Peter van Menschin puheenvuoro

Are we in tune? Participation and collection development

Participation is one of the cornerstones of contemporary museum-ideology.

In the late 20th century, participation was very much connected with the principle of access. In the early 21st century, participation is about representation. In my paper I will explore the key parameters that play a role in this paradigmatic shift: community, expertise, authority, and control. The general assumption is that museums will become more relevant when they are open to (and actively encouraging) the expertise of communities of interest other than the regular museum and academic communities. But, even though many museums are founded by ProAms (“professional amateurs), to many museum professionals participation is associated with loss of authority and control. On the basis of a critical analysis of afore-mentioned parameters, I will argue that participation adds to relevance, not in the least because it helps people to identify with the museum. It involves commitment. Not just commitment of participating individuals and communities, but also commitment of the museum with the social reality in the world around it. Participation helps people to understand what museums are. And, in reverse it helps museums to understand what people expect from them.