Overcoming Entry Barriers: A Mobile University Museum as a Vehicle for Inclusion

Visitors researchs across museums has shown that the majority of visitors are (sub)urban and have a higher socio-economic status, age and education level than the population average. Though recent shifts to more visitor-oriented objectives have brought in a more diverse audience, the museum space unfamiliar for those hampered by the tyranny of distance. In response to this challenge, a pilot project was developed to bring museum collections and hands-on learning techniques to communities outside the existing museum demographic. The chosen targeted audience comprised over 300 students from five government-run secondary schools in the Goulburn Valley, an area of rural Victoria located several hours drive from Melbourne. Local census data indicate the lower socio-economic status of many of the families of this region, while educational statistics highlight learning problems and a lower university intake from these rural communities. The aim of our project was to examine the effects of these disadvantages on the ground and to assess how successfully we could deploy mobile museum learning strategies to ameliorate the educational and social conditions within these communities. As a result of our work, we noted improved critical thinking, greater cultural empathy and higher confidence levels. By presenting this project in this forum, we hope to highlight the need for greater mobility in how university museums engage with potential audience