Museums in Times of Transformation, Uncertainty, and Complexity of the World: New Paradigms and Challenges vs. Captive Imagination 

Can you imagine a museum that is not only a temple of the past but also a laboratory for the future? Where instead of static exhibits, you can encounter artificial intelligence collaborating with artists, experience immersive narratives in virtual reality, and create your own interactive works of art? We face many challenges and opportunities ahead for cultural institutions, and the project “The Future of Museums and Art Institutions” aims to determine how we can best prepare for them; proactively today, rather than only when we are forced to react.

The project partners are the National Institute of Museums and the British Council, and it involves representatives from key Polish cultural and art institutions. The project is part of the Museums Revisited program by the British Council. The organisers are 4CF The Futures Literacy Company from Poland and FutureEverything from the United Kingdom.

Museums at the Epicentre of Global Transformations

In a world where change is the only constant, museums, more than ever, face a series of fundamental challenges that not only require their adaptation but also a redefinition of their mission and role in society. Artificial intelligence, climate change, migration, social inequalities, and armed conflicts are challenges that demand a completely new approach from museums. It is essential to understand how museums can not only survive but also become catalysts for change in culture, society, and the environment, as well as sources of new institutional and infrastructural models.

Museums in 2050

In light of the pace and scale of these changes, it is becoming increasingly difficult to transcend the limitations of institutional and programmatic imagination, to move beyond known frameworks that, despite being effective for years, have become inadequate to meet contemporary needs and challenges. It is essential for museums to become vibrant centres of social innovation and future prototyping; places that not only archive the past but also shape the future. Technology will play a significant role in this transformation. Artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, blockchain, biotechnology, and new forms of interaction with works of art open up previously unknown possibilities for museums. How can museums effectively respond to the needs of different generations, creating spaces and programs that engage and inspire? The changing role of museums in society requires not only innovative technological solutions but also deep reflection on the missions, visions, and strategies of these institutions.

“The Future of Museums and Art Institutions”

This is not just a project — it is an invitation to collaboratively create a new reality where museums can become vibrant places of life, dialogue, and inspiration. In times of dynamic and unpredictable developments in artificial intelligence, in a complex, uncertain, and unstable world, we are asking questions that may help us better understand and define the possible futures of cultural and art institutions. What might await museums in 2050? What challenges and opportunities lie ahead? This will be much more than just an academic debate. It is a fascinating journey into the future to disrupt entrenched thinking about cultural institutions and dismantle our assumptions about their future.

During the workshops organised as part of the “The Future of Museums and Art Institutions” project, experts from Polish and British partners will come together, enabling a broad exchange of experiences, methods, and diverse perspectives. FutureEverything employs innovative methodologies, such as Innovation Labs and speculative future visions, to gain a multifaceted understanding of hypothetical future challenges through the exchange of insights, methods, and findings. Meanwhile, 4CF The Futures Literacy Company uses a full range of foresight methods in the process of creating future scenarios. Thus, the workshop will serve as an opportunity to establish a joint platform for forming a project consortium aimed at long-term and systematic exploration of the future of museums and cultural and art institutions. One of the goals is also to create a lasting mechanism for exchanging experiences, knowledge, and expertise within the Museums Revisited program by the British Council.

What makes the project disruptive?

The goal of the project “The Future of Museums and Art Institutions” is to pose relevant questions that will help uncover the challenges and opportunities facing these institutions in various future scenarios leading up to 2050.

Together with representatives from key Polish cultural and art institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków (MOCAK), and the National Museums in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, and Szczecin, visions will be created in which museums are not only places for storing the past but also dynamic spaces where we develop new practices at the intersection of technology, art, and society. This is not just a question about the future of cultural institutions — it is a challenge that opens up possibilities for designing new institutional solutions, seeking new relationships and synergies, creating new programs and exhibitions, and identifying needs related to knowledge, competencies, and skills.

The authors of the initiative hope that one of the outcomes of the project will be the creation of new models of collaboration between museums, local and international communities, scientists, and artists. The project will allow for the development of recommendations that will help museums adapt to future opportunities and challenges.

The great journey toward the future begins now

The first phase of the project will consist of workshops held in the new building of the Museum of Modern Art on November 5 and 6, 2024, during which experts and practitioners will create four innovative scenarios for the future of museums. Participants will have the opportunity to “immerse themselves” in these visions by engaging with narratives and artefacts of the future to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing cultural institutions. In the next step, specific challenges arising from the scenarios will be identified, and workshop participants will have the chance to design a plan that includes concrete measures to minimise risks and capitalise on opportunities.

The second phase of the project will feature a series of inspiring lectures presented at major museum conferences, including the IV Research Conference in the Cultural Sector, (Co)Creation in Kraków (November 28-29, 2024), and the 14th CoMUSEUM International Conference in Athens (December 4-6, 2024). The results of the workshops will be discussed with a broad audience, facilitating dialogue and further development of ideas. This is an invitation for museum professionals and artists to collaboratively design new operational models for cultural institutions.

Who is behind this?

The project is being carried out by a team of experts who combine knowledge in strategic foresight, speculative future visions, art, and cultural institution management. This includes Bartosz Frąckowiak, a consultant at 4CF and a board member of the Biennale Warszawa Foundation; Katarzyna Figiel, a specialist in foresight research at 4CF and innovative studies in museology; and Chris Wright, the Executive Director of FutureEverything — an expert in democratising the creation of and access to art, as well as a long-time producer of cultural events.