Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

When will the auto-rickshaw driver dropping me at the museum be willing to come inside? What can I do to ensure that people from diverse contexts find relevance and meaning in a museum, each bringing a unique perspective. How do I open these new doors against social, emotional, cultural, economic, language, aesthetic, and of course physical barriers? How do I ensure that people spend some quality time in a museum and leave feeling revitalized, finding some connections, slightly happier than they were? I believe in the power of museums to contribute to the well-being of individuals and society at large. This can be through long term social impact and economic development, this is also through the meditative quality of museum experience and its powerful effects on mental health. With this belief and above questions in mind, I have been experimenting for two years in the Indian context to bring new visitors inside different museums and to facilitate a lifelong relationship with these spaces. This paper is a reflection on those experiments and lessons learnt, it is also a projection of path ahead. In times as these where differences are being exaggerated politically and on the internet, can these public spaces support people in navigating through the chaos and feeling included? Can they offer resilience, can they offer dialogue as well as silence, can we together rethink the purpose for the betterment of people and the world such that they address identities, aspirations, and contextual futures?