Friederike Sophie Berlekamp

The following article examines museums as meeting points, as open and inviting places for encounters and interactions, shaped by the presence of cultural assets, and thus offering not only physical-geographical but also temporal, emotional and mental spaces for diverse and complex exchange and reflection. These considerations build on the EU project REACH, which provided the opportunity to carry out extensive studies and activities on participatory initiatives in the field of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage institutions were an important pillar of this project and our contribution was focused in particular on museums. A short overview of our work and its guiding intellectual principles will be presented here together with the insights gained through our international workshop and during our survey. Even though the study included only a small sample, it could still highlight a very diverse range of activities and frameworks, and reveal the highly complex character of participatory activities, and of museums and their work. Furthermore, the societal relevance of historico-cultural collections and the multidimensional value of interaction could be underlined. By relating these findings to the current debate on the institution of museum, it has been possible to reflect on the changes that museums are undergoing as a result of the altering attitudes, knowledge, experiences, behaviour and expectations both among the public and within the institutions themselves. In addition, it was of special concern to accentuate the need of modified framework conditions and of multilateral commitments and responsibilities. With this article, I would like to contribute to the ongoing debate on the further development of museums and to promote a rather simple and open form of their understanding and development as meeting points.