Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 2008. In 2015, Russia’s first ever Inclusive Programs department was launched within the Museum. The main activity of the Garage’s Inclusive Programs department is not limited to the transformation of existent events, it also focuses on the development of event formats for people with disabilities. This is how “The Museum Is Your Friend,” a career-oriented training course for visitors with intellectual disabilities, was initiated by the Inclusive Programs team. Few people realize that a museum is not merely an exhibition venue, but a platform for education, socializing, and building skills for life. The structure of each training session includes introduction, review of the previous material, main theoretical block, training section, and casual discussion during tea-time. Transferring this project to the territory of a psychoneurological care home demanded significant changes in the course structure, which have allowed the participants to receive knowledge, bearing in mind their own experience of living in a closed state institution. Each of the courses were comprised of four classes, followed by the final stage featuring guided tours delivered by Garage specialists who spoke about their work in the Museum. For the Inclusive Programs department staff, the most important thing was to introduce the participants to the careers potentially available for people with intellectual disabilities. At the end of the course’s first enrollment year, the students completed an internship at the Garage Archive and practiced their skills working as assistant educators at selected events for families and children.