CitizenHeritage promotes participative approaches and is also about involving university students with cultural heritage projects. As part of the Museums in Context master course, the Rotterdam University organizes activities where students perform short and intense research projects involving the discussion of theories and the gathering and analysis of data. One of the projects this year is CitizenHeritage, with which students developed and tested one survey approaching the project’s topics from the consumer’s perspective.
All 5 projects explored by students have been representative of this unique period we are living in, and while the course is especially focused on the museum sector, the discussions and themes apply to the wider cultural sector.
A final presentation of the students works was held on Wed 31 March from 13.00 to 14.45 CET.
Museums in Context
Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3227637978
The projects to be presented are:
- The Dutch Museum Gift Shop: students present results from a bilingual (NL, ENG) survey on perceptions and online shopping behaviour. Students also present results from a comparison on various online shops.
- Reuse of Open Data: the group chose to interview a series of visual artists about their perception and use of images online. Students present issues related to accessibility (digital literacy, technical and legal challenges), affinity to the museum organization, and inspiration sources in the creation process.
- Why is Culture Good for You? CitizenHeritage is a challenging project, abstract and lacking one simple answer. Students ran a survey before and after a cultural consumption event and present their insights. For this project, the creation of the survey was at the core.
- Visual and Performing Arts Online: understanding the move online during the lockdown, this group chose to look at museums, dance and theatre organizations developing online services and compared prices, engagement, and technological innovation.
- Museums and XR: this project focused on the Generation Z. Students present results from a survey on cultural and online behaviour as well as perception of the museum online. Results are placed within a larger context of the GenZ.
The presentations were recorded and are made available together with students’ slides, and, upon request, the final papers can also be provided.
