Probably I will not be able to join the discussion this Friday but I want to share my thoughts here. Even though I could miss the point of your post and discussion and that I only talk from my experience. I know that there are museums that do the things already, I write below but big museums like the Kunsthalle Hamburg are missing these:
I always wonder why museums do not exhibit more art of unknown and contemporary artists. Back in the day museums were more adventurous, buying the art of unknown artists or that are not aligning with the current political landscape. They gave abstract artists a stage when abstract artists had not been very popular or German museums buying French art at a time when both countries were not very friendly to each other.
Also, the art does not have to be from an extreme level of craftmanship or of a well-known artist. Museums should also give these artists a stage. They could make a contest for the common people or pick contemporary artists, rent a few art pieces of them (for way less than these 10k paintings..) and show them to the public. Also, every city has its local heroes (designers, graffiti artists etc.) that could attract more people when they get a stage.
With the right marketing, this can bring people to the museum because they want to see the art of their family members, friends, and idols in the museum.
How come people team up in cafés, meet in parks but never gather in museums?
The prices are just too high. I understand that a museum needs to bring money in but 16€ for gathering in a museum? Not working. Maybe a happy hour after people left their work could help with that and a good offering of food and drinks. Also drinks are usually not allowed in the rooms where 1600 art is hanging. But maybe there could be solutions.
Yet, most people I know think that museums are old-fashioned and outdated.
I know a lot of people who love to go to a museum and are willing to pay high entry fees. The thing is that these museums do not change very often. If you have been to one already (and you are not going because of the atmosphere of a museum in general), then you'll probably not go again in the next year or so. Even if they do these special temporary exhibitions - I think >10€ is too much to see 1 or 2 new pieces more this time.
In conclusion: I think museums should and need to change more over time if they want to keep the prices high. They need to bring in small unknown contemporary artists to give them a stage and by this attract more visitors. There is so much amazing art out there that is hidden on shelves, social media feeds and unknown Etsy shops. And art is everywhere - pottery, statues, drawings, paintings, music, ... Speaking of "music" - small concerts maybe?
@tibfox wow thank you for your long and thoughtful answer! I hope you can make it to the discussion on Friday, I feel that this topic could be something we could use as a DAO to start. After all we all are some museum's audience and we know what we miss and what we like!
I was a bit provocative stating that museums are oldfashioned and outdated. Not all of them are. We have a beautiful children's museum in my home town which has amazing, prize winning exhibitions for children up to 10 years. But after that the field becomes quite scarce. Although I believe it would be so easy! There is so much knowledge in the collections of museums, so many stories to be told. However, I believe that tech, nature and science have a better standing in engaging young people and audiences in general.
It becomes trickier when museums cover art - historical art, contemporary art, national art, applied art, they have a harder time "selling" their exhibits to the audience.
There are of course exemptions to the rule, pity I didn't make it to Kunsthalle Hamburg, time was too short.
What I learned from working with MAK there are many donors to please, who make the most powerful group within stakeholders, although they represent a minority. Also, museums in Austria at least have a clear positioning or mission. Galleries feature young, unknown artists, and if they reach a certain recognition (= value of works measured in cash) they might be invited to contribute to a museum's exhibition. The MAK only purchases pieces that have been produced for one of their exhibitions by an artist, they do not commission works. And they only collect what is recognized (see above). A curator might fiercely contradict the "recognition" part as they are part of the recognition system. Still, they have expertise, only they seldom share it but own it.
Another aspect is that museums are funded by either foundations usually based on private collections or they are funded by the state. In Austria the state is like a VC. My capital, my rules.
But there are other models and I think we should also discuss how a DAO could be structured to create and own something equivalent to a museum. After all a museum is just an extensive collection with a purpose.
In my view museums work a bit like politics: everyone knows that there has to be change within the system, everyone talks about it but in the end everyone agrees to stick to business as usual.
I believe we as a DAO can break through these restrictions and system boundaries, as we are not bound by them. And in creating something new, we could address the established institutions. Just like the MAK.