Tour de Denmark 4 days, 9 museums

Maritime Museum of Denmark

Kulturemuseet Spinderihallerne

Museum of Copenhagen

Naturama

Trapholt

National Gallery of Denmark

Welfare MuseumTojhusmuseet

Montergarden

The central question of the tour:

Are Danish Museums…relevant, engaging and participatory?

Young people engage in deliberation and debate at the British Museum

Social relevance

The social role of the museum…

“The fundamental question is – what social institutions exist to address these challenges, recognizing the growing ineffectiveness of government bureaucracies and the wreckage of the corporate profit agenda? …Museums, it is argued, are one of the few social institutions with vast potential for proactive and effective community engagement.”

Robert R. Janes, (2010) Museums in a Troubled World:

Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse?

My central concern is purpose…

• What are the relationships • how do we connect with our audiences, and

when, and what's the role?• 'where's the peopling?'• 'is it being driven by people?'• 'how do we embrace the uncomfortable?'• opinion, narrative, views

And so to Denmark…

…and a series of questions

And observations…

What’s the relationship between people and the museum?

When I say ‘people’, I am deliberately not saying • Visitors• Users• Audience• Learners• Or ‘clients’…as I’ve heard here…

Language is very revealing…if we are moving to a partnership with the public, then the language we use to describe what we do has to reflect that…

So, Number One…

Signage and Danish minimalism…

Can I find the museum?

OK, what does the architecture tell me?

Impeccably good taste! Gorgeous, inventive buildings…Maritime Museum, Montergarden, Trapholt...

Question: Does the building have a relationship with the location or what’s inside?

What – and who – is the museum for?

What – and who – is the exhibition for?

Is it possible to take a

…and include not only more but contradictory voices

Can the museum face up to difficult subject matter?

Does the museum demonstrate that it has a social responsibility?

Is the public’s input marginalised or central?

And finally?

What is it to be Danish?

Map charting the spread of elected xenophobic parties in Europe as of 2013. When viewed on a map, the growth of the far-right is striking. Green refers to countries were a xenophobic party is in government, while grey means none is in power. Copyright James Mayfield/GeoCurrents.

“The time has come for a particular ‘museum agenda’, predicated on

greater awareness of the world and the social responsibility that

accompanies this awareness. Museums are some of the most free and

creative work environments in the world, and there are few

organizations which offer more opportunities for thinking, choosing and

acting in ways that can blend personal satisfaction and growth with

organizational goals...[But] Not surprisingly, society is not even

cognizant of the museum’s unique potential, much less demanding its

fulfilment.”

Robert R. Janes, (2010)

Museums in a Troubled World:

Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse?