Museums in the Nordic region (and throughout the world) are facing challenges and demands for change arising from both outside political and economic changes, from the observation that Western hegemonic ideas of art and culture are no longer valid nor socially sustainable, and from internal wishes to create museums that are better, more inclusive and have relevance to broader sections of the publics they intend to serve. All in a current state of transition, the three Nordic art museums Malmö Konstmuseum (SE), Trondheim Kunstmuseum (NO), Museet for Samtidskunst (DK) and Nykytaiteen museo Kiasma (FI) have together with Copenhagen University’s research centre Art as Forum (DK) formed the creative learning network Museum Why? for sharing and developing new perspectives on the art museum of the future. The network aims to use the momentum gathered from the respective partners’ current institutional development to investigate the role of art museums in the future.
Under the three interconnected subheadings; decoloniality, sustainability and infrastructure the network will span over a three year period (2021 -2024) and encompass three public seminars, a special issue journal, as well as a final conference and publication.
The network is supported by Nordic Culture Point, Nordic Culture Fund, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Statens Kunstfond.
