17 x 17
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
This Project brings together 17 museums Austrian-wide, to develop activities for each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the UN. For the first time ever, internationally, a broad range of cultural institutions work together to contribute to a sustainable social transformation. Activities range from raising awareness to leading discourse to generating solutions and acting as role models. Thus, a strong sense of belonging is achieved among staff members, stakeholders and local communities.
Geographical Scope
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Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
How can museums contribute to a sustainable social transformation? How can they foster a sense of belonging, of shared values, for their communities? The 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 provide an ideal framework. ICOM Austria has therefore nominated 17 museums Austrian-wide, from small to large, from art to scientific to open air museums, to set concrete activities for each of the 17 SDGs, one SDG per museum. The project was made possible through a cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport.
Common to all museums was the cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary approach, a re-reading of their collections and programs, and the reflection of their own values and behaviors. Despite their different sizes, structures and resources, exciting cross-connections and synergies among the participants resulted, supported by a solidary thinking and acting. Cooperation with research institutions, social enterprises, non-profits and schools complemented the joint efforts.
Museum activities ranged from a recipe collection on waste cooking (SDG2) to a swap market & repair café (SDG11); from a biodiversity day (SDG15) to educational programs held by local farmers and crafters (SDG4); from kids-workshops on solar bugs and picturing commons (SDG12) to a podcast on how to bring peace into the world (SDG16). Interventions in permanent exhibitions, temporary installations, guided tours, discourse events and workshops in each of the participating museums were accompanied by topic-specific blogs, booklets and many other communication tools.
Addressing and including the staff as well as visitors and stakeholders, the supporting role of museums in strengthening their communities, in giving them orientation and hold in insecure times, in creating a sense of belonging through shared values, becomes particularly evident in this unique and exemplary project.
Key objectives for sustainability
The first step in the process was to understand that the 17 SDGs are interlinked, and that a sustainable transformation of our society needs a sustainable thinking and acting on all three levels of sustainability: on an economic, social and ecological level. The aim was a deep understanding of the SDGs among all participants and how everyone can contribute individually and as a cultural institution.
A museum can only act as a role model for sustainability to its visitors and stakeholders if the staff acts accordingly. A key objective was therefore to foster the discussion about sustainability among the staff, cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary, and evaluate the respective internal values and behaviors.
This was met through several measures: each museum had to nominate a cross-departmental team, which then had to participate in a series of workshops set up by ICOM, followed by intensive discussions, reflections and idea-generating sessions. This process changed a lot within the institutions. Many participants had these internal discussions for the first time, raising awareness on their own behaviors and what to change in their daily working routines and structures.
From internal discussions and reflections to idea generating to implementing new measures and activities within the framework of the 17 SDGs is an exemplary process, that is unique to museum work.
Naturally, other key objectives in terms of sustainability addressed the visitors and stakeholders: to raise awareness, provide information and knowledge, foster critical questioning and reflection, create impulses, inspire, be encouraging. Specific activities ranged from starting a communal garbage collecting, to installing electric vehicle charging stations, offering bicycling tours, to producing handouts on green urban living and booklets on how to save water and avoid water pollution – all connected to the museums core activities, which is their collections, exhibitions and programs.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Quality of experience and aesthetics are key objectives of any museum, may it be in regard to presenting their collection, assembling exhibitions, creating educational programs or to marketing and communication. As part of the project “17x17” ICOM created and delivered a visual identity and a communication-kit for all participating museums, that could easily be integrated into each museum´s own corporate identity and, at the same time, ensured the projects overall visibility and recognizability. The project logo consisted of several elements, that could be used in different ways, including the individual SDG.
The visual identity of the project is an example of how a broad range of cultural institutions, from small to large, from art to scientific to open air museums, can communicate their commitment to the SDGs under one visual roof and still follow their individual aesthetics and quality of experience.
Quality of experience was also achieved through experience design, for example a walkable artistic installation that simulated life under water (Graz Museum - SDG14), or a machine learning studio that simulated robotic- and KI-technologies supporting sustainable production and consumption (Ars Electronica - SDG12).
Key objectives for inclusion
Inclusion, participation, diversity are all part of the SDGs and are aspects of being a welcoming and accessible place for all that the participating museums take very seriously. For example the Werner Berg Museum focused on a series of youth-workshops about gender roles in the past and now, and how equal rights contribute to a diverse culture (SDG5). Another museum, Römerstadt Carnuntum, made their website and all educational material accessible and available in 15 languages including easy language (SDG10). Providing a room for meditation and workshops on mindfulness was the contribution of the Vorarlberg Museum to SDG3.
Participation and Co-Creation was a key objective in many of the workshops offered by the museums through inviting participants to discuss and create a desirable future together, and to generate solution ideas in a co-creative setting. An example for public participation and citizen engagement is the Steirische Feuerwehrmuseum (SDG11), who invited local citizens to engage in a competition on ideas for a sustainable future of their village. The results were then presented publicly. An example for equal opportunities is the Römerstadt Carnuntum (SDG10), who not only offers educational material and programs in 15 languages, but also employs foreign staff who are commuting from a close border and trains them in different languages and in accessibility.
The participating museums act as role models and inspire others to do the same.
Results in relation to category
The results and impact of the project are broad and diverse: awareness, information, knowledge transfer, critical discourse and reflection, impulses, encouragement, empowerment and inspiration, all on how we can come to a new way of thinking and acting TOGETHER. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and its massive impact on the cultural sector, the supporting role of museums in shaping and developing our society becomes particularly evident. The project clearly presents and communicates their contribution to a sustainable social transformation in a broadly effective way – something that has not been recognized enough so far. On the contrary, museums are often criticized by not being inclusive, by acting elite, by not fulfilling their social responsibility and advocacy.
Regaining a sense of belonging – among the staff, among the museums, among the visitors and stakeholders – was evident throughout the whole project. The feedback of the participating museum staff, the posts of visitors on Facebook, the invitations to ICOM to present and speak about the project are all signs of impact. Last but not least, the project will continue in 2022 with a follow up project connecting 10 Viennese Museums and the 17 SDGs.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens are the main target group of a museum. All the museums, who participated in the project, see themselves as community places, as civic institutions, serving civil society in large. Involvement was made possible in many of the activities and formats offered through participatory events, competitions, workshops, symposia - involving visitors, stakeholders, partners from science/education/non-profit/ etc. - see all the above examples
Benefits: awareness, information, knowledge transfer, critical discourse and reflection, impulses, encouragement, empowerment, inspiration - see all the above examples
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
The project is innovative in two ways:
It connects 17 museums to address all 17 SDGs. This has never been done before.
It was accompanied by a process support in the form of workshops and coachings helping the museums to develop and implement their respective strategies, measures and activities. The workshops were held and moderated by Doris Rothauer, project leader and impact consultant. Each museum had to nominate a team that worked together throughout the whole process and also participated in every workshop. The workshops were a combination of knowledge transfer about the SDGs and about impact management, and co-creating among the museums in working sessions. This gave the museum teams the possibility to share and discuss their ideas among each other as institutions. The workshop architecture and design was set up according to the SDG Compass for SME: Understand / Connect / Generate Ideas / Define Targets and Target Groups / Storytelling & Communication / Evaluation. This approach was new and unique for the museums.
Learning transferred to other parties
A Publication is in the making, that will document all the activities, the process and process architecture, including work sheets and guidelines, and the outcomes and impact. Together with presenting the project at forums and symposia, the publication should help others to follow the example and implement their own SDG strategies. We hope and aim to encourage and inspire museums internationally!
A follow up project has already begun, again initiated by ICOM Austria and led by Doris Rothauer, inviting 10 Viennese museums to deal with the 17 SDGs. We clearly see, that the approach and process we set up can be scaled and transferred to any other cultural institution in the future, not only museums.
