About

WHY FREE THE MUSEUM?

Free The Museum was launched in September of 2020 as a response, not only to museums being shuttered under pressures of a global pandemic but to other vulnerabilities and weaknesses stemming from its reliance on "the building" as its primary seat of operation.

As social injustices unfolded before our eyes, an assault on fact-based reality disrupted our common understanding of truth, and the health of our planet continued to worsen, museums had a vital role to play but were hampered by being bound to their buildings isolating them from the world they represented, and ultimately from the communities they served.

Six months earlier, a team of museum designers, educators, and activists were assembled by the Omnimuseum Project to address these issues. Much of this team's energy was spent trying to figure out what their colleagues really needed, how to best equip them for doing their work in public space, how to be more connected to their communities, how to be nimble, work faster, and with less cost. Thus, "Free The Museum" was born.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

READY TO GET STARTED?

Your Free the Museum intervention can be as ephemeral as chalk or as permanent as steel. It’s up to you! The free tools, guides, and examples are here to get you started. Be sure to take pictures – successes or failures!

Project Inspiration

free Tools

HIT A SNAG?

Free the Museum’s Activators are your thinking partners! We can brainstorm with you, connect you to other FtM participants, or just cheer you on and get your project “unstuck.”

Meet the Activators

SHARE YOUR PROGRESS

Help fill our community library of ideas and inspiration. Tell us where you're at in your process (you don't have to be finished to submit!).

WANT THE LATEST NEWS?

We'll periodically share updates on Free the Museum interventions.

join the mailing list

SEE YOU IN THE STREETS*!

*or parks, gardens, plazas, vacant lots, bus stops, playground…