On Thursday, 17 October, Latvijas Banka will issue a collector coin "Building the Unbuilt", dedicated to Marta Staņa, a distinguished architect known for her work in the Latvian modernist style. The Dailes Theatre building is her most notable realised work, whereas many other of her projects have remained unrealised. In her role as a teacher, she has inspired many up-and-coming artists, designers, and other creative professionals.
Marta Staņa is a renowned figure in the history of architecture, design, and art. Her architectural creations were realised between the 1950s and the 1970s. While most of her works have not been preserved in their original form, Staņa's most significant achievement – the Dailes Theatre building – continues to fulfil its cultural role with pride and stands as a lasting testament to modernist architecture, remaining accessible to the public today.
Marta Staņa mixed cutting-edge ideas for museum, café, and office buildings, and possibilities offered by form and innovative materials with empathy for the environment, nature, and people. The architect designed the space and its objects as a cohesive ensemble, and introduced this principle in design education. Moreover, Marta Staņa was a gifted artist, vividly bringing her architectural concepts to life through visualisations on paper.
The architect also held teaching positions at Riga School of Design and Art and the Art Academy of Latvia. Her approach has inspired several generations of artists, stage designers, interior designers, and designers.
The coin features fragments of Marta Staņa's project sketches: two of her most notable works in Riga – the Dailes Theatre building and the experimental multi-apartment residential building at Brīvības iela 313 – alongside her unrealised projects: sketches for a viewing tower on Gaiziņkalns, Rēzekne open-air stage, Budapest National Theatre, and elements of landscape design and trees, which together represent the complexity of Marta Staņa's architectural practice.
The graphic design of the coin was created by Rūta Jumīte, artist and multidisciplinary designer. This marks her debut in coin art.
The collector coin will be available for purchase only on the website e-monetas.lv/en from 12:00 (noon) on 17 October. The price of the coin is 85.00 euro; the purchase limit for one buyer will be 3 coins. The mintage of the coin is 2500. The coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands).
Latvijas Banka expresses its gratitude to the Latvian Museum of Architecture for the support offered in the process of creating this coin.
