Abstract
My study places at the center of the museological debate political challenges linked to sustainability and the development of skills for social dialogue. I argue that sustainability and sociality are nowadays real challenges for institutions that, as in the case of museums, are actively involved in cultural life. These specific political values, which have become unpostponable requirements in today’s public debate, necessarily affect the actions of museums. The museum faces cultural and ecological realities that question its legitimacy or that detract confidence from its social function, while urging that its institutional functions be identified with eminently educational purposes (Fiona R. Cameron and Brett Neilson, 2015). I understand that the museum acts as a social catalyst and must be in a position to enrich cultural expressions and ecological creativity. The most interesting policies among those implemented by heritage-protecting cultural institutions for issues related to inclusion and sustainability are -they come to affirm- those that overflow their physical boundaries and prioritize educational work attentive to the human and ecological communities that surround them. Accordingly, I analyze “sustainable museology” according to this agenda. The Prado Museum (Madrid), the case study here, provides a very interesting example, insofar as it implements political strategies for sustainable and social development, perfectly capable of raising citizens’ awareness and disseminating good habits.
Presenters
Modesta Di PaolaProfesora Ayudante Doctora, Historia del Arte, Universidad de Málaga, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Intersectionality: Museums, Inclusion, and SDGs
KEYWORDS
SUSTAINABILITY, SOCIALITY, SUSTAINABLE MUSEOLOGY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL INCLUSION, PRADO MUSEUM
