(In)visible Audiences: From Inclusivity and Access to Caring Museum Practice

(In)visible Audiences: From Inclusivity and Access to Caring Museum Practice

The aim of this paper is to propose a novel framework for cultural participation and museum policy, contextualizing accessibility and inclusion within the purview of care ethics. The study involves a comparative analysis of programs designed for people with disabilities, centering on three case studies: the Gallery of Matica Srpska, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, and the Museum of Yugoslavia. The methodological approach involves qualitative data collection through desk research and semi-structured interviews with cultural professionals associated with the respective institutions. An important aspect of the methodology is the attempt at an interdisciplinary approach, gleaning and connecting concepts from the fields of political philosophy (politics and ethics of care), cultural policy and cultural rights, museology, and critical disability theory.
As examples of good practice, three museum programs are analyzed beyond existing legal paradigms for accessibility and inclusion, but within broader discourses of care ethics, social regeneration, and museum care. The proposed framework serves as a potential guide for museum policies, transcending the mere elimination of physical barriers to foster enhanced cultural participation and interdependence between museums and historically marginalized, underrepresented, and invisible audiences.