In collaboration with the PZU Foundation, the National Museum in Krakow is implementing new initiatives that will enhance the museum’s educational programme. The project, which is based on audience research and pilot innovative activities, has the potential to serve as a model for other institutions.
The project comprises activities aimed at addressing social challenges using museum education tools. We draw on the museum’s collection to increase access to high art for groups with limited opportunities to participate in cultural life. The project consists of initiatives that enhance the well-being and sense of agency of children and young people.
Diagnosis → development of solutions → implementation
The project involves researching selected social issues, followed by the development and implementation of tailored educational models. The key objective is to lower barriers to access to museum institutions and to harness the potential of art to develop the social and cultural competences of audiences.
The ‘Museum: Present and Useful’ project is a response to the challenges facing our institution and the entire cultural sector – challenges clearly outlined in the MNK’s mission: Museum, People, Future, which focuses on accessibility, collaboration with the local community and sustainable development. The aim of the mission is to create a museum that is open, accessible and socially engaged, taking into account the diverse needs of its audiences, in particular children, young people and those with limited access to culture.
The project takes into account the global commitments set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, addressing four of the seventeen identified goals: Goal 3 – Good health and well-being: through activities supporting mental and emotional well-being through engagement with the arts; Goal 4 – quality education: through innovative educational programmes addressing the real needs of the younger generation; Goal 10 – reduced inequalities: through activities targeting communities with limited access to cultural institutions; Goal 11 – sustainable cities and communities: by supporting local initiatives and integrating art into the daily life of the community.
“A Museum That Is Present and Useful” aims to participate in the creation and implementation of educational tools, designed in collaboration with representatives from various backgrounds: pupils, teachers, psychologists, educators and researchers. All activities will be preceded by a needs assessment, research and pilot schemes, enabling the development of model solutions – adaptable and suitable for long-term use both in our museum and in other cultural institutions across Poland.
The National Museum in Kraków is responding to the need to investigate the needs of young people in the context of art museums. To date, no research has been conducted in Poland focusing on the emotional and social needs of young people in the context of their engagement with art, artworks and the museum space.
Young people rarely perceive museums as places to meet, spend their free time or express themselves. The project component ‘Presence’ aims to change this perception and present the museum as a space close to young people.
Through audience research, we will gain new insights into the impact of art on mental wellbeing. Access to reliable data on the impact of engagement with art on the mental health and wellbeing of audiences will help us respond effectively to contemporary crises – including the growing problem of mental health among young people. The ‘Here and Now’ component addresses this need through research and knowledge dissemination activities in this area.
The project will result in increased access to cultural education and training for teachers from smaller towns. The “Sztuka tereNOWA” project component aims to level the playing field by providing teachers with tools that will enable engaging and meaningful activities using art in their daily work with children.
We are responding to the need for active, co-created participation in culture. Contemporary cultural education requires a shift away from the passive role of the recipient towards active participation and the co-creation of content. The “uŻyj muzeum” project component aims to give young people a voice in the process of designing the museum’s programme, highlighting their competencies and supporting the development of skills essential in the modern world – such as self-awareness, creativity, empathy and agency.
An important aim of the project is to strengthen the museum’s role as a socially responsible and research-oriented institution – making the museum an open, reflective space that responds to contemporary challenges and supports social development.
We wish to promote care for well-being and mental health both within the museum and beyond. As part of the project, we propose the creation of tools (including a deck of cards) and a social campaign to support relaxation, mindfulness and self-awareness in engagement with art.
Presence – research into the young museum audience
A research project summarising and building on the MNK’s previous work in analysing audience needs. Its aim is to deepen our understanding of the expectations, preferences and ways in which children and young people experience art, with particular emphasis on their experiences and needs regarding museum visits.
The project also focuses on building the museum team’s capacity to design effective and appropriate educational tools that meet the real needs of young audiences. Activities will be carried out in collaboration with professional research agencies.
The project will result in a knowledge base, accessible to the cultural sector, on the impact of engagement with art on visitors’ mental wellbeing, as well as practical recommendations to support the development of museum education.
TERENOWA Art – expanding opportunities for cultural participation
An educational and training project aimed at teachers and pupils from smaller towns where access to high art institutions is limited. The aim of the project is to increase participation in culture by embedding museum content within a local, familiar context and to strengthen teachers’ skills in engaging children with art.
Use the Museum – agency, self-awareness, skills for the future
A new range of self-guided educational activities for young people in Years 7–8 of primary school and secondary school, created in collaboration with pupils from five schools in Kraków and the surrounding area. The sessions address topics important to young people – such as freedom, wellbeing, the body, self-acceptance and intervention – and treat art as a starting point for discussions and creative activities.
Here and Now – Mindfulness, Emotional Regulation, Mental Well-being
The aim of the project is to develop and produce an educational and relaxation tool – a deck of cards designed to support mindful and reflective engagement with art. The cards are intended to deepen contact with one’s own emotions, develop an awareness of the need for rest, and foster mental well-being.
The set will be developed in collaboration with psychologists and therapists, and each card will contain specific instructions, suggestions for exercises and reflections that can be carried out whilst engaging with a work of art. The tool will be designed to be versatile – so that it can be used both in the museum and beyond: for example, during lessons, training sessions, personal development or business meetings.
The project will conclude with an autumn conference at the National Museum in Kraków, aimed at teachers. Its aim is to reflect collectively on the challenges of education and to demonstrate how the museum – as an open space for collaboration – can support schools in their day-to-day work.
The event programme includes presentations by representatives of the museum, youth organisations, and experts in psychology and museum audience research. The event will feature a presentation of the research report produced as part of the project, as well as workshops showcasing the practical solutions and tools developed during the project.
Educational materials developed as part of the project will be made available online and sent to cultural institutions across Poland. Both the conference and the entire project are accompanied by an information campaign promoting the use of the resources and ideas developed.
The project is being implemented in partnership with the PZU Foundation.
