Fourteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum

Abstract

From March 2020 onwards, the reality of cultural institutions around Europe has been severely disrupted (ICOM, 2020, NEMO 2020). To face the consequences of the pandemic, several museums attempted to adjust to the new situation and engage their audience using different means to the pre-pandemic continuity. This study is a collection of audience engagement practices developed by cultural institutions, namely Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM), as a means of audience engagement with their collections and a broader connection with society during the pandemic. The paper discusses the preliminary results of the data collection among European GLAMs we launched in February 2021. In a sample of more than 50 practices collected, we will focus on ten exemplary practices that are selected based on criteria such as a) the degree of innovation in audience engagement, b) the emphasis on active involvement with the collection, including publicly shared derivative work and c) innovative uses of technology in cultural mediation. The results of our analysis are expected to be released in an open-access study in August 2021 to enhance the transferability of practices and support resilience and recovery in the GLAM sector.