Thanks to our many collaborators, we’ve had some pretty amazing posts over the last couple months, each providing insights into social inclusion in museums. This week, we’ll briefly synthesize the main ideas we took away from these various contributions, and as always, we invite you to share your thoughts with us.

• Social inclusion can take many shapes and forms. It can occur through an exhibit and its development process, a low-cost ‘pop-up’ strategy than can be implemented both inside and outside of the museum walls, or a decision to participate in community events.

• Social Inclusion involves:

1. Building strong community relationships and partnerships
2. Including and relying on these relationships when designing exhibitions and programs
3. Being flexible with the museum space and willing to let partners utilize it to fulfill their needs
4. Responding  to changing demographics
5. Seizing opportunities to fit within existing, local, community-based projects
6. Valuing and encouraging self-expression and representation

• In some cases, social inclusion requires museums to become advocates on behalf of specific community groups and individuals, fighting for their fair representation and access to museum resources

• Social inclusion can be carried out through low-key, inexpensive strategies, making it within the reach of all museums

• Social inclusion is always an intentional act

What have you learned from these various posts? Are the ideas discussed above reflected in your experience with socially inclusive projects?

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