In collaboration between SOCINTEGRA and the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMM), with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, a new and unique tour format has been created – an opportunity to explore the exhibition with the guide “Feel and Hear the Art." The route has been developed with people with visual impairments in mind, but everyone interested is welcome to join.

To provide a fuller opportunity for this part of society to experience visual art and to raise public awareness of the importance of accessibility solutions in the museum environment, a specially adapted guided tour has been created in LNMM’s permanent exhibition “Latvian Art. 19th–20th Century.”

Participants will be able to sense the world of Latvian visual art by listening to audio descriptions of artworks, exploring tactile reproductions of paintings, and touching selected museum interior elements and sculptures.

The audio descriptions and tactile materials will reveal masterpieces by Jānis Rozentāls, Vilhelms Purvītis, Teodors Zaļkalns, and other artists.

Although the tour is designed with special attention to the needs of people with visual impairments, anyone interested is invited to take part.

SOCINTEGRA Chairperson Marija Kožarina emphasizes: “For us at SOCINTEGRA, this project with the Art Museum is truly special, because it makes art more accessible to people with visual impairments and creates equal opportunities for all museum visitors. We sincerely hope that such initiatives will become examples and inspire other museums!”

LNMM Head of Education and Accessibility Department Laura Dravniece adds: “The opportunity for everyone to experience art and the museum environment is extremely important. We are genuinely pleased that this offer – the first such deeply developed program for people with visual difficulties – is a significant step toward a more inclusive museum. In the future, we hope to expand both the range of audio descriptions and tactile materials, encouraging even more engaging ways to explore Latvian art.”

The project was implemented through interdisciplinary collaboration between the museum team, the SOCINTEGRA association, accessibility specialist Katrīna Rudzīte, and with consultations from teachers and students of the Rīga Strazdumuiža School. The audio descriptions were recorded by actor Gerds Lapoška.

The audio descriptions used in the tour are also available digitally – on the LNMM website and in the mobile app “Mākslas muzejs” (“Art Museum”). They can be listened to during individual museum visits or remotely. The mobile app can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store.

During the tour, participants can explore the following artworks:

• Johann Heinrich Baumann, Portrait of the Merchant Georg Conrad Nestor, early 19th century
• Jānis Rozentāls, From the Meadow, 1903
• Jānis Rozentāls, The Black Snake Ground the Flour, 1903
• Vilhelms Purvītis, Thaw, before 1910
• Romans Suta, Still Life with Triangle and Ruler, 1924
• Teodors Zaļkalns, Pig, 1937
• Kārlis Padegs, Madonna with a Machine Gun, 1932

The project was made possible with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia