Following an informative first gathering at the National Gallery of Denmark back in September, We Do Democracy is now preparing for its second gathering—this time at Museum Thy. With support from the Agency for Culture and Palaces, the National Gallery of Denmark and Museum Thy have assembled a citizens’ assembly of 36 representative Danes from across the country. The citizens are working toward formulating recommendations on how the museums of the future can become a meaningful and integral part of everyday life for more people.
“We need to imagine a future where museums are an integral part of everyday life”
The National Gallery of Denmark and Museum Thy have established a citizens’ committee to address their core mission: “We need your help to envision a future where museums are a meaningful and integral part of everyday life for more people.”
There have never been more museum visitors in Denmark, but the distribution is uneven. It is particularly people with advanced degrees who visit museums.
That is why the National Gallery of Denmark and Museum Thy have brought citizens together so that they can learn, debate, and ultimately reach a consensus on how museums can reach a wider audience.
The citizen panel is representative of the general population in terms of age, gender, region, education, and how often they visit museums. This ensures that the recommendations have broad appeal and that a wide variety of voices are heard.
The Citizens’ Assembly adheres to the OECD’s deliberative principles for effective citizen participation, and We Do Democracy manages the process as an independent third-party secretariat.
First in the Nordic region to establish an inclusion process in the museum sector
We Do Democracy is leading the citizen-led initiative on the future of museums. The team has managed many participatory processes, but this is the first time in the Nordic region that cultural institutions are adopting this approach. If we want to strengthen the democratic foundation, we must promote democratization in far more institutions—including those outside the traditional framework. The visit to Museum Thy is a concrete step toward incorporating citizen participation into the world of culture and museums.
Democratic Process and Method
We Do Democracy designs and facilitates the citizens’ assembly in accordance with the OECD’s principles to create a safe space where citizens can share experiences, ask questions, and formulate recommendations for the museums of the future. The project demonstrates how citizen engagement and deliberative processes anchor democracy in practice within the arts, culture, and museum sectors.
Facts:
- We Do Democracy has been responsible for recruiting the 36 members from across the country, so the group reflects the Danish demographic
- The members meet during two weekend gatherings (first at SMK, which took place in September, and now at Museum Thy) as well as three online meetings
- The citizens will present their final recommendations to the museums in early 2027
- The citizen panel is supported by an independent group of expert advisors consisting of Birgit Eriksen (AU), Mira C. Skadegård (Center for Diversity), Trine Bille (CBS), Hanne Kusk (University College Nordjylland), Line Vestergaard Knudsen (AU), and Lise Skytte Jakobsen (AU)
- The parties have entered into a third-party agreement to ensure the independence of the citizens’ panel and to establish a mandate that requires the museums to respond to the recommendations within 6 months and again after 24 months
Read more about the project on the SMK website here: https://www.smk.dk/article/fremtidens-museer-borgersamling-paa-smk-og-museum-thy/