The project aims to improve the skills required for the development of educational programmes for groups with fewer opportunities and to gain the knowledge necessary both for the preparation of more accessible permanent collections and for the integration of accessibility into the regular museum work. 

We have so far visited museums in the Netherlands and Sweden and in 2025 we plan to continue our activities in Spain. 

The first trip: the Netherlands 

In the Netherlands, we visited the Eindhoven-based Van Abbemuseum, one of the most modern museums in terms of exhibitions and work with the community and individuals with fewer opportunities. One of the exhibitions currently on view at the museum (until 2 March 2025) is a multi-sensory presentation of the Delinking and Relinking collection, which is aimed at different groups of people with fewer opportunities. 

Over the next three days, we visited four other museums to learn about some more best practices: the preHistorisch Dorp museum in Eindhoven, the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk.

A study tour to Sweden: how to make a museum accessible to all? 

The second mobility trip took place in Sweden. We visited several galleries and museums in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, and in Östersund, a town north of Stockholm. 

The thing that the Stockholm-based Historiska, Nationalmuseum, Modernamuseet and Nordiska museums and the Jamtli museum in Östersund have in common with the Škofja Loka Museum is that they house archaeological, historical, art historical and ethnological collections, as well as modern art collections. We visited their exhibitions with great interest, focusing on specific accessibility adaptations that could be implemented at the Škofja Loka Museum. 

At the Botkyrka and Tensta contemporary art galleries, we gained insight into the programmes they are developing for different audiences in their respective local communities, especially their work with individuals with fewer opportunities. 

We also visited the Gaaltije museum, whose exhibitions showcase the rich Sami history. The museum’s main aim is to set up a cultural centre for Sami people to meet and socialise, as well as to present the Sami culture to the rest of the local population.  

Both the Gaaltije museum and the Botkyrka and Tensta galleries provided us with insights into the activities carried out to increase the inclusion and education of marginalised groups. 

New knowledge and skills for better practices: the impact of international mobility programmes 

In the Netherlands, the mobility programme participants learned about different museum approaches to working with individuals with sensory, mental and physical impairments, while in Sweden we also focused on the inclusion of marginalised ethnic groups. Both mobility activities proved very informative and useful for all the participants, as they will allow us to incorporate many of the practices into our future work and share the knowledge with our colleagues. 

Jerica Brečić is a project manager in the Škofja Loka museum and a coordinator of the Erasmus+ project On the Way to the Museum for All.