Proud to be one of the supporters of this great idea

THE STORY OF THE CALENDAR

This is a unique calendar.

The idea of this project was conceived four years ago by pure chance. This is a fantastic story of how – in spite of limited resources – it is possible to craft a truly beautiful and exclusive product. The calendar was created by people and companies united in sincerity and enthusiasm, and the driver of participation was outstanding results and not short-term profit.

In the spring of 2012, artist Kristīne Luīze Avotiņa responded to my request to draw a greeting card for a friend. As usual with Luīze’s work, the result was somewhat close to an A3-size painting. My gratitude was boundless, but Luīze refused any kind of payment. I took this case to heart and promised myself to reciprocate in kind. Autumn, the time when calendars are produced, was approaching, and while pondering over the next corporate calendar for our printing house, I realised that I could no longer accept the standard format of a three-piece calendar with a date marker slide. Thus, I felt that there should be a calendar that is just as vibrant and large as the greeting card made by Kristīne Luīze Avotiņa.

Kristīne Luīze agreed to donate 12 of her pieces for the calendar; the design agency promised to make the layout and took care of the overall design; the paper merchants provided their best paper; the material suppliers offered their services for spiral binding, lamination, and type form; and the post-processing specialists provided special effects. No one asked for any remuneration for their participation, and everyone received a definite number of calendars. All that was left to us was printing and packaging the calendars.

The entire process was a pleasant endeavour with everyone investing a share of their talent, time and experience. All of us were delighted with the result and decided that the project must be brought to a broader audience. Even in organising a presentation, we managed to find supporters to provide not only premises but also drinks and snacks. These supporters became our friends and remain so to date.

The project has now turned into a tradition. We seek artists, conjure special effects and play with colours and ideas. Each year, more and more people find out that the calendar cannot be bought, for it is impossible to place a monetary value on the energy and skills invested by the participants. However, the calendar may be given to somebody as a gift, because it is made for special individuals, like you.

DIANA NOVICKA