Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The project “cultural and democratic education – developing inclusive museum workshops with students of BAKIP 21 – Training school for kindergarten teachers” addresses several key issues. To enable future generations of all backgrounds to be comfortable in the museum context and to make them active users, we have to engage them from an early age on. Kindergartens, schools, and nurseries are the main communication channels to younger generations, especially those who are not part of the small elite group of museum natives. At these educational institutions, museums encounter extremely diverse audiences. Schools in Vienna are attended by up to 90% of 1st and 2nd generation Austrians with migratory experiences and/or a transnational background. Focus groups revealed that teachers still have inhibition thresholds concerning museums lacking information on how museums and galleries can sustainably be included in the curriculum. Facing these challenges, Künstlerhaus developed a cooperation with BAKIP 21 to integrate informal educational offerings in cultural institutions in the curriculum. The project deals with social and cultural diversity, transnational identity, inclusion, and respect for the profession of educators. It is based on a theoretical input and discussion of these themes. Thus Künstlerhaus integrates the students’ professional knowledge and transnational background in the educational programs. Afterwards the workshops become part of the permanent learning program of Künstlerhaus. The project has reached sixty-five future teachers within three years. It is funded in the context of “culture connected” by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, organised by KulturKontakt Austria.