Eric Clément
Article on La Presse
Museums are thinking about the aftermath of the pandemic. A webinar organized on Friday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has identified possible solutions, including greater social integration of museums. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has been using this approach for several years now, and it has been praised by both organizations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely damaged economies around the world, including the cultural sector. Museums, both public and private, have not escaped this situation.
Ekaterina Travkina, OECD Coordinator for Culture, Creative Industries and Local Development, who moderated the webinar (which was attended by 1,400 people from the international museum sector) noted that in the United States, 30% of museums will not be able to reopen without financial assistance. This is due in particular to a return of tourist activity that will only be very gradual and not for at least six months.
In the meantime, museums must make up their cash shortfall to cover at least their operating costs. Many private museums have had to lay off staff. “There needs to be a Marshall Plan for museums,” suggested Joan Roca, director of the Barcelona History Museum.
The situation of private and public museums is very different, noted Mattia Agnetti, Executive Secretary of the Venice Museums Foundation (MUVE), who said it would take “10 to 12 months” before museums could be back to normal.
Digital shift
All speakers praised the digital shift in museums. While digital was previously a marginal offer for most museums, it has now become, by necessity, the only option.
British researcher John Davies, working for Nesta, a foundation specialising in innovation, said that the current crisis allows museums to build a loyal audience on the web.
Museums have become intensely integrated into social networks, a form of communication with the public that is both healthy and generates development. “But is the virtual option capable of generating revenue? “Agnetti wondered.
“We need to change our ways of thinking and work with non-traditional partners,” suggested Inkyung Chang, the director and founder of the Iron Museum in Korea.
Social role
One of the future axes of a profitable and sustainable development of museums seems to be their social integration. What we are currently experiencing is an experience that should enable us to change our attitude in our strategies,” said Italian economist Pier Luigi Sacco. We need to solidify the relationship between museums and society. »
Mr. Sacco and other webinar speakers praised the humanist vision of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), which works for the well-being and health of the population in addition to being a cultural and artistic presenter. “The example of Montreal should be applied elsewhere,” said Mr. Sacco, who encourages museums around the world to intervene differently in their communities.
The educational and art-therapy activities developed by the MBAM on nearly 4,000 m2 and its partnerships with scientists and researchers in the health field are initiatives on a scale that is unique in the world.
Ekaterina Travkina told webinar participants that Quebec is the only place in the world where a doctor (a member of the Association Médecins francophones du Canada) can prescribe a museum visit to a patient.
Nathalie Bondil, who represented the North American museum sector for this webinar, emphasized the social and educational role of museums. Referring to the MBAM’s Éduc’art platform, launched in 2017 with the support of the Quebec government’s Digital Cultural Plan. A virtual program distributed to schools in the province’s 17 regions and created from the museum’s art collection. A program that makes perfect sense now that students are confined to their homes.
We will no longer have the same relationship with our digital platforms,” Ms. Bondil told La Presse after the webinar. That’s one of the great things. This crisis is going to make us develop our collaborations even more through digital platforms. This includes sharing expertise with other museums. It will bring us even closer together. »
The importance of the social role of museums is currently being seen in full confinement,” adds Bondil. That’s what’s expected of us,” she says. We exist for the health and well-being of our societies. That’s what the International Council of Museums’ official definition of a museum in the 21st century is all about. The crisis is therefore an excellent opportunity for all museums to shift their focus from their collections to their social role. »
Concluding the webinar, Nathalie Bondil said that culture is an essential service, more than ever in times of containment. When you’re isolated, it’s culture that unites you and allows you to escape,” she said. Places of culture are more important than ever in deconfining minds. »