Community Cohesion
Museums for Health and Wellbeing: Strategies, Evidence and Critical Perspectives
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Irene Pérez López
In recent years, museums have increasingly embraced programs aimed at health and well-being. Examples include meditation and yoga sessions (such as Zaragoza museums’ Museo del Bienestar), hospital-based collaborations (Prado Inclusivo 2024/2025), and mental health workshops (such as Hablar con la mirada at the National Art Museum of Catalonia). This trend is grounded in a growing body of research demonstrating the positive effects of culture, art, and museum engagement on individual and community health. Notable among these is the influential 2019 study by Fancourt & Finn for the World Health Organization, which highlights the significant potential of the arts to support well-being. While these findings have garnered widespread support, some critics suggest that the impact of museums on health may be overstated. Although museums can serve as valuable resources for well-being, they should not be regarded as primary agents for health outcomes. The shift towards well-being in museums also presents several challenges, such as the need for museums to understand their role within the broader and complex network of influences on health and well-being. Additionally, a strong focus on well-being may sometimes conflict with other institutional objectives, including those related to tourism and education. My study critically examine the role of museums in fostering health and well-being, reflecting on recent initiatives in this area and assessing their implications for the future of museum practice.
Participation of NGOs in Museum Management
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Željka Miklošević
This paper presents the case study of the Civic Board of the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral in Rijeka, Croatia, established as a participative management model in 2018. Its seven members, who include two representatives of the museum and five members representing respective NGOs, are selected every three years through a public call for participation, following a formally proscribed application and selection criteria. The central task of the Board is to manage part of the museum programming by encouraging citizens to get involved in proposing and implementing programs based on the needs of the local community and through the organisations of which they are members. The activities of the Board and their socio-cultural significance have been explored through qualitative research that entailed an analysis of the documents related to the goals of the Board, conducted programmes and interviews with the past and present members. The study reveals a range of complexities resulting from the museum’s collaboration with formally organised communities of interest and/or practice around the NGOs, which mostly relate to particular agendas and the ways in which the institution and organisations understand their role in the participative process. In addition to explaining the benefits and challenges, the paper considers the implications that this type of participative management model can have for museum work in general.
Featured The MOCO Museum Network: Redefining the Contemporary Art Experience in the 21st Century
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paula Jaulín Lecina
The contemporary art collection of Kim and Lionel Logchies, former dutch gallerists, has given rise to a museum network with locations in Amsterdam (2016), Barcelona (2021), and London (2024), all housed in historically significant buildings. This study examines the role of these collectors as patrons of contemporary art and their influence on redefining the museum as a hybrid and inclusive space where artistic exhibition, sensory experience and technological innovation converge. Through a multidisciplinary approach, this research explores the architectural and urban configuration of these museums, their management model and the curatorial strategies implemented to attract a broad and diverse audience. Particular attention is given to the interaction between art and the market, analyzing the impact of the MOCO brand in the cultural economy and its positioning within experiential tourism. Additionally, the study addresses the inclusivity / integration of new technologies and digital interactivity in contemporary museography, considering how these tools enhance accessibility, visitor engagement, and the dissemination of art in the digital environment. In this context, MOCO emerges as a paradigm of the 21st-century museum, characterized by the fusion of art and entertainment, the creation of immersive narratives and adaptation to the dynamics of cultural consumption in the age of social media. This analysis contributes to the reflection of the evolving concept of the museum and its role in the democratization of art.
