Culture as a Commons Museion Academy

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How can cultural institutions or initiatives convert their social responsibility into effective, lasting impact – beyond symbolic gestures – in the face of accelerating ecological, social, and political transformations? And crucially: who participates in defining this mandate?

These urgent questions lie at the heart of Culture as a Commons, a three-day international forum that brings together 12 selected cultural initiatives from the Netherlands and Italy. In the framework of this gathering at Museion, they will open up and share best practice strategies, visions, and formats beyond institutional boundaries, exploring culture as a common good – as a space of “commoning”.

Rather than codifying fixed answers, the forum seeks to uncover both potential and limitations in current cultural work, through foregrounding experimental formats, porous collaborations, and gentle forms of activism. It encourages situated, responsive strategies to address challenges of social relevance, participation, and sustainability, including those raised in the 2022 redefinition of the museum by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

True to its spirit, this particular symposium represents a commons itself: it is participatory, publicly accessible, and invites cultural practitioners from diverse backgrounds – as well as everyone who sees culture as an inclusive and collective practice and a catalyst for social change – to engage, exchange, and reflect. The program will include not only discussions and workshops but also moments of shared experience, care, and wellbeing – dancing included.

Program Overview
Thursday, November 20, 2025

16:30 – 17:00
Registration

17:00 – 17:30
Interactive Opening Session: Liquid Kaleidoscope

17:30 – 19:00
Introductory Impulse Discussion with:

Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Arts in Health NL

Museion

19:00 – 20:00
WELCOME! Guiding Tour Nicola L. – I Am The Last Woman Object (available in English / Italian / German)

From 19:00
Get-Together with aperitivo

Friday, November 21, 2025

09:30 – 10:00
Registration

10:00 – 13:00
Panel Discussion Culture as a Commons with:

Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons

Dans op Recept

Oriente Occidente

La Rivoluzione delle Seppie

11:00 – 11:30
Relaxing Intervention with: e20danza

14:00 – 15:00
International Partner Matching / Best-Practice Workshops with:

Scapino Ballet Rotterdam + Compagnie Malviste: Wellbeing Session: Body/Space Exercises

Kunstinstituut Melly + Quasi Quasi: Interactive Quiz Game

(Limited capacity, registration required)

15:00 – 16:00
International Partner Matching / Best-Practice Workshops with:

MAP Moving Arts Project + La Rivoluzione delle Seppie: Cross-Disciplinary Hands-On Workshop

Casco Art Institute: Working for the Commons + Post Disaster: Blind-Date: Behind-the-Scenes Conversations with the Museion Team

(Limited capacity, registration required)

16:30 – 18:30
Afternoon Session and Exchange of Experiences in the ZINE SPACE

18:30 – 20:00
Get-Together with aperitivo and Musical Intervention, curated by 24homes – l’arte è di casa. hier wohnt Kunst.
Introduced by Greta Marcolongo; musical performance by Francesco Bianchi (guitar)

Saturday, November 22, 2025

09:30 – 10:00
Registration

10:00 – 12:00
ZINE SPACE: Experimental Print Workshop and Final Output, with Silvia Maccariello and all cultural partners

(Limited capacity, registration required)

Participation in the symposium is free upon registration online. Some events listed in the programme have limited capacity; we therefore kindly ask you to indicate your interest in attending them directly in the registration form.

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Despite our efforts in verifying data we do not assume any responsibility for the correctness of information and the effective ralisation of events listed in our calendar. In order to verify single events, please contact the organisers.