Session 10- Museums’ experiences in Belgium

"Last Friday, the Babel Tower has been focused on museums’ experiences in Belgium: a) in the Brussel area, thanks to the intervention of Gladys Vercammen-Grandjean, the coordinator of Brussels Museums’ project Open Museum, through which she aims at fostering social inclusion, exploring how museums can become safer spaces where everyone feels welcome, regardless of gender, skin colour, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, level of education, age, etc.; b) in the Flanders, thanks to Olga Van Oost, the Director at FARO, the Flemish Institution for Cultural Heritage (Vlaams Steunpunt voor Cultureel Erfgoed) that co-hosts the Flemish Museum Network (Vlaams Museumoverleg); Van Oost discussed the social responsibility of museums and introduced the concept of agonist museums recalling Mouffe (2005), arguing that the purpose of an ’agonist museum’ is democracy by the creation of a public space that allows people to develop their critical skills; in Wallonia, thank to Kim Cappart, who has presented examples of participatory exhibitions as means for raising public awareness about contemporary issues. With them, we discussed concept of participation, polyphonic narrations, and power structures."