latvian Occupation Museum, later creating educational programs for other museums.
Danute began working with the museum “Latvians in the World” in 2019, helping to coordinate the escape room and exhibition Refugee Paths and the orientation game Riga 1944. Since July 2022, she has been responsible for the education and communications of the museum.
Brigita Tamuža
Historian, Librarian
Brigita graduated from the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Latvia in 1986. In 2013 the qualification was equated to a Master’s degree. She has worked as a history teacher, journalist, human resources expert, and project manager. From 2000 to 2017 she was chairperson of the board and project manager for the Society of Friends of Latvians in Brazil.
Working together with the Latvians Abroad Museum, in 2009 Brigita participated in researching the cultural archive of South American Latvians in Brazil and in 2011 took part in its transportation to Latvia and the making of a documentary about the Vārpa colony in Brazil. She has also participated in several research expeditions (2011 and 2013 Brazil, 2014 Canada, 2015 Siberia, 2017 Pskov Region and Argentina, 2018 Bashkortostan).
From 2014 to 2018 Brigita volunteered as treasurer, and now serves as librarian.
E-pasts: brigita.tamuza@lapamuzejs.lv
Kristiāna Kuzmina
Collections Manager
Master of Arts in Baltic Philology from the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia.
Kristiāna gained her professional experience at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music as an art expert and researcher of Latvian exile literature. She has also worked at the Riga Central Library as a chief librarian.
Since her studies, her main research interests have been related to Latvian exile culture, literature, and the preservation of local cultural heritage.
She has participated in several international scientific conferences, published articles, reviews, and literary works in several Latvian literary journals and the journal “Jaunā Gaita”.
E-mail: kristiana.kuzmina@lapamuzejs.lv
Authors of the Museum Idea
Maija (Veinbergs) Hinkle
Author of the Museum Idea
Born in Latvia, grew up in Washington DC, and currently resides in the USA. She has a PhD in biophysics, taught for 15 years at Cornell University in the USA, and is the author of articles on neurobiology.
Since 1989 Maija has devoted herself to gathering, organising, using and promoting oral history and life stories in the USA and Latvia. She is the initiator and manager of the American Latvian Association’s Oral History project, and the initiator and co-manager of volunteer oral history gathering expeditions in Latvia (1995-2003). Maija has organised the oral history and history of diaspora sections at 3×3 camps for many years (main topics: ethnic identity and feeling of belonging for Latvians living abroad). She is the owner and manager of Mežābele publishing, and author of many presentations and articles published in popular and professional forums. She is the co-compiler of several books.
Maija is the initiator and founder of the Latvians Abroad Museum and was chair of the board 2007-2013, 2014-2020. Board member 2021 -.
E-mail: maija.hinkle@lapamuzejs.lv
Ints Dzelzgalvis
Author of the Museum Idea
With a background in mathematics, Ints has made a career at IBM, managing computer system design projects. He has been a board member for the Latvian Foundation Inc. and the Latvian Cultural Organisation TILTS. He was the Latvians Abroad treasurer until 2013. He participated in setting up the Diaspora Latvian Museum Fund in the USA. Ints resides in the USA.