RECHARGE Diary

This September marked an important milestone for the Recharge Consortium and the next generation of Recharge Living Labs (LLs). Representatives from the six institutions involved in the Recharge Next program gathered for their first in-person meeting in Warsaw.

Hosted by Centrum Cyfrowe, the event offered a unique opportunity to align strategies, share insights, and strengthen connections between the new LLs and the broader Recharge community. Here’s an overview of the key activities and outcomes from our time together. A highlight of the meeting was the presentations by each of the new Living Labs, who shared the innovative projects they will be working on as part of Recharge Next. Here’s a glimpse of their objectives and approaches

Pinacoteca e Museo Civico di Palazzo Minucci Solaini

The museum aims to evolve from a tourist-centric destination into a dynamic creative urban lab, particularly engaging younger citizens. By tapping into local, often overlooked resources and skills through a crowdsourcing model, the museum seeks to create a more vibrant, community-driven space.

KOME Museum

Using everyday art as a tool, KOME Museum is focusing on creating connections—between people from diverse backgrounds and between individuals and their environment. The goal is to foster a space where art serves as a platform for community building.

MAO Museum

MAO Museum is addressing societal shifts by focusing on joint public programs through a community crowdsourcing business model. It aims to become a contested center for the local community, bringing diverse voices together to engage with contemporary challenges.

MART Museum

MART Museum is working to make art more accessible to younger audiences. They aim to use art not only as a cultural experience but as a tool for introspection and personal wellness, responding to the growing needs for mental and emotional support.

Hilversum Library and Hilversum Heritage House

These institutions are focused on connecting local history and heritage with the community. They’re leveraging asset and resource sharing models to make historical narratives relevant to contemporary residents, ensuring a meaningful engagement with Hilversum’s past.

Serfenta Association

Serfenta is dedicated to promoting traditional crafts and cultural heritage in the marketplace while maintaining respect for time-honored practices. Their goal is to create a replicable model that can be used to preserve and promote heritage areas across different regions.

Workshop: Participatory Cultural Business Models and the Canvas

One of the key activities during our time in Warsaw was a 1-hour workshop focused on participatory cultural business models. This session drew on lessons learned from both completed and ongoing Recharge Living Labs, enabling participants to identify business model patterns that can help cultural heritage institutions integrate innovation into their core processes. By the end of the workshop, the new LLs had co-created tangible business model patterns that they could take back to their institutions, designed to foster sustainability and community engagement. This practical exercise provided a valuable framework for each lab to adapt and apply in their respective contexts.

Communication Strategy Session

Effective communication is crucial for the success of the Recharge Next initiative, and much of our time was spent aligning our strategies. In between presentations and workshops, the Recharge Consortium and the new Living Labs held planning meetings to share updates and streamline communication efforts. These discussions set the groundwork for coordinated outreach efforts, ensuring that the objectives and successes of the Recharge Next projects are effectively communicated to a broader audience.

Beyond the Meetings: Exploring Warsaw Together

The meeting in Warsaw marked the beginning of an exciting journey for the Recharge Consortium and the next generation of Living Labs. By working together, we’re laying the foundation for innovative, community-driven models that can redefine the role of cultural institutions in today’s society. Stay tuned for more updates on Recharge Next! Thanks to the hospitality of Centrum Cyfrowe, we had the chance to explore Warsaw together. This allowed us not only to dive into cultural conversations but also to experience firsthand some of the city’s key community-focused spaces. It was a perfect reminder of why our work in cultural heritage and community engagement is so important.