Museum

'Museums and Their Neighbourhoods' - essays by the Museum Think-Tank participants

Okładka publikacji "Muzealny think-tank: muzea i sąsiedztwo"
fot. Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich

In 2020, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek invited museum professionals from all over Poland, as well as those interested in local community activities to participate in another edition of “Museum Think-Tank” dedicated, on this occasion, to the “Museums and Their Neighbourhoods” theme.

Why “museums and their neighbourhoods”? Because this topic is not that obvious. It is multi-threaded, not only does it require openness, cooperation and attention towards the museum’s environment and its actors, but also towards one’s own institution. It is worth considering what role or potential role our museums may play in relation to the neighbourhood – the current residents, the history and the future, as well as the surrounding ecosystem.

This publication is the voice of the participants of the think-tank, an attempt to look closer at the interconnections between museums and neighbourhoods from different points of view, both cross-sectionally and through case studies.

Watch the video from the Museum think-tank

“Museum Think-Tank” is an initiative led by the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews since 2014. Its main goal is creating an informal network of museum professionals and institutions supporting the development of museums. Museum Think-Tank is a platform for the exchange of inspiration, practical knowledge, and experiences, and a forum for a wider discussion of dilemmas and questions. Each edition is dedicated to a different topic - these are usually themes which are underrepresented in museum discussions or which only just begin to emerge and require mapping. The programme of the think-tank is co-created by the participants and learning is carried out through a collective group process.

“Museum Think-Tank: Museums and Their Neighbourhoods” accompanies the “Here is Muranów” exhibition on display at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews until 22 March 2021.

 

www.eeagrants.org, www.norwaygrants.org, www.gov.pl

Partner of the edition