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Section 4 — The Viewing Public

Research and the Viewing Public

The most recent debates on the social relevance of museums indicate one thing above all: The public should be the focus of museum work. Bode was one of the first museum directors to encourage visitors to reflect on the role of art in their lives and in society. He also conceived the objects’ presentation (PDF, 145 KB) from the perspective of art education. This made the Bode-Museum a pioneer in this field.

Today our task is to make visitors aware of the diversity of the Bode-Museum’s collections and to let them participate in our research and activities. Every person, whether physically present or digitally networked, should be reached. In order to take into account the different interests of our diverse public, we organise permanent and special exhibitions; publish scholarly collection catalogues, articles and popular museum publications; host artistic interventions and offer a wide range of educational and outreach programmes. The museum is not only a place of collective memory but also a living mirror of the present.

Education at the Bode-Museum

The Bode-Museum regularly hosts exhibition talks, academy courses, curator’s tours, inclusive events for adults and workshops for children (PDF, 126 KB) and young people. Subject matter supplementing various curricula is aimed at day-care centres, schools, educational institutions and teachers. In collaboration with Jugend im Museum e.V., the Bode-Museum also organises children’s birthdays and school break activities. The project Multaka: The Museum as Meeting Point trains refugees to become guides. The Staatsoper (State Opera) offers concerts at the museum that are enhanced by guided tours. Individual programmes for diverse user groups are also conceived for special exhibitions and the Long Night of the Museums.

lab.Bode

From 2016 to 2021, the Bode-Museum is also a testing ground for museum pedagogy. lab.Bode (PDF, 72 KB) is trying out new approaches to education in close collaboration with nine Berlin schools, the Bode-Museum and others interested in this subject. Within the context of school projects, socially relevant topics are discussed and active student participation is encouraged. A nationwide training programme at 23 partner museums also supports young people to become qualified in the field of museum education and outreach.