Abstract
The social impact of museums and their social role are part of an ongoing debate within contemporary museology. Considering museums from a social perspective represents a significant paradigm shift. Museums of the future can really become social spaces, anything but neutral, where democracy can be practiced, starting from museum collections to address important contemporary issues. The integration of the 17 SDGs into the museums missions is an evolving process and must be supported by the different museums departments. The question is therefore how to transform cultural institutions into social actors, followed by their audiences. The topic is that of museum relevance. An effective strategy to enhance museums relevance is through active participation, a particularly interesting tool when dealing with young audiences. This PhD project –on and with children at the same time- is based on co-design experiences with children (aged between 7 and 12 years old) conducted at two children’s museums in Europe. The chosen museums -in the broad panorama of children’s museums- stand out for their strong commitment to contemporary issues and their social engagement, clear from their exhibitions and educational approach. Can children museums increase their relevance in children’s lives? Can they maximize their potential contribution to build a more open and aware society, through museum education and participation? Can co-design involve and engage children in the 17 SDGs? These are the main questions of this qualitative research, which focuses on children’s museums and their audiences.
Presenters
Caterina LazzarinPhD Student, Fakultät für Geisteswissenschaften - Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Intersectionality: Museums, Inclusion, and SDGs
KEYWORDS
SDGS, CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS, INCLUSION, CO-DESIGN, PARTICIPATION, CHILDREN, RELEVANCE, SOCIAL ROLE
