The Van Gogh Museum wants to be a place where everyone feels at home. Therefore, we are working to make the way we talk and write about art more inclusive.
Some words or expressions can be insensitive or even offensive. Moreover, we do not always realise that a text can be interpreted variously through different eyes.
The Van Gogh Museum presents and interprets 19th-century art by Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries. As a result, we are sometimes confronted with outdated words and points of views. After all, we now look at some things from a different perspective than people did in the 19th century. It is then necessary to provide context or to consider an alternative choice of words.
For this reason, an internal working group has now produced a guide to help colleagues write texts. In addition to general tips, it focuses on four themes that are particularly relevant to the museum’s collection:
Language is constantly changing and evolving along with social developments. The way we write and talk about works of art will also continue to change.
Would you like to know more, or do you see a text that needs improvement? Then please contact info@vangoghmuseum.nl.
Van Gogh Connects is a research trajectory aimed at the question: how can the Van Gogh Museum be and remain relevant for young adults? To this end, we collaborate not only with these young people themselves, but also with educational institutions and social organisations.
The Beeldbrekers, or ReFramers, are a group of students and young professionals who apply their expertise to making the museum more inclusive.