MINDS - Museums for an Inclusive and Democratic Society
How can museums become more accessible institutions in the service of democracy?
During the years 2025-2027, the Norwegian National Museum of Justice in Trondheim and Gammel Estrup the Danish Manor and Estate Museum will collaborate on the project Museums for Inclusive and Democratic Societies (MINDS), through funding by the European Union's educational pool ERASMUS+.
With this collaboration the museums work to break down the barriers that prevent people with cognitive disabilities and developmental disorders from participating equally in museum experiences. This comes from the understanding that participation in culture is not only a human right, it is also an important part of democratic education, awareness and engagement . When someone is excluded from cultural life, they are also excluded from important aspects of democratic participation.
In this blog, we share insights, experiences, and stories from the project. Here you can follow in our work, meet participants from the project and gain insight into how museums can become important democratic meeting places for all.
Project manager - Denmark
Anders Sinding
ans@gammelestrup.dk
Project manager - Norway
Amine Skousgaard Johnsen
amine@justismuseet.no
The MINDS-project works with museumvisits as a tool to enhance democratic education among people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders, through funding by the European Union's educational pool ERASMUS+.
The goal is to create new opportunities for participation in European museums and to explore how museums can help strengthen the target group’s democratic engagement, as this group is also characterized by low voter turnout.
The project is carried out by Gammel Estrup – The Danish Manor House Museum and the Justice Museum – Norway’s National Museum of Police, Judiciary and Correctional Services, both of which have experience with the target group and the barriers that exist in connection with museum visits.