Iveta Derkusova, the director of the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMA), has issued a stark warning regarding the institution’s financial stability. Facing skyrocketing utility costs and mounting expenses for essential outsourced services, the museum is struggling to maintain its operational integrity under a strained, centralized budget.
Operational Pressures and Financial Realities
- The museum operates under a single, unified budget rather than individual allocations for its various branches, forcing constant internal competition for funding.
- The museum’s core exhibition and programming costs are not financed by the state.
- Utility and service costs have surged, creating a significant “stress point” that necessitates the museum’s reliance on its own generated revenue to cover operational expenses.
Derkusova, who stepped into the director’s role four months ago following the long tenure of Māra Lāce, brings 31 years of institutional experience to the position. Despite her deep familiarity with the museum’s internal mechanics, the current fiscal environment presents a complex challenge. In a recent appearance on the program Kultūrdeva, Derkusova highlighted that the museum’s administrative structure is largely invisible to the public, but internally, it requires a delicate balancing act to ensure each branch—such as the Riga Bourse or the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design—maintains its curatorial identity while sharing a common pot of resources.
Pirmo reizi "Kultūrdevā" viesojas @LNMM_muzejs direktore Iveta Derkusova. @HenrietaVerho sarunājas ar jaunajiem talantiem – dramaturgu un režisoru Gustu Ābeli, kā arī kinorežisoru Edgaru Haritončenko. Skaties svētdien, 4. oktobrī, plkst. 17.00 un https://t.co/MZ5t8MaAOG! pic.twitter.com/anhAfWniRl
The Funding Gap and Institutional Sustainability
The financial pressure is so acute that it dictates public access policies. For instance, the tradition of offering free entry to the museum’s permanent collections on the last Sunday of each month does not extend to temporary exhibitions. Derkusova clarified that this distinction is born of necessity: the permanent collection represents the “baseline service” to society, whereas temporary exhibitions cannot be sustained without ticket revenue.
| Operational Area | Primary Funding Source | Financial Status |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance & Utilities | State Budget | Highly Strained |
| Exhibition Programming | Own Revenue | Underfunded |
| Staff Compensation | State Budget | Non-competitive |
The disparity in compensation remains a primary concern for the director. Derkusova noted that when comparing the professional requirements and competency levels of staff at the LNMA with their counterparts in Estonia, Latvian museum professionals are significantly underpaid. “Estonian art museum colleagues receive twice the salary,” Derkusova stated, emphasizing that the lack of a minimum wage floor for those with advanced academic degrees, such as master’s or doctoral qualifications, is a systemic failure in how the state values its cultural institutions.
Strategic Priorities and the Future of the Arsenāls
Looking toward the 2028 reopening of the Arsenāls exhibition hall, Derkusova views it as a necessary step in filling the void left by the absence of a dedicated contemporary art museum in Latvia. While she cautions that Arsenāls will not function as a contemporary art museum in the strict European sense, it will serve as the primary venue for contemporary discourse within the LNMA structure. This is particularly vital as the museum navigates the complexities of collecting contemporary work, where the “physical substance” of an installation must be weighed against the long-term sustainability of its preservation.
Derkusova remains firm on the need for a shift in political rhetoric regarding national values. She argues that true commitment to a national state must manifest in the concrete support of memory institutions—libraries, museums, and archives. “We talk an enormous amount about the national state and national values,” she remarked. “I would like that talk to be reflected in the attitude and understanding of what the functions of national cultural institutions are, and how the state realizes this national idea through adequate funding.”
As she settles into her leadership role, Derkusova’s current priority is clear: ensuring the team has the administrative backing to see the projects through. “I am an administrative support and interpreter between the administrative and professional side so that colleagues can do their work well,” she said.
With the museum’s future dependent on balancing these internal pressures against the need for international relevance, the coming year will serve as a critical test for her administration. How do you think the cultural sector can best advocate for these structural changes in a climate of tightening public budgets?
