MOD
The innovative practice we submit for this award is our Future Themes Forum. This forum involves stakeholders in developing exhibition themes by applying the methodology of Open Space to engage stakeholders in a day of conversations that encourage futures thinking. This method allows participants to respond to prompts and suggest topics of conversation independently, leading discussion on issues that are important to them. Qualitative analysis of these conversations informs our exhibition theme development then shape our curatorial themes.
Museums have been developing methods to facilitate public participation, deepening engagement in exhibitions and programs. The futures studies field has also been developing participatory methods, which practitioners use to immerse people in experiences of imagined futures and to build futures literacy. With the emergence of future-focused museums such as MOD., a growing body of knowledge and practices are emerging at the intersection of these two disciplines’ approaches to participatory engagement. The Future Themes Forum at MOD. is an innovative example at the intersection of these approaches, emerging from an understanding that futures are negotiated through diverse perspectives coming together in dialogue.
Inviting participants to help shape the exhibition themes, as opposed to specific exhibits or programs, overcomes some of the limitations that have been discussed in the literature on participatory museum practice where empowering audiences in design processes can confuse roles and expectations, lead to impractical designs, and can undervalue the skilled work of experts. The expertise of participants is valued and they are not expected to bring expertise in exhibit or program design.
MOD.’s Future Themes Forums have informed the concepts for three exhibitions, UP CLOSE, INVISIBILITY, BROKEN, and FOREVER (to open 2025), embedding visitors within exhibitions to ensure they are timely and relevant for our community.
Explain in one sentence why you think the project you nominate is outstanding and could serve as an example for the entire community of modern and contemporary art museums.
This forum methodology could be used by museums working across any subject area to share decision-making processes with their visitors to shape the strategy of their exhibitions and programs.
Explain why this practice or program is relevant and sustainable in creating meaningful and lasting connections with people, communities, and the museum context with a medium to long-term vision.
Participatory museum practitioners call for more socially conscious practice, recommending that museums engage diverse individuals in the design and curation of exhibitions. During recent periods of upheaval including COVID-19, museums have shown a capacity to create change, carry social activism, and shape the future.
Since 2019 MOD. has shared curatorial planning and decision-making power with our audience by developing a process that transcends the disciplines of both futures and museum studies, through the Future Themes Forum. This program honors the expertise of numerous stakeholders, including researchers, arts and culture professionals, industry partners, the education sector and our audience, engaging participants in divergent conversations about the future. Not only does this empower our stakeholders
to shape the future of the museum’s exhibitions, but it also meet the design principles and vision that both guide our work.