Inventors and demolishers: children disrupting the museum from within

Abstract

This paper explores how children’s active involvement in curating and interpreting exhibitions can transform museum practices, power dynamics, and institutional culture. Focusing on two Australian initiatives, Junior Curators: Mysterious Realms at Ipswich Art Gallery and the Young Gallery Guides program at HOTA, the paper demonstrates how child-led initiatives challenge dominant views of children as passive or disruptive. Drawing on Monica Patterson’s critical children’s museology and Carmen Mörsch’s five functions of cultural mediation, it shows how these programs fostered internal change, interdepartmental collaboration, and shifts in authorship and authority. Far from being tokenistic, the children were positioned as knowledge producers and decision-makers, influencing curatorial processes and public engagement. The paper argues that recognising children as co-curators is not merely about inclusion but about rethinking museums as dynamic, participatory institutions. By engaging children as collaborators, museums can promote epistemological renewal and redefine their role in cultural production.

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