This document discusses the role and purpose of museums in society from the perspective of the Dutch Open Air Museum (NOM). It addresses how NOM is perceived as focusing on nostalgia and attractions. It explores how NOM can remain relevant by telling more inclusive stories, engaging in societal issues, and taking a more active role in building connections. The document advocates using the GIVE model of storytelling to focus on values, meaning, and actions that achieve societal goals through empathy, emotions, and co-creation with audiences.
1. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
NOW WE'RE TALKING!
2. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
3. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
4. h o w w e t h i n k t h a t p e o p l e t h i n k a b o u t H o l l a n d
Nederland, and HOLLAND?
Нидерланды и Голландия
5. HOLLAND?
h o w w e t h i n k t h a t p e o p l e t h i n k a b o u t H o l l a n d
6. we like to confirm
(what do we confirm actually?)
from our collection: tulips
7. we like to interpret by showing
(what is the relevancy?)
from our collection: tulips
8. we like to collect the daily life…
(up to 50 years ago)
from our collection: wooden shoes
9. we like to collect stories
(but many of them are still hidden in a collection database)
from our collection: wooden shoes
10. we have an outstanding "3D experience park"
(how can we connect it to the original locations outside the park?)
from our collection: windmills
11. we know a lot about rural history and agriculture from the 19th century
(how about nowadays regional and urban development?)
from our collection: windmills
12. NOSTALGIA: IS THIS US?
we are fun, a nice experience… (and meaningless?)
13. RETROSPECTIVE: IS THIS US?
we attract people who want to be confirmed in their identity
(or: their story about this identity)
14. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
15. Arnhem,
*1912-1918
Skansen,
*1891
where we come from: the 20st century came
with rapid and disruptive changes in society,
culture, traditions, crafts…
it's in the DNA of the museum to reflect and react on this
16. a MUSEUM as a composite organisation
park, collection, expertise centre, network, history event, etc.
17. We need to tell inclusive stories, think about
what kind of new perspective or awareness
should be conveyed to the visitors
'The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two
opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the
ability to function.' F. Sott Fitzgerald
18. We need to tell inclusive stories, think about
what kind of new perspective or awareness
should be conveyed to the visitors
'The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two
opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the
ability to function.' F. Sott Fitzgerald
19. leading role in a network of history museums
and history education at schools
Challenge of different types of interpretation and storytelling
20. a MUSEUM as a fleet
sharper sailing close to the wind
Challenge for similarities in interpretation and storytelling
21. a MUSEUM as a personality
identity, virtues, beliefs, actions, encounters,
22. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
23. 'A museum is a place where, via art, culture and history, people
can learn something about each other.' Deirdre Carasso
"WE ARE A MUSEUM"
24. "WE ARE (not just) A MUSEUM"
social & active in museums: from disputed to discussed
'If you want a safe haven, don't work in a museum' David Fleming
25. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
26. interpretation to confirm or discuss identity
In a super-diverse society that is undergoing major changes and is becoming
'fluid', identity is not an established fact. Yet some people assert a very rigid
identity or deny it to others. In the meantime, many people are looking for a /
their origin and associated intangible heritage, histories and (regional or local)
individuality. The NOM can be of significance in this by making an inventory,
showing (layered), keeping alive, collecting and sharing knowledge, and enabling
others in the network to get started building bridges and restoring connections.
27. purpose in the 21st century
new museology and being in the forefront
"gradually the concept of socially responsible museum (Janes 2007: 141) is
replaced by the concept of socially purposeful museum (Leicester School of
Museum Studies 2012): "a dynamic, vital institution, that has rich relationships with
diverse audiences that nurtures participatory and co-creative practice and is
part of people's everyday lives; that seeks to foster progressive social values and,
at the same time, is widely recognised as a site for dialogue and debate […]"
(van Mensch and Meijer van Mensch 2015)
"Museums ethics seeks to provide a purposeful, philosophical framework for all
that the museum does. […] Ethics is an expression of social responsibility, which
necessarily concerns relationships between people."
(Tristram Besterman, in 'A Companion to Museum Studies', chapter 26, 2011)
28. "Only a decade ago, the notion that museums, galleries and heritage
organisations might engage in activist practice, with explicit intent to
act upon inequalities, injustices and environmental crises, was met
with scepticism and often derision. Seeking to purposefully bring
about social change was viewed by many within and beyond the
museum community as inappropriately political and antithetical to
fundamental professional values. Today, although the idea remains
controversial, the way we think about the roles and responsibilities of
museums as knowledge based, social institutions is
changing. Museum Activism examines the increasing significance of
this activist trend in thinking and practice. […] wide-ranging
examination of new and divergent expressions of the inherent power
of museums as forces for good, and as activists in civil society, aims to
encourage further experimentation and enrich the debate in this
nascent and uncertain field of museum practice[…]"
(Edited by Robert R. Janes, Richard Sandell, 2019)
https://www.routledge.com/Museum-Activism/Janes-Sandell/p/book/9780815369974?fbclid=IwAR1rk-
eiAW6uXqJXDYscc1xwjj4rsld5XmCGIBAG4JZ19O3aHxvdTKq1Zv4
engagement in the 21st century
new museology and social activism
29. Our museum can encourage peaceful relationships, offer
plural perspectives and play an active role in addressing
traumatic histories or controversial topics
Emotion networking as a tool to interpret heritage together and
connect it to a visitor's own values
30. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
31. time layers in 4 houses with historical interiors, telling
about changes in society
Time layers in 4 houses with historical interiors, telling about
changes in society
NOM as a scenery for transitions
from explaing to showing to discussing: what is the question
32. NOM as a place for sustainable development
societal themes in common practice and design thinking
'The future is already here - it's just not very evenly
distributed' William Ford Gibson
Storytelling starts with asking a question: why is this (not) a good
solution? For which problem?
33. • decription
• facts• material• usage• origin
dynamic heritage
from task, fact and project to role, relations, process and
dialogue
story
story
story
story
story
story
story
story
story
story
34. dynamic heritage
from plain history education to design thinking and problem solving
Storytelling starts with asking questions: "for which problem was
this object, this tradition, this artwork a solution?"
And how will we solve this in the future?
35. • the main purpose of museums is to restore and / or build connection and relations
• museums are about people and the things they make, do, value and find relevant in
the context of their society. Therefore museums should enhance diversity,
inclusivesness, representating plural voices.
• museums are meeting places, whether it is presentations, programming,
communication (media) or education, we need to design the social interaction.
• museums are about society and the questions within: what's going on, how to
understand our world and make it a better place?
• museums have a societal role and should be active in society, not just being
responsible, but contribute actively, embrace good causes and even take the lead;
which could also be presenting art in the best possible way together with offering art
literacy
• museums are about what happens now, intertwining past and future; therefore
museums need to be able to build bridges. One of their main purposes is to restore
relations or create new ones.
• museums are storytelling hubs and by nature transmedial, this requires multi-layered
stories; without narrative, storytellers and listeners there's no museum.
• museums need to be and think excentric…
NOM museological statements
36. NOM as a place for reflection & philosophy
societal themes in everyday life and high-minded ideals
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2018/12/20/aristoteles-de-levensgenieter-a3126581
https://www.montesquieu-instituut.nl/id/vivadlocxcf4/aristoteles
https://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/bestuur-en-organisatie/nieuws/integriteit-via-filosofie-tussen-de-oren.187483.lynkx
migration vs.
globalization
urbanization
vs. recreation
care vs.
economy
climate vs.
energy
virtue & ethicsconscience & authority
truth vs. fake
hope & love
i n t h e m a k i n g
i n t h e p e o p l e
37. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
Nederlands Openlucht Museum (NOM)
Dutch Open Air Museum
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
40. s t o r y t e l l i n g + c o - c r e a t i o n
Inside Outside
tradition/
confirmation
meaning
union/
negotiation
sensitive
issues
interpretatio
n
ambition/
dreams
collection purpose education
We
(museum)
They
(audience)
assets co-created value gains&pains
post-present present present-future
History Horizon
Truth Drama
facts authenticity experience
support
representation
engagement
inclusion
bridging the gap with storytelling
41. bridging the gap with storytelling
using (mobile) tours to connect stories, locations, people and
meaning: outreach in the entire Netherlands
42. bridging the gap with storytelling
using (mobile) tours to connect stories, locations, people and
meaning: the museum in your region, near your home
44. bridging the gap with storytelling
Melinda Gates offers insights on storytelling. She gives 4 cornerstones:
1. Tell a story. The well-known technique, “show, don’t tell” is one that can
transcend media pitches and press releases. We call this the Idea
2. Know your audience. We call this the context, which also involves a societal
value
3. Share impactful data. Standing on its own, data can be a helpful reference.
However, when presented in the right context, data can become a powerful
tool that moves people to action. Which we call a transactional value.
4. Provide a call to action. This we call the actual interaction, by programming,
providing experiences and giving people reasons to engage, or where you
meet your visitors as a museum, where you do the education, share
emotions.
We can also divide those cornerstones into vision, mission and relation. Or
"Look, because, and that's why… " these steps help you to construct your
storyline. For our museum this is the cornerstones of our storytelling: why we
exist and the way we speak about ourselves.
45. ' o u r m u s e u m s p e a k s f o r i t s e l f '
1. Nederland and Holland - NOM image and perception (nostalgia and
attraction)
2. NOM, organisation structure
3. Challenge NOM > we are a museum
4. Society: what’s going on
5. Our aims
6. Storytelling, how we see it
7. GIVE model: how we use it
46. GIVE model as a basis for storytelling: value,
meaning and action for societal goals are crucial
47. identity +
purpose
(visionary)
IDEA
credit
(engaged)
VALUE
profit
(sustainable)
VALUE
interactive
(co-creative)
EDUCATION
social
responsibility
(just)
GOAL
ENGAGEMENT
EMPATHY
EMOTIONS
make a list of the values for
your museum, discuss them
(also with your audience),
design an icon and colour
for them, so anyone in and
outside the organisation
can understand and
recognise them.
think about the assets and
recources of your
organisation, make an
inventory of the pains and
gains of both your audience
and society. Search for
opportunities to deliver
added value and transactions
Define the identity of
your museum by
looking at it as a
personality
design the social
interaction:
connections,
relations, co-creation,
storytelling, build
experiences, focus on
emotions also
GIVE model as a basis for storytelling: value,
meaning and action for societal goals are crucial
48. for the sake of society and for the love of
museums: please take care
49. FEEL FREE TO MAIL / FOLLOW ME:
tcmeereboer @ gmail . com
t.meereboer @ openluchtmuseum . nl
+31 6 48 777 421
museummaker.nl
…/in/theomeereboer
@theomeereboer
facebook.com/theomeereboer
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!