How can you improve the relationship between the museum and the city’s population?
The Gemeentemuseum is using the ‘City to the Museum’ programme to increases the diversity of its audience. The museum opens its doors to groups of people who don’t find it so easy to find their way to the museum. Each inhabitant of the various districts of The Hague receives a personal invitation to get to know the museum at one of these District Evenings (Stadsdeelavonden).
A museum for the whole city
The Gemeentemuseum is there for all citizens of The Hague. After all, the museum manages the city of The Hague’s collection. However, not all inhabitants take a visit to a museum for granted. Lots of people either can’t afford it, have other things on their mind or do not believe the museum belongs to or fits in with their world. It is with these people in mind that since 2009 the museum has been organising District Evenings.
"With City to the Museum, we aren’t just throwing the doors to the museum wide open. Actually, we are opening a whole new door. It’s a red carpet for all the of the city’s inhabitants."
During special evening openings, the museum welcomes all inhabitants of The Hague, district by district: from Laak to Scheveningen, and from Segbroek tot Escamp. Visitors can explore the exhibitions under their own steam or on a guided museum tour. They can take part in workshops, listen to live music and have a drink in the museum’s Garden Gallery. The evenings are initiated with the help of prominent people and organisations the particular district: from libraries to active citizens, and from community centres to shopkeepers. Free admission and organised bus transport remove the final reasons not to visit, and give all residents an unforgettable evening in their museum.
No fewer than 80,000 inhabitants of The Hague have visited the museum under this scheme and the District Evenings have become a permanent part of the programme of activities. In 2014, Jet Bussemaker, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, declared the ‘City to the Museum’ project a model for Best Practice regarding the application of the Cultural Diversity Code.
To find out more about the programme, please visit the Gemeentemuseum website.
