{"id":4352,"date":"2015-07-23T11:19:53","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T11:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/?p=4352"},"modified":"2016-03-02T09:03:17","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T09:03:17","slug":"5-years-of-the-postgraduate-course-in-museum-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/en\/5-years-of-the-postgraduate-course-in-museum-management\/","title":{"rendered":"5 years of the Postgraduate Course in Museum Management"},"content":{"rendered":"
Conxa Rod\u00e0<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"Last<\/a>

Last day of an internship in our museum<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

When in 2009, at that time in the Museu Picasso, I received a proposal to think about the academic programme for a new\u00a0 Postgraduate course in Museum Management, the first thing I did, as when beginning any project, was to carry out a prospective analysis of the existing offer.<\/p>\n

Searching for singularity<\/h3>\n

There are various master\u2019s degrees and postgraduate degree courses in museums and heritage centres from diverse universities of the country.\u00a0 Once I had analysed the contents, I noticed that there was a gap where a differentiation could be found: the practical applicability. The majority of the existing programmes adopted a theoretical and academic point of view.\u00a0 Assessing the situation with the director of the museum, Pepe Serra, we saw that if we designed a curricular programme which focused on practice, it could not only be a differential feature but would also be an authentic offer of value.\u00a0 And so in this way the postgraduate course, of which we are bringing to a close the fifth edition, was born.<\/p>\n

Linking the approach to practice, we took the decision that the teaching team should be mainly formed by museum professionals.\u00a0 Ideally with teaching experience. And from various fields of work, so as to provide a comprehensive vision of the tasks of the museum.\u00a0 Thus, the following have passed through the postgraduate course: directors, educators, conservators, restorers, communicators, curators of exhibitions, designers, CEOs, people in charge of security, from administration, from public programmes or from museum libraries. In addition to museums of Catalonia we count as faculty members with professionals from Museo del Prado, Museo Thyssen and Guggenheim Bilbao. From the international sphere, have taught classes \u2013either in person or via videoconference\u2013 professionals from MoMA, Smithsonian, National Gallery in London and the Mus\u00e9um of Toulouse, France, among others.<\/p>\n

Social media have formed an integral part of this postgraduate course since the outset.\u00a0 The blog<\/a> \u00a0has been especially active, written and managed entirely by the students, and also the Twitter profile, @dgesm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another specificity has been the fact that it was the first postgraduate course to be entirely co-directed and co-produced between a museum and a university, in this case, the UPF (The Pompeu Fabra University). The programme, once it was approved by the Board of Studies of the IDEC (Institute of Lifelong Learning of the UPF) started with the 2010-2011 course.<\/p>\n

Visits to museums<\/h3>\n

The visits to the museums and heritage centres form part of the academic programme.\u00a0 These are not so much visits to the collections, something that the participants can always do on their own, but their aim is to provide an encounter-conversation with the professionals from the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"Class<\/a>

Class with the CEO of the Fundaci\u00f3 Mir\u00f3, Dolors Ricart<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"Visiting<\/a>

Visiting Museu del Cau Ferrat in Sitges with director Vinyet Panyella<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In some museums the group is attended by the director (Museu Nacional, MuHBA, Museu Blau, Sitges), in others by the conservator (Fundaci\u00f3 Mir\u00f3) or restorers (Museu Nacional, MACBA), the manager (F. Mir\u00f3), or public programmes (Museu Picasso), etc. In these sessions, a vision is provided from within with regard to the management of the museum and its activity.\u00a0 Depending on the calendar of exhibitions, visits are also programmed with the curators.<\/p>\n

Final projects<\/h3>\n

The carrying out of the final project takes up a lot of time and effort throughout the course.\u00a0 It is, at the same time, what brings the greatest satisfaction once it has been completed and presented in class. It\u2019s not only the final product that is important, but it is just about as important the development process itself: from the fitting in of the different members of the group to the constructive discussions and the decisions taken throughout (extending, reducing, going off on a parallel way, reorienting, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The majority of the projects have successfully put their finger on where the museums suffer from a lack or presented an opportunity.\u00a0 From strategic plans to proposals for reopening centres or participatory projects, the projects have covered a variety of topics and issues where they were able to apply what they had learnt throughout the course, and from their own reflection and experience.\u00a0 Most of the projects could be carried out if the economic context was better. Some have even come to light, as it the case of Enfilant el museu comunitari (Heading the museum community) which was presented in public in April 2014.<\/p>\n

Internships<\/h3>\n

The possibility of carrying out practice, or internships, in the collaborating museums has become one of the attractive elements.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing like experiencing from the inside what is explained in class.\u00a0 The academic coordination of the postgraduate course acted as a bridge between the centres opened to receiving interns, and a distribution of the curriculums was made according to the profiles of the students and their preferences in terms of museums or departments.\u00a0 The internships were formalized by means of an agreement signed between the host museum and the IDEC-UPF. We \u201ccollocated\u201d on average around 90% of the students who applied for internships.<\/p>\n

If well focused, the internships represent a benefit for both parts.\u00a0 For the students it is a magnificent opportunity to experience the museum from the inside<\/a> [post in Catalan written by a student], of learning about the functioning, the processes, the difficulties and the results.\u00a0 For the museums, after an initial investment of time and dedication, it represents an additional support for the work and a fresh injection of an external vision, often young.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

With the interns from the postgraduate course, volunteers of the MuseumNext Barcelona 2012<\/p><\/div>\n

My direct experience with the different interns that we have had, first at the Museu Picasso and now at the Museu Nacional, has been extraordinarily positive.\u00a0 Both from the point of view of professional performance (they\u2019ve done a lot of work!) and in terms of personal relations.\u00a0 From here I throw up the challenge in favour of good interns \u2013 the majority \u2013as well as some recommendations for the hosting museum<\/strong>:<\/p>\n