On September 11, the National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD) was the setting for the first (im)probable dialogue outside the itdUPM space. The event was attended by David Mingorance Puga, responsible for the project at AIDI, and Lucía Aguirre Vaquero, from the Department of Communication and Dissemination of the MNAD. Both explained how La Batidora came about and the objectives it has sought to achieve.
La Batidora is a citizen laboratory that emerged in 2022 with the aim of transforming the National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD) from within, opening it up to citizen participation to “make the museum a more porous space committed to the problems of the present and the challenges of the future,” as David Mingorance Puga explained. The project was structured around four thematic axes: democracy, critical thinking, identity and sustainability, which served as a guide for community participation in the museum’s planning.
For her part and on behalf of the museum, Lucía Aguirre spoke about how the community has been an integral part of the project. “We wanted the community to have an active role, to feel part of the museum and its decisions,” she commented. MNAD sought, through La Batidora, to involve citizens in decisions about the future of the museum’s collections, activities and policies..
One of the most debated topics was the importance of active listening to the community. David Mingorance pointed out that “participation is not something that can be taken for granted; it has to be built day by day, listening to what people want and need.” The project allowed the community to submit its own proposals, from artistic interventions to ideas on how to improve the museum’s relationship with the public.
The dialogue also addressed the challenges faced by the project, in particular the balance between community self-management and the need for mediation by the museum. David Mingorance explained that “self-management is a delicate process. Although the aim is for the groups to organize themselves, there is always a need for accompaniment to unblock situations”.
For her part, Lucía Aguirre added that one of the challenges was to maintain constant participation over such a long period: “It is not always easy to get people involved. But once affective bonds are created within the community, it becomes a space for exchange and mutual learning”.
At the end of the event, there was a discussion about the sustainability of the project and how to ensure that the community remains active once La Batidora ends. “The goal is for the community to be able to manage itself even without the intervention of the museum, but this requires that the links and dynamics are well consolidated,” said David Mignorence.
Lucía Aguirre commented on the scalability of the project: “La Batidora is not an isolated project, but a model that can be replicated in other museums and cultural institutions. During the process, the team has documented the lessons learned and proposals generated, so that other entities can apply the same participatory methodologies in their own contexts.
The dialogue closed with an invitation to continue thinking about how cultural institutions can be more open to citizens. “This museum is yours,” Aguirre concluded, reiterating MNAD’s commitment to continue working with the community beyond La Batidora.
On September 11, the National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD) was the setting for the first (im)probable dialogue outside the itdUPM space. The event was attended by David Mingorance Puga, responsible for the project at AIDI, and Lucía Aguirre Vaquero, from the Department of Communication and Dissemination of the MNAD. Both explained how La Batidora came about and the objectives it has sought to achieve.
La Batidora is a citizen laboratory that emerged in 2022 with the aim of transforming the National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD) from within, opening it up to citizen participation to “make the museum a more porous space committed to the problems of the present and the challenges of the future,” as David Mingorance Puga explained. The project was structured around four thematic axes: democracy, critical thinking, identity and sustainability, which served as a guide for community participation in the museum’s planning.
For her part and on behalf of the museum, Lucía Aguirre spoke about how the community has been an integral part of the project. “We wanted the community to have an active role, to feel part of the museum and its decisions,” she commented. MNAD sought, through La Batidora, to involve citizens in decisions about the future of the museum’s collections, activities and policies..
One of the most debated topics was the importance of active listening to the community. David Mingorance pointed out that “participation is not something that can be taken for granted; it has to be built day by day, listening to what people want and need.” The project allowed the community to submit its own proposals, from artistic interventions to ideas on how to improve the museum’s relationship with the public.
The dialogue also addressed the challenges faced by the project, in particular the balance between community self-management and the need for mediation by the museum. David Mingorance explained that “self-management is a delicate process. Although the aim is for the groups to organize themselves, there is always a need for accompaniment to unblock situations”.
For her part, Lucía Aguirre added that one of the challenges was to maintain constant participation over such a long period: “It is not always easy to get people involved. But once affective bonds are created within the community, it becomes a space for exchange and mutual learning”.
At the end of the event, there was a discussion about the sustainability of the project and how to ensure that the community remains active once La Batidora ends. “The goal is for the community to be able to manage itself even without the intervention of the museum, but this requires that the links and dynamics are well consolidated,” said David Mignorence.
Lucía Aguirre commented on the scalability of the project: “La Batidora is not an isolated project, but a model that can be replicated in other museums and cultural institutions. During the process, the team has documented the lessons learned and proposals generated, so that other entities can apply the same participatory methodologies in their own contexts.
The dialogue closed with an invitation to continue thinking about how cultural institutions can be more open to citizens. “This museum is yours,” Aguirre concluded, reiterating MNAD’s commitment to continue working with the community beyond La Batidora.
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
Av.Complutense s/n. Ciudad
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© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. | by Marmarru Studio
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
Av.Complutense s/n. Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (España)
© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. | by Marmarru Studio
