Private Museums and Local Collections in Poland: Report

The Ari Ari Foundation, an NGO based in Poland, has recently published the English version of a study entitled ‘Private Museums, Local Collections. Research Report’, which focuses on the increasing presence of private museums in Poland. Research was originally carried out in 2012 in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania) and Mazowieckie (Mazovia) provinces, where over 50 private museums were analysed. The resulting study analyses three aspects related to them: - analysis of the processes related to the establishment, organisation and management of private museums; - characteristics of private museums and various aspects of their work; - analysis of the reception of private museums at local and regional level, with regard to their social, economic, political and cultural context. The report depicts a complex, changing landscape of museum institutions, as well as the individual stories, attitudes and approaches of staff involved in their management. Recommendations aimed at museum owners, public authorities and audiences are also presented. Finally, three research articles examining specific aspects related to local museums (the emotions behind museum management; collecting; and memories) are also included. In the context of the project, a short film entitled ‘My Museum’ has also been produced, presenting testimonials of three private museum owners, and their approach to keeping local memories alive. The research report was conducted within the ‘Obserwatorium kultury’ programme, which was financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. It was carried out under the patronage of the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections. Download the pdf here: private museums-local collections-poland-report