Beyond the Walls: Museums as Engines of Community Engagement

A mobile van parked outside a Bronx housing complex exemplifies the evolving role of museums. This van is part of the Bronx Museum of the Arts’ Bronx Museum on the Block initiative, launched in 2022. The program brings pop-up art workshops, performances, and exhibitions directly into neighborhoods, bypassing traditional barriers to museum access.

This initiative reflects a shift among cultural institutions aiming to become community-centered spaces. The Oakland Museum of California repositioned itself in 2019, declaring itself “a museum for the people.” Its Friday Nights at OMCA feature food, live music, and art-making, merging the public square with the museum courtyard.

Professor Melissa Crum, who has consulted on inclusion strategies for several US museums, believes these programs indicate a significant change in institutional values. “We’re seeing a growing understanding that museums are part of the social fabric, not apart from it,” she states. Crum emphasizes the need for museums to reflect their communities' realities, especially in cities facing inequality and social change.

Historical precedents exist, though unevenly. The 1960s and 1970s saw early community engagement efforts, such as Studio Museum Harlem's exhibitions. However, the gap between intention and execution remained wide. By the 1990s, most museums still adhered to a monolithic framework, centering curation around what Tony Bennett termed the “exhibitionary complex.”

Today, participation and co-creation are reshaping that paradigm. The Manchester Museum’s South Asia Gallery, co-curated with six local partners from diasporic communities, embodies a strategy that values lived experience alongside academic credentials. Director Esme Ward noted that the gallery “is not our story to tell alone.” Opened in February 2023, it features contemporary commissions alongside historical objects, addressing the UK's colonial ties to South Asia.

Challenges persist. Financial sustainability remains a hurdle, as community engagement projects often depend on grants or short-term funding. The Museo Egizio in Turin piloted a program in 2021 to involve Middle Eastern and North African immigrant communities in reinterpretations of the Egyptian collection. While praised, the project’s future hinges on uncertain external support.

Institutional inertia poses another challenge. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced its 2021 initiative to recontextualize historical galleries with Native American curators. However, progress has been slower than expected, highlighting the complexities of enacting systemic change in organizations built on centuries-old structures.

Technology presents both opportunities and pitfalls. Virtual reality exhibitions, such as Helsinki’s Amos Rex collaboration with augmented reality platform Arilyn, have expanded access. However, digital-only initiatives can deepen divides for populations lacking reliable internet access. A 2021 study by the American Alliance of Museums found that the digital pivot during the pandemic widened gaps for rural populations and those below the poverty line—exactly the groups museums aim to engage.

Some efforts exemplify what is possible. In São Paulo, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) launched its Diverso MASP program in 2018, integrating LGBTQIA+ voices into exhibitions. Their 2023 exhibition Histórias Brasileiras, co-curated with Indigenous leaders, reframed Brazilian narratives through lenses of gender and indigeneity. This approach not only increased inclusivity but also transformed the museum’s programming DNA.

There is no singular blueprint for reimagining a museum’s role. Context matters. What works in São Paulo may not translate to Sydney or Seoul. However, patterns emerge: prioritizing local partnerships, embedding diverse representation, and committing to transparency in institutional power structures.

Such transformations are gradual, concludes Dr. Rick West, founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian. “You can’t simply add community engagement as another department and call it done. It’s a rethinking of purpose.”

For institutions resistant to change, the stakes are high. Declining visitor numbers—down by 77% globally in 2020 according to UNESCO—are reshaping financial considerations. The more pressing crisis may be one of relevance. Museums that fail to adapt risk becoming what Crum describes as “silent monuments in a living world.”

The Bronx Museum on the Block’s van serves as a counterpoint to that fate. Its success in reshaping institutional relevance remains uncertain. As communities diversify and societal challenges intensify, museums must confront a critical question: can they afford not to change?