LEARN-SMA 2025. Local Stories, Global Voices: Archaeological Museums for International Audiences

About

This one-week intensive Summer School tackles one of today’s pressing questions: how do we communicate the legacy of ancient cultures to contemporary, global audiences? The program focuses on the content, design, and technologies that shape inclusive museum spaces and texts.

Through a blend of introductory lectures and case studies drawn from museums in Europe, the United States, and East Asia, participants will examine strategies for presenting historical, geographical, cultural, literary, and religious themes with both clarity and depth.

Key questions guide the course: How can information be made accessible without oversimplification? What makes an object’s story resonate with specialists and newcomers alike? How does intersectionality help us rethink audience engagement? And how might digital tools enrich and personalize the visitor experience?

The Summer School will be activated with at least 7 students. The maximum number of participants is set to 20 students.

The program will be entirely held online via Microsoft Teams

Course leader

Prof. Anna Anguissola

Target group

BA, MA, PhD students in art history, archaeology, museum studies, communication sciences, digital humanities, history, and tourism studies

Course aim

This intensive one-week program invites participants to rethink how the traces of past cultures are presented to today’s global public. Rather than focusing solely on objects, the course highlights the broader issues of interpretation and communication: from the wording and design of labels to the role of digital tools in shaping inclusive museum experiences.

Through a combination of lectures and hands-on case studies drawn from institutions across Europe, the United States, and East Asia, participants will examine different strategies for making archaeological materials, ancient artworks, and their contexts accessible to culturally diverse audiences.

Themes range from the clarity of texts and the construction of historical or geographical narratives, to the ways in which intersectionality influences audience segmentation and engagement.

By working across examples that span distant eras, regions, and traditions, participants will not only acquire a deeper theoretical understanding of museum communication but also develop practical skills for identifying and bridging cultural gaps.

The course ultimately equips them to design museum narratives that balance detail with simplicity, respect inclusivity, and respond to the needs of both expert visitors and those approaching these subjects for the first time

Fee info