Mark Miller from Tate introduced thought-provoking, practical case studies for improving accessibility for youth. He stated that inspiring people between the ages of 15 and 25 to participate in art museum activities and gain work experience will broaden their future career options. Young people are actively seeking the knowledge and experience they need to envision their future and plan their lives. However, art museums still seem to only cater to the needs of a select few citizens, failing to provide the experiences that young people truly expect. Mark identified poor accessibility as a contributing factor and suggested that museums should become more aware of the changing social conditions and people’s concerns. By offering programs that go beyond reluctantly abandoning old authoritarian positions, museums can improve accessibility. Miller’s words were deeply suggestive and supported by concrete practical experience. They served as a reminder to the audience, once again, that addressing accessibility and inclusivity will update art museums’ standing position in society.

Jane Findlay from the Dulwich Picture Gallery discussed the ongoing evaluation and evidence gathering in collaboration with the University of Birmingham for cooperation with local health centers. She mentioned that they are evaluating various aspects, such as changes in program participants, doctors, patients, and staff. Jane also provided specific indicators of how wellbeing has improved and visualized the results, highlighting the possibility of increased external funding and collaboration with other fields. Her talk made me realize the significance of advancing with program implementation and evaluation.

Various ideas and questions were shared. One of them was the question of relationship building, which concerns creating collaboration opportunities for different fields such as museology, medicine, welfare, and administration as well as fostering new relationships among communities that have had no prior contact.
In response, Ruth Edson from the Manchester Art Gallery and Platt Hall shared her experience in building relationships between museums and medical and welfare institutions. She emphasized the importance of conducting museum activities while recognizing aware that museums are also community members. Specifically, a first step is for museums to attend local meetings and activities to listen to the voices of the community. She advised that if museums can approach current affairs and regional issues with sensitivity and warmth, they can establish a philosophy that will serve as the driving force for collaboration across sectors.. In Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Social Welfare Council are collaborating to hold dementia Orange Cafés at art museums, and they are developing management methods in consultation with welfare experts. Understanding people’s needs and building valuable relationships cannot be achieved quickly. Therefore, all parties involved should avoid becoming fixated on short-term results and instead focus on steadily progressing on the path immediately in front of them.

Miller emphasized the concept of ‘consistency’ when discussing how to approach a new community. He remarked on the importance of holding events on an ongoing basis rather than one-off and maintaining consistency regarding programs’ timing, location, and names. He also suggested content that ensures experiential consistency for participants. He mentioned that when aiming for accessibility, inclusivity, and care, one should carefully consider not only program content but also whether the museum space is truly safe for participants and whether individual care is required.
From a slightly broader perspective, the topic of preserving museums’ expertise was also raised. This has been a constant challenge for British museums who have been working on the subject for over 10 years. Rogers said that as interest in the ageing population and the incidence of loneliness and isolation increase, expectations of museums will continue to rise, but she believes that there is no need for museums’ practices to be heavily biased towards the medical and welfare fields. Instead, British museums are attempting to use their collections, materials, and specialized talent to identify practices that only they can implement. She also said that to make projects long-lasting, one should not set too many goals; rather, she advocated reflecting frequently and remaining flexible about plans in the spirit of ‘starting small and growing big’.