Exploring the Innovation Potential of Museums as a Resource in Teaching and Learning Within University Studies: Experiences from the Open Atelier Project

Museums are important educational environments, and offer considerable learning experiences. Besides those that are released within their walls, these institutions’ potential to contribute to teaching and learning processes can be unfolded also in other contexts. In particular, the paper aims at reflecting on the strategic integration of their principles and contents within university studies – and specifically on design-related tracks – as an opportunity to foster innovation in education modalities, outcomes, and horizons. This insight draws on an experimentation promoted at Politecnico di Milano (Italy), as part of Open Atelier, a project funded by the European Commission within the Creative Europe program. By engaging a group of international students in an interdisciplinary workshop, this initiative enabled the development of a cross-sectoral learning experience ensuing from the co-creative application of design knowledge to the enhancement of the heritage conserved and promoted by four European House Museums – Art Museums of Skagen (Denmark), Millesgården (Sweden), Einar Jónsson Museum (Iceland), and Plečnik House at Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana (Slovenia). The experience carried out within the Open Atelier project offers some interesting food for thought to evaluate the potential of the collaboration between universities and museums, which seems to be particularly useful in nurturing the ongoing revision of the compartmentalization of education programs in rigid “disciplinary boxes” and in fostering the development of innovative approaches and practices.