What type of engagement?

The purpose of these categories was to an attempt to define different ‘types’ of visitor participation and to asses the balance between the museum’s input and the visitors’ activities

Creative practices in museum

The purpose of these categories was to an attempt to define different ‘types’ of visitor participation and to asses the balance between the museum’s input and the visitors’ activities. These types were created to try to place each case study within a perimeter that could be easily referred to. In the Participatory Museum (2010), Nina Simon also refers to 4 categories (contributory, collaborative, co-created, and hosted) and lays out a framework
for participation. Within The Creative Museum Project we do not imply that one level or type is better than the other. We recognise that each organisation is different, and that there are different types of project and different levels of participation.
Contributors were also asked to select a particular category for their case study from categories including: Maker-in-residence; Maker Faire/Fare; Maker Spaces; FabLabs; HackerSpaces; hackathons; MediaLabs; digital engagement; software design and application development; craft and design projects; popup museums / exhibitions; interpretative techniques / interpretation; health and well-being. We also invited contributors to suggest other terms as appropriate.

 

These terms were suggested to encapsulate some of the new vocabulary associated with the type of project and programmes with The Creative Museum. Some of these terms require further explanation and are illustrated below.