How MCK Leżajsk uses ElevenLabs to make culture accessible to everyone

ElevenLabs-voiced announcements played over the city speakers at Leżajsk's annual Christmas Market

The Municipal Cultural Center in Leżajsk (MCK Leżajsk) is the oldest and largest cultural institution in its part of southeastern Poland. Established in the 1970s, it exists to make culture, history, and art accessible to everyone in its community.

Through our Impact Program, we power various use cases such as the audio descriptions at its exhibitions, the announcements at its events, and the narration on its tourist route.

The whole district under one roof

MCK Leżajsk runs the town's public library, its cinema, its tourist information center, and the city's historical documentation archive. It also organizes art classes, exhibitions, community programs, and festivals, with a reach that covers the whole district.

How they use ElevenLabs

Each of the 18 paintings carried its own ElevenLabs-generated audio description.

Over the past year, the center has built ElevenLabs voices into its offerings, from gallery exhibitions and audio tours to promotional materials.

At a recent exhibition of 18 paintings by a young artist, each work carried its own audio description generated with ElevenLabs. Among the visitors were groups from special education schools and occupational therapy workshops.

It allowed people with visual or cognitive impairments to experience art in a way that was previously impossible for us to provide, said Damian Dec of MCK Leżajsk.

In the lobby and the cinema waiting area, where parents pass the time while their children are in art classes, background music gives way to ElevenLabs-voiced announcements of upcoming events at the center.

Visitors ride through Leżajsk listening to local history narrated by ElevenLabs voices.

The center's tourist vehicle takes the voices out into the town. On a permanent guided route developed with local historians, ElevenLabs narration tells Leżajsk's history as visitors ride through it.

ElevenLabs voices introduced the performing bands at the Podkarpacki Tattoo Festival.

The voices also help promote the center's work at scale, from social media spots to announcements over the city's speakers. At the Podkarpacki Tattoo Festival, an ElevenLabs voice introduced the rock bands with an energy the team says no live announcer could match.

The impact so far

More than 500 visitors used the audio tracks at the young artist's exhibition alone. During the Leżajsk finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP), Poland's biggest annual charity fundraiser, and the center's annual Christmas Market, generated announcements played over the city speakers as the events drew record-breaking attendance and vendor turnout. Across exhibitions and free public events like the Leżajsk Travel Festival, the center's work reaches thousands of people, in a town of about 14,000.

What's next

Generated announcements played through the city speakers during the WOŚP finale in Leżajsk

MCK Leżajsk is making audio a permanent part of how it works. Audio descriptions will become the standard for every future exhibition. The tourist route guides are expanding into English and German for foreign visitors. QR codes on printed flyers and posters will play an audio version of each event description, for people with visual impairments and anyone who prefers listening. And the team plans AI-narrated audiobooks of local poets and regional writers, keeping the region's literature alive for new audiences.

Most of the world's culture lives in institutions like this one: local, public, and open to everyone. AI audio lets a center like MCK Leżajsk give every exhibition, event, and tour a voice, for the visitors who need one.

Apply to the ElevenLabs Impact Program

Through the ElevenLabs Impact Program, we help nonprofits reach more people with AI audio as part of our goal to help one million people communicate, learn, and create without barriers. If your organization works in culture, education, or accessibility, we encourage you to apply.

You can explore more of MCK Leżajsk's work on its website.