Mentoring the development of a Metropolitan Museum System – Città Metropolitana di Bologna

There are more than 100 museums in the Città Metropolitana di Bologna, comprising a vast and diverse cultural heritage spread across the entire metropolitan area.

Extremely varied in terms of management (public and private), types of collections and size, since 2011 these museums have seen the “district cultural system” as an opportunity to systematically promote specific local vocations, thereby optimising available resources and expertise while facilitating improvements in the quality of the offer.

The cultural district system makes it possible to coordinate numerous museums, subdividing them into seven metropolitan areas and creating two levels of comparison: political and thematic work groups.

Following institutional changes and shifting contexts on a regional and municipal level, the work groups began to see a drop in continuity, gradually reducing their activities. At the same time, there began to be an increase in problems faced by the museums, especially those away from the city centre.

As a result of this scenario, the Città Metropolitana wants to breathe new life into the district system, analysing museums’ requirements and needs in order to structure an effective governance and coordination system and identifying strategic areas of intervention to which it aims to respond with targeted projects.

BAM! is working alongside the Città Metropolitana in a process that responds to these needs, starting with three preparatory macro-activities:

• mapping the museums in the metropolitan area, with a specific focus on the resources and expertise available to each one;
• listening to the requirements and needs of the museum system;
• analysing benchmarks to identify ideas and reference points.

This survey will then lead into the central phase of strategic development of the metropolitan museum system, with the identification of areas of intervention and the subsequent action plan.
The mentoring process for the development of the metropolitan museum system is part of Officina Creativa Bologna, the Comune di Bologna project that, through the support of Fondazione Innovazione Urbana, aims to establish an ongoing dialogue and space for collaboration between institutions and artists, operators and cultural organisations in the metropolitan area of Bologna.

Photo Museo della Civiltà Contadina di Bentivoglio