International conference "Museums as Social Institutions – Trust and Communities” puts museum work in the spotlight

The Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) in Mainz served as the venue, from November 30 to December 1, for the third international conference of the Leibniz Centre of Excellence for Museum Education (BiM), where museum experts, education researchers, and psychologists from over 20 countries met to discuss current research issues around the topics of trust in museums and collaboration with various target groups. The presentations and discussions, on matters including neutrality and its relevance to museums’ work, illuminated the fundamental and central role of trust in forging successful relationships and creating museum education that has a long-term impact. As they engaged in discussion, the conference participants advocated a greater focus on reflective practice in the field and urged those working in this area to rethink the concepts underlying its traditional approaches.

The conference, taking place in a hybrid format, commenced with an exploration of trust in the museum context. Referencing various research studies, speakers pointed to the high level of trust museums enjoy among the public. Participants at the venue and online considered action museums might take going forward to consolidate their reputes as trustworthy institutions. Vital factors in this regard that emerged from the discussion, and that the participants believed would represent a long-term investment in society's trust in museums and their authenticity, included transparent, open, and dialog-centered communication of the science behind museum work, alongside an empathic approach to outreach and the provision of inclusive accessibility

In her keynote address, the education researcher Dr. Bernadette Lynch (University College London) emphasized the severe impact on museums unleashed by the current global polycrisis of wars, climate change, and other serious issues. In this context, she called on museums to adopt a radical, solidarity-based approach to their educational work, with a particular focus on supporting young people and showing them that they are not powerless, but have agency; in laying the foundations for this approach, she continued, museums should focus on doing what is "right", even where it may not be "easy". Lynch defined doing what is "right" as consisting in a willingness to engage with others and in practical solidarity in the form of programs, events, and activities aiming at bringing participatory democracy to life. She further stressed the two-way character of trust, advising that museums should learn to involve visitors as active and trustworthy stakeholders, and specifically urging these institutions to reach out to voices that have gone unheard hitherto, actively listen to them, and bring them on board in museum activities.

Drawing on her many years of museum experience, Caroline Loewen of the Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Canada, proposed a thorough reconsideration of the “museum” concept in the context of social change, with a particular view to the diversity of museum audiences. Noting the need to dismantle existing barriers to participation if museums are to do justice to what the public expects of them, she identified a significant research gap relating to newly emerging immigrant communities’ perceptions of museums.

Kathrin Grotz and Patricia Rahemipour from the Institute for Museum Research in Berlin, outlining the interim findings of their research into the extent of public trust in Germany’s museums, expressed their concern over the decline in trust toward the sciences and noted the challenge it represents to museums. Looking beyond the full findings of their current research, which they expect to issue in February 2024. they detailed a planned representative study on the topic entailing comparison among different types of museums and engagement with those who are currently not museum-goers.

Friederike Hendricks, a psychologist, explained the findings of her research on people’s trust in science and museums, observing that "trust is not blind," but instead is based in expectations. Hendricks asserted that the reasons why people trust or distrust museums are similar to the grounds on which they trust or distrust science. Continuing, she observed that museums and science have a similar epistemic core, holding a symbolic role alongside their instrumental, informational remit.

The presentation given by the social psychologist Marlene Altenmüller described people’s  trust in scientists as directed toward their expertise and their personal approachability, factors that reciprocally influence one another. Altenmüller reported having observed in her research that the more personal or individual a scientist appears in their public image, the lower the level of expertise people attribute to them, but stated that this negative correlation could not be proved in the museum context. Her finding of no negative impact on trust stemming from museums’ candid discussion of uncertainties or correction of errors struck a reassuring note. Altenmüller’s takeaways for museum specialists revolved around the prime importance of tailoring science communication to the target audience and intensifying visitor engagement, recognizing and valuing the knowledge and attitudes they bring into museums.

Museums:  vital players in the evolution of our democracy

The conference’s second day focused specifically on underrepresented visitor groups and potential ways of engaging them more closely in museums’ activities. Speakers gave impressive examples of participatory projects which demonstrated museums’ active role in enabling various groups within the population to gain agency and empowerment and, in so doing, in  advancing  democratic values in our society.

Constanze Hampp, head of communication at the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, described an inclusive exhibition project at her museum, Von Sinnen, supported by a committee of people with various disabilities who, alongside their advisory input into the exhibition, were instrumental in publicizing it in their circles and raising its profile. At the exhibition, multi-sensory experiences using the principle of two senses enabled visitors with and without disabilities to switch perspectives and encouraged them to be aware of and reflect on their own senses. The museum plans to take greater account of inclusion and accessibility issues in future exhibition projects.

The Albanian museologist Inesa Sulaj (MuZEH Lab) brought an entirely different perspective to the conference, setting out the major structural and financial challenges faced by museums in Albania, which result in the country’s state-funded museums catering exclusively to school classes and tourists and not recognizing local communities as a target group or seeking to appeal to them. Sulaj described how, as co-founder of the non-profit organization MuZEH Lab, she has helped demonstrate that, even on a small budget, it is possible to run great community projects and provide a space that welcomes a wide variety of people and their ideas, creating accessibility, trust, and a sense of identification with museums.

A view from the Netherlands came to the conference with the talk by the cultural researcher Mark Schep of the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage (KIEN), detailing a participatory project his institution had conducted with a museum and 17 young people from a range of socio-cultural contexts. Delineating the essential components of successful collaboration in this context, Schep listed the definition of shared objectives, the creation of a safe space, continuous reflection, openness to new ideas, and a willingness to learn from others on an equal footing. The museum has continued this dialog and collaboration by employing a handful of enthusiastic young people for a few hours a week.

The conference closed with a “world café”, in face-to-face and online formats, which enabled participants to share their experiences anddiscuss a range of issues and topics with experts. Alongside providing a forum for these interactions, the conference served to support work on developing and advancing practical approaches to engaging appropriately with various target groups.

Views from the three spokespeople of the Leibniz Centre of Excellence for Museum Education: