The Open Museum, Glasgow

A pioneering museum project was launched in the 1990s by the Glasgow Museum Service. The aim of the Open Museum project was to make the museum more open and committed to local communities. Based on earlier museum-focused exhibitions organised for communities the then director of the Glasgow Museum proposed that local communities should be permitted to come to the museum, look at its collection, choose and hire objects matching their concepts and create their own exhibitions in their own towns or villages, without trustees’ guidance; but with all of the technical/professional support and orientation they need. Accordingly, the trustee supervised the way, interpretation and presentation of the collections but the emphasis was on the user, that is, the audience. In this way the museum was turned into a means of learning, contributing to the growth of individual and collective self-confidence. The philosophy of the project was to be extended to the entire museum service and the Open Museum option is still available today.

This article based on the following document:

Socialized Operation of Cultural Institutions : A methodological guide to community-based operation