Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

From before our museum opened his doors, the museum invited the public to share their (families) memories, letters, and objects. By sharing their migration stories they participated in the development of the museum’s collection. The following five years participation - by the broader public and by specific groups- was an explicit common feature of our activities. This resulted in ‘lessons learned’ on how to integrate participation throughout the different functions of the museum, from collecting biographic migration heritage to producing exhibitions. We illustrate our approach with the experiences of different projects. We focus more extensive on two recent projects on Moroccan women and girls exploring and sharing their own migration stories. Exploring their own stories takes time and courage, but also awareness of heritage and the process of making an exhibition. Several questions are considered: How can we as museums facilitate real participation and produce stories together with our participants? How can we both respect museum and exhibition requirements and the time people need to completely get involved in the process of an exhibition? Do we as a museum of collecting stories of migrants have a role in empowering communities in sharing their migration story? How can we as a museum built long-term relationships and equal partnerships with our participants (storytellers/story owners)?