Latvian National Museum of Art started the volunteer program in 2009.  Initially it was called a program of Museum Ambassadors. It was created due to the the global crisis  and  the economical situation in the country.

The museum offered a chance for people who had lost their jobs to become museum ambassadors i.e. they were invited to visit exibitions and various activities in the museum free of charge and afterwards spread the information about the museum and share their personal experience among their friends and via social networks. Thus people with limited income were given  an opportunity to enrich their knowledge in art and culture  and the museum  had a chance to receive a feedback from  visitors.

Gradually the number of people interested in volunteering started to grow and the program was expanded. The “ambassadors” started to participate in various museum activities by giving practical help, donating their free time and using their specific skills. For example, volunteers  gave helping hand  in the organization of theMuseum Night.

During the Year of Volunteering in Europe (2011) a number of new volunteers willing to help the museum  with their language skills, skills in graphic design and photography, who were happy to give a helping hand in practical work  joined the program.

The program gives to its participants an exceptional opportunity to learn more about the museum “from inside”, to belong to the museum.  Volunteers get acquainted with the everyday activities of the five departments of the museum – the main building (under reconstruction now), the exibition hall Arsenals, the museum of Romans Suta and Aleksandra Belcova and the museum of Decorative Arts and Design and the art museum Riga Bourse thus enabling them to volunteer in any of the departments.

The volunnteers have an opportunity to  widen their knowledge about art,  meet interesting people at the same time  doing very useful work and promoting a dialogue between the museum and general public.

For more information, please call or e-mail:

Annija Sauka (+371) 67 324461, annija.sauka@lnmm.lv