FOAM – Future of Art Museums
Master in Contemporary Museum Practices
A postgraduate programme designed to train professionals in the field of museology and museography who creatively engage with the contemporary conditions of art museums and the challenges posed by their changing role in a transforming society.
The applications are currently closed
The master will start in March 2025
Please find additional information about the Master and about the enrolment procedure here
Course description
The Master, conceived in close collaboration with the Faculty of Design and Art of the University of Bolzano, aims to train professionals in the field of museology and museography, equipping them with theoretical and practical tools to deal creatively with the contemporary conditions of art museums and the challenges posed by their changing role in continuously evolving society.
At the heart of the programme lies the conviction that today’s art museums should be more than spaces dedicated to research, conservation and exhibition production; they should be significant actors in the social transformation necessary to respond to the multiple crises we face. The master therefore focuses on issues relevant to contemporary art museums, such as sustainability, inclusion, accessibility and social engagement.
In line with the vocation of Museion and its constant engagement with institutional and international contemporary discourse and with the faculty of Design and Art – which is oriented towards art, design, and all possible contaminations between them, the Master will not only focus on the theories and practices of museology, but also on the concrete realisation of a diverse list of museum related activities.
The courses taught will cover the most pressing issues that characterise the main aspects of art museums – exhibitions, presentations, public programmes, workshops, events, research projects and collections – offering innovative perspectives and new approaches. Particular attention will be paid to the idea of the museum as a place of informal learning and experience: a civic space of encounter and discussion strongly involved in the current debate on sustainability.
The master is aimed at professionals in the field of cultural production and graduates in art, design, architecture, or similar disciplines – without excluding those who have already approached museology and museography during their studies (or during their professional career) from a cultural perspective such as managers, curators, mediators, etc.
The first edition, dedicated to the theme of the social responsibility, will focus on innovative approaches to museology and exhibition-making in general that consider the social and political role of museums as an essential starting point for any practice and discourse. This edition will explore the idea of the museum as a critical agent of sustainable transformation, with the aim of redefining the relationship that museums have with people and their communities.
Teaching Staff
The programme will be based on a series of courses taught by unibz professors, international practitioners, international guests and professionals of the Museion staff, and on collaborations with other European museums as part of a compulsory internship.
Studio teachers: Sepake Angiama (curator and educator), Diogo Passarinho (architect and designer)
Lecturers: Marcello Barison (unibz professor and philosopher), Elena Bini (head of Museion collection), Frida Carazzato (Museion research curator), Davide Tommaso Ferrando (unibz professor and architect), Roberto Gigliotti (unibz professor and architect), Petra Guidi (head of Museion production department), Bart van der Heide (Museion director), Sook-Kyung Lee (curator and writer), Brita Köhler (head of Museion educational department), Leonie Radine (Museion curator), Elisabetta Rattalino (lecturer and writer) and other professionals from the Museion staff.
In collaboration with
With the support of