
Inventing Museums for Tomorrow: 21st Century Museums Report
This official report from the 21st Century Museums Mission, directed and presented to the French Ministry of Culture, presents a comprehensive strategic vision for the future of French museums. Conducted over six months with extensive consultation of over 700 museum professionals, partners, and nearly 3,000 citizens, the report identifies four emerging museum models: the ethical and civic museum, the multifaceted museum (in situ, off-site, and virtual), the inclusive and collaborative museum, and the museum as a creative professional ecosystem. The document outlines structural recommendations, functional evolutions, and action plans across territorial, organizational, and curatorial dimensions. It includes detailed working group reports, reference examples from international institutions, and comprehensive analysis of citizen consultation revealing expectations for more open, welcoming, and participatory museum experiences aligned with 21st-century society.
Table of Contents:
- Preface .... 7
- Introduction .... 9
- Context .... 13
- SYNTHESIS: Positioning French Museums in the 21st Century: Emerging Models, Functional Evolutions and Projects to Launch .... 21
- The ethical and civic museum .... 25
- Emerging models .... 25
- Projects to launch .... 26
- Reference experiences .... 28
- The protean museum .... 35
- Emerging models .... 35
- Projects to launch .... 36
- Reference experiences .... 38
- The inclusive and collaborative museum .... 47
- Emerging models .... 47
- Projects to launch .... 48
- Reference experiences .... 50
- The museum as a creative professional ecosystem .... 59
- Functional evolutions .... 63
- Projects to launch .... 64
- Reference experiences .... 66
- Reports from the four working groups .... 73
- An ethical and civic museum .... 75
- A territorial foundation in perpetual reconstruction .... 76
- Inclusive values .... 80
- Debates and creation .... 86
- New projects to launch or continue .... 88
- The protean museum, in situ, beyond the walls, dematerialized .... 91
- In situ museum: the museum as a living place .... 91
- The museum beyond the walls: the museum in its territory and towards its audiences .... 97
- The digital/virtual museum: a field of experimentation .... 103
- Recommendations .... 109
- Reference experiences .... 111
- The inclusive and collaborative museum .... 113
- Building a new relationship with audiences, in an era of post-mediation .... 114
- Rethinking institutions as platforms of potentialities .... 120
- Reconsidering functional structures and governance modes .... 130
- Reference experiences .... 142
- The museum as a creative professional ecosystem .... 143
- Introduction .... 143
- Axes of reflection .... 146
- Prospective reflections, projects to launch and recommendations .... 152
- Emerging models and projects .... 163
- Reference experiences .... 167
- Citizen consultation .... 169
- What we know about museum audiences today .... 171
- Museums and audiences .... 171
- Visitors and visits .... 172
- The national consultation "let's imagine together the museum of tomorrow" .... 177
- Methodology .... 177
- Lexical analysis of contributions and votes from the citizen consultation "Let's imagine together the museums of tomorrow" .... 178
- Lexical analysis of contributions .... 178
- Content analysis and synthesis of votes .... 187
- Survey of the national population: a more open, more convivial museum oriented towards younger generations .... 193
- Opening the museum more to give everyone the desire to visit exhibitions more often .... 193
- Human interaction and conviviality at the heart of a new experience, more participative, more interactive .... 196
- Getting more involved in museum life .... 199
- Synthesis and conclusion .... 203
- Annexes .... 207
- Annex 1: Mission letter .... 209
- Annex 2: List of people interviewed .... 211
- Annex 3: The 21st Century Museums Mission at work .... 227
- Annex 4: Bibliography .... 237
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Document Details
- Format
- Pages
- 251
- Size
- 3.2 MB
- Category
- Society & Culture