Description de l'organisation

The International Centre of Graphic Arts (MGLC) houses Tivoli Mansion, which stands at the end of Jakopič Promenade in the heart of the largest and most beautiful Tivoli Park and can be reached by pleasant footpaths. The turbulent history of the mansion began in the 13th century, but it was completely rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century and became a pleasant place of recreation for the citizenry. The International Centre of Graphic Arts was founded in the castle by the City of Ljubljana in 1986. Today the Centre holds an extensive collection of post-war art prints and artist’s books by Slovene and international artists. The gallery is located on the first floor of Tivoli Mansion, where exhibitions of contemporary visual and graphic art are presented regularly. In the Centre’s printmaking studios, which serve as a laboratory for exploring and experimenting with different print techniques, new works are created in the techniques of serigraphy, lithography and intaglio printing. We publish numerous catalogues, books, and other publications. The best-known activity is organization of the International Biennial of Graphic Arts, which has been taking place regularly, without interruption, since 1955, making it the world’s oldest and most important graphic art event. As an exhibition of global dimensions, the Biennial has played an important role in developing the local and international art world and has helped to shape Slovenia’s artistic, cultural, and national identity. The Centre also organizes talks, round tables, professional and social events, themed tours for the public and guided exhibition tours for groups. It offers numerous visual and graphic art programmes for children, school groups and youth, as well as for adults: workshops, printmaking demonstrations, and classes in drawing and printmaking. Everyone is warmly welcomed to attend the cultural and social events and open days. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, for groups by agreement. The Art Caffe Tivoli coffee house is also located in the mansion.
MGLC's vision and where do volunteers fit into it?

MGLC is a public institution and a museum which specialises in contemporary art and the art of printing. The majority of its visitors are educated people, experts, younger generations, schoolchildren, and families. MGLC's long-term vision is to establish itself as a space for acquiring informal education, spending free time in, and carrying out interdiscplinary activities designed for various target groups, with children, the young, and families being its top priority. At MGLC, we see opportunities for volunteers mostly in the following areas:
- the Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts: as one of the biggest cultural events in Slovenia, it presents a perfect learning environment for young people;
- print studios: with workshops and courses organised there, the studios provide numerous learning opportunities, through which it is possible to develop hand skills and various other abilities, and present a source of inspiration;
- educational, public and promotional activities: MGLC regularly organises public events addressing current social topics and expanding the content of exhibitions, and in this way creates an opportunity for working closely together with various groups and organizations from the local environment.
Volunteers can also participate in making an inventory of our collection, digitising the collection, introducing new programmes, coordinating the residency programme, developing cooperation with other institutions, and in all the various activities we organise at the museum and in its immediate surroundings.
One of the important long-term goals of MGLC is to reach out to its local environment even more. The inclusion of volunteers can help an institution gain more credibility in the local environment, reach young target audiences more easily, and understand the lay audiences' expectations (especially young audiences) better, which consequently contributes to designing new programmes accessible to a wider audience. Volunteers being "fresh" and "different" bring new ideas, initiative, and relaxed atmosphere into the team; they also strengthen dialogue, understanding, and collaboration. All of this results in an increased productivity and creativity of the entire team. The goal is that volunteers working in our institution develop personal competences – such as communication skills, the ability of developing and presenting ideas, speaking and writing skills – as well as improve their self-image, gain self-confidence, and improve their existing general or expert knowledge. When volunteers choose to work in an art museum, they enter a world which due to the topics it deals with is inspiring by itself, and close to the point of view of young people. Also, the field of contemporary art is full of many current and critical topics, and employs technically innovative media.