DESIGNMUSEUM DANMARK WINS “THE OSCAR FOR MUSEUMS”

Designmuseum Danmark has received one of the finest prizes in the international museum world, the DASA award, in recognition of the museum’s new strategy to make the museum experience more public-friendly.

The prize – a type of “Oscar for museums”– is given to museum projects that have distinguished themselves within education, training, and reaching new target groups, including children and teenagers.

The prize was presented this weekend in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, in the presence of more than 40 European museums as a part of the European Museum Academy Awards (EMA).

Designmuseum Danmark’s visitor numbers have increased by a factor of five in just a few years. The increase is not just because more tourists are coming to Denmark, but also because as part of a five-year turnaround, the museum has increased its appeal to young people. The level of interest is so high that the museum will have trouble making room for visitors in its historically-protected buildings from the 1700s.

The jury said:
“Designmuseum Danmark is a lively and forward-looking museum with the goal of putting design at the centre of life as it’s lived now. With its new strategy, the museum has developed from being a traditional museum to one that is relevant for the 21^st century, and which attracts visitors of all ages and from all segments of society. Given its emphasis on excellence and lifelong learning, the museum is a worthy winner of this year’s DASA Award.”

Outreach to children and youth
One of the reasons behind the prize is that in recent years Designmuseum Danmark has developed a number of activities that open the museum up for a broader target group than before. These include projects that reach out to children and teenagers. One particularly successful measure is an educational project created in tandem with one of the Red Cross schools. Its goal is to help children seeking asylum develop their Danish language capabilities while learning about Danish culture. Another project gives children and youth the chance to study design in their free time.

Museum Director Anne-Louise Sommer says:
“We are very happy to be in the company of so many skilled European institutions. Being able to bring home the DASA prize to Denmark is a tribute to our employees’ and partners’ great efforts to develop communication and educational offerings to new and broader target groups than those that have traditionally visited the museum. We will use the prize to continue our current services, and to figure out how we can expand with more floor space to accommodate the sharply growing interest from visitors and educational institutions.”

Designmuseum Danmark Bredgade 68 1260 København K +45 33 18 56 56 www.designmuseum.dk info@designmuseum.dk CR 55798516 #designmuseumdanmark

In the photo: Museum Director Anne-Louise Sommer, along with the jury that awarded the prize. Photo: Novica Krstikj.

For more information about the prize from the European Museum Academy