Co-creation is a powerful strategy to build new relationships. At Hacking Heritage: the audience on 5 October 2015, museum professionals present and discuss the potential benefits of working co-creatively with their audience, and share lessons learned and tips. Through inspiring panel sessions and presentations, we will explore the opportunities co-creation provides and the challenges that come along with it.
Co-creation?
Co-creation starts from the idea that everyone is an expert on one issue or another, first and foremost on their own life. Co-creation may not be a new thing, but it can bring something new to museum practices: it can enrich the stories a museum tells, it can enhance the understanding between the different worlds we inhabit or it can change the way a museum programs its future events.
The approaches presented at this day, are a strategic choice, an opportunity for institutions to build long term relationships with their visitors. Enabling a museum to create more layered and nuanced exhibitions and events, and to build relationships with their local communities, with new visitors, with younger people or with people from diverse cultural backgrounds groups. Relationships that exist well beyond the scope of a project.
This all sounds promising, but using co-creative methods to engage (new) visitors and to get to know them, can actually be quite challenging. How do you create an open and creative environment? How do you build trust? Are you willing to share responsibility and ownership in your project? Can you let go of a set outcome and embrace unexpected ideas? How do you foster these new relationships, before, during and after the project? Extremely relevant issues that can not be tackled with a simple one-size-fits-all yes or no answer.
What to expect
During Hacking the Audience we will go into questions of language, creativity, equality, modern craftmanship, innovation, cultural identity and strategy. Twelve heritage experts take the stage to discuss their experiences and come to new ideas together. Plus three inspiring examples will be highlighted in short presentations. There will be enough room for questions and remarks, both during the meeting as well as during drinks afterwards.
Speakers
- Hannah Fox (Derby Silk Mill)
- Tiedong Yang (Young Curators Project)
- Wayne Modest & Laura van Broekhoven (Wereldculturen)
- Merel van der Vaart (Allard Pierson Museum)
- Lisa Kleeven (Wereldculturen)
- Theo Meerenboer (Makermuseum)
- Imagine IC
The full programme (with more speakers!) will be completed soon.
Within the EU-project RICHES, Waag is preparing to launch a publication aimed at heritage professionals, providing them with inspiration, resources, strategies and tools for anyone wanting to explore co-creation. Within the expert meeting we will give you a sneak peek of the tools we are developing.
The expert meeting Hacking Heritage: the audience takes place in the Theatrum Anatomicum of the Waag. Entrance is free. Please register below.
