Engaging Audiences and Communities

Access to and participation in culture is a basic human right. Our role is to ensure visitors, audiences and communities feel welcome, represented, and actively and creatively engaged in all aspects of museum work. In order to do this, we need to place people at the heart of everything we do.

Level 1

1. Creates a warm and welcoming environment for all, in person and digitally.
2. Understands the breadth and diversity of visitors, audiences, and communities.
3. Takes steps to meet the diverse needs and expectations of different communities.
4. Listens to, values, and acts on visitor, audience, and community feedback.
5. Understands and applies professional policies and standards associated with visitor, audience and community engagement, for example Learning and Engagement Manifesto, Kids in Museums Manifesto etc.

Level 2

1. Ensures museums use collections and spaces to inspire learning, engagement, enjoyment, debate, creativity, and reflection.
2. Ensures museums support, attract, and represent the communities they serve.
3. Places participation at the heart of all work prioritising co-production; co-creation and co-curation.
4. Forges equal partnerships with communities that enable engagement with current ideas, networks, and people.

Level 3

1. Identifies new audiences and communities to collaborate with.
2. Ensures there are multiple ways to engage with collections and learning experiences, in person and digitally.
3. Challenges structural inequalities and all forms of intolerance, discrimination, and marginalisation.
4. Consults and involves relevant stakeholders to ensure outputs, and outcomes meet their needs.

Level 4

1. Creates a culture where, visitors, audiences and communities are at the heart of all practice.
2. Provides strategic direction and explicit commitment to visitor, audience and community development and engagement.
3. Welcomes new voices, insights, interpretations, and responses to the work undertaken, including shaping organisational strategy.

For more information about Engaging Audiences and Communities, visit our Museums Change Lives campaign and our learning and engagement campaign.