The aim of Musea Bekennen Kleur (Museums Show Their Colour) is to unite museums in a sustainable way whilst trying to embed diversity and inclusion in the DNA of the various organizations, focusing on the four P’s (Program, Public, Personnel, Partners) with room for knowledge exchange and (self) reflection. Diversity and inclusion should be a fully-fledged and anchored museum practice.
Ann Demeester: “The Frans Hals Museum wants to see more by changing its perspective. A different perpsective regarding Frans Hals, who is not only a Dutch hero, but also a New Dutchman as the child of migrants in the 17th century. But also a different point of view regarding the “Golden Age”, which we want to critically highlight from a globalist perspective, taking both artistic opulence and misery in account. This is only possible if we are polyphonic, not mono-cultural, in all respects. As a museum, we want to focus on different perspectives not only on paper, but also in daily practice. Participation in Musea Bekennen Kleur is therefore essential rather than incidental. We hope to actually change the program, audience and staff in the future, in collaboration with colleagues from the museum field and by not envisaging this as a project but as a long-term goal.”
Other participating museums are: Amsterdam Museum, Bonnefanten, Centraal Museum, Dordrechts Museum, Frans Hals Museum, Museum Arnhem, Museum Het Rembrandthuis, Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Van Abbemuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Zeeuws Museum. Other museums are welcome to join in!
