“Therefore… all of us deserve to win a prize.”
Stijn Schoonderwoerd opens the award ceremony by reminiscing on the very first exhibition of the Tropenmuseum: it was also about Marocco and it was quite different from the one that opened Friday the 17th of October. Museum education has developed immensely over 40 years and it keeps changing faster. Children museums hope to inspire our young visitors to become good world citizens. This goal has become much harder in this world of unprecedented change. “Therefore, all of us deserve to win a prize.”
Dutch Museum Education Award
The Dutch Museum Education Award is not just another award: it doesn’t only celebrate the best practices; it also puts a big focus on cooperation between museums and schools. This award aims to strengthen relation those types of relations.
Before announcing the winners, The Dutch task force for museum education hands over their report to the deputy of Dutch ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Marjan Hammersma. The two most important points are:
1: Give best practices a platform and make it more visible.
2: Investing in extra teacher training in culture education is necessary; strengthen the role of the cultural coordinator in schools.
The three 3 finalists for the Dutch Museum Education Award are Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Flipje en Streekmuseum Tiel and Kröller-Müller Museum. The arguments for choosing the winning project are the following: The project was both highly innovative and flexible: it can easily be transferred to other institutions and schools throughout the Netherlands. It is an adjustable tool, which can address local, regional and national issues. Moreover, it puts the teachers fully in charge. The winner is: Kröller-Müller Museum with the ‘Every day art’- digital block calendar!
Q (Marjan Hammersma): What is the key factor to your success?
A (Kröller-Müller Museum): The key is simplicity. Teachers were happy to find a simple way to make art a logical part of their lessons. You can use it if you have five minutes to spare but also in a more elaborate way. The effects of the tool are visible already: Children visit the museum more easily, the calendar is used more and more in their classrooms and they recognize bits from their own environment when they encounter for example historical sights in their city. We intent to put the money to use in such a way that other museums can use the tool too and to make it accessible to more schools.
Children in Museums Award
The Children in Museums Award aims to stimulate creativity, imagination, fantasy and openness in children. Eight museums were shortlisted for the prize. Eventually the prize was awarded to two museums; they are to share the Miffy trophy.
Q (Marjan Hammersma): What is the key factor to your success?
A (Boston Children’s Museum): We never take our success for granted and we work together with a lot of agencies across the US that serve children.
A (ZOOM Kindermuseum): We truly enjoy working with children; we enjoy listening to them. We like to view a new exhibition through their eyes.