Photo: Hanna Neander/LWL

'Museums and other venues for art should be places for everyone, shaped and sustained by their surroundings and visitors. Skulptur Projekte Münster 2027 sees itself in the same light: the project takes shape through dialogue with neighbors, local initiatives, and communities. This diversity of voices is thus embedded in the very process of its creation.' - Vincent Schier

Skulptur Projekte 2027 curator Vincent Schier is part of the session 'Museums in Contact' within the annual conference 'Opening Museums! Diversity as an Opportunity', organised by the German Museums Association. The conference takes place from May 10 to 13, 2026 in Münster, with the session scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 13:30.

The conference invites museums to actively shape their role in a plural society. It explores how new perspectives can be integrated into institutional practice, how diversity and participation can be embedded as long term strategies, and what strengths museums bring to this process across different contexts.

'Museums in Contact' focuses on museums as spaces of encounter, examining how they engage with society and build connections between different groups, perspectives, and generations. A particular emphasis is placed on collaboration with cultural actors and multipliers.

The session addresses key questions around these collaborations: how to reach and engage diverse audiences over time, what potential such partnerships hold for opening up museums, and how cooperation can be shaped sustainably and on equal terms.