1

My dream museum is:

ICOM statutes explains, “the Museum is a permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment”. 

Using this definition as a reference, the goal of this text is to explain how do we envision our dream museum by breaking down each of the aspects envisaged in it.

The museum is “in the service of society and its development, open to the public”.
The museum must be a place for people, a suitable space where the opportunities for a critical education in values, reflection, personal development, and social coexistence are abundant. That is why it is necessary to rethink the mediation structures, to make the public feel welcomed. Many of the preconceptions about museums intimidate the public, in a way. This leads to a feeling of disconnection from the cultural enrichment available to them.

The institution should adapt to societal changes, technological advances and new public demands. Although the role and function of the museum should not been distorted over time, changes must be done to the work strategies that bring art to the public. 

The Museum must commit to being open to all audiences, encouraging people to come not only because of a particular exhibition, but also because of the broad spectrum of art related and leisure activities available to the public – fostering their curiosity.

I envision a future museum, one that is constantly evolving. A museum where the public can feel the works as an experience, one that has to be lived in an exact place and moment…not at home, not in front of a computer. 

I picture a museum that is not limited by its walls, but rather, gets close to the communities. The Departments of Education will play a vital part, as organic systems of knowledge construction. They are the ones that can engage the public and make them feel the museum as an exciting place where you can develop a personal relationship with the arts.

The Museum “acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity “.
It is also necessary to reassess the entire Museum structure, because artistic languages have changed greatly in the last century. It is essential that the public can understand the collections and the museum’s language. Opening a dialogue between the public, curators and artists will allow the community to get involved in the process.

New technologies are going to play a big role in the Museum. Nevertheless, this cannot substitute the personal relationship between the visitor and the art experience itself. They must be enriching resources and not limitations for our communication.

The Museum “has the purpose of education, study and enjoyment”.
Culture is much more accessible in today’s era of globalization. Therefore, this must be the age where the museums will also become centers of research and experimentation. Artists, students and researchers will consolidate their alliances to make it the main place where the experiences happen. Collaborative nets between the different museums, universities and other institutions will help them to evolve. Over all, the museum must be a place to generate thinking.

One of my favorite projects is:

emPOWER Parents: Fostering Cross Cultural Networks between Families with Autism is a collaborative project between the Queens Museum of Art (New York) and Museo ICO in collaboration with hablarenarte: (Madrid). Michelle López, Director of Autism Initiatives of the Queens Museum and I designed this project, that has been able to become real thanks to a grant received after the award of the “Museums Connect” from the American Alliance of Museums. The Queens Museum, Museo ICO and hablarenarte: are collaborating with the goal of using the initiative already witnessed in parents with children with autism in both countries to provide an arena that promotes and strengthens this advocacy. more info: http://www.hablarenarte.com/en/proyecto/id/empower-parents-fostering-cross-cultural-networks-between-families-with-autism

More about me:

I’m a freelancer. I work in Madrid, Málaga and Granada, Spain

Contact me:

sofiadejuan@gmail.com