A socially sustainable museum sector: inclusive, participatory, and representative of our society.

Open Museum is a project by Brussels Museums, the federation that connects more than 125 museums located within the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region. Since 1995, Brussels Museums has been working to strengthen collaboration between museum institutions, to represent their interests, and to increase their visibility among the general public. Through projects such as Museum Night Fever, the Nocturnes, Green Museum and Open Museum, the federation supports museums in their structural, social, and environmental developments.

It is within this perspective that Open Museum was launched in 2018: to make inclusion, accessibility, and participation lasting pillars of the Brussels museum sector.

We are convinced that culture is a societal choice, and that it is our responsibility, as a network, to defend the values of social cohesion, cultural exchange, and equitable access to heritage.

Our vision

We believe in museums that are capable of embracing the world’s plurality.
Places where every voice can find its place, especially those that have been historically made invisible.

To achieve this, opening the doors is not enough.
These voices must be actively involved in decision-making and creative processes, recognising that the barriers are often invisible or structural: economic, symbolic, social, or digital.

Our areas of action: the 5 Ps

Our commitment is expressed through five strategic areas — the “5 Ps” — which serve as a framework for our actions and our support to museum institutions:

• People : Integrating inclusion issues into recruitment, team management, and training policies.

• Public : Guaranteeing every visitor a warm welcome, recognition of their identities, and an appropriate cultural offer.

• Place : Rethinking both the physical and digital spaces of museums to make them accessible, comfortable, and designed to accommodate everyone’s needs.

• Programming : Designing exhibitions and events that reflect the diversity of human stories, experiences, and identities.

• Partnership : Creating lasting collaborations with a wide range of partners to strengthen the relevance and impact of the projects carried out.

Our mission

Open Museum positions itself as a space for listening, mutual support, and expertise, determined to be a driving force for change. In direct connection with the museums that are members of the Brussels Museums network, we support teams in their transition towards more inclusive and participatory practices.

We offer:

• methodological tools and training,

• spaces for professional exchange,

• and support for the concrete implementation of inclusive projects.

Our objective: to contribute to a Brussels museum landscape where every person feels welcomed, represented, and legitimate — regardless of their gender, origin, skin colour, disability, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, level of education, or age.

Discover the vision of Open Museum through the words of our former collaborator, Gladys Vercammen-Grandjean.