The State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw receives a prestigious award for innovative practices!
On September 27, 2025, the European Museum Academy Awards ceremony took place in Budapest. The State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw was nominated in the Art Museum Award category and was the only institution from Poland to reach the grand final.
The Museum was honored with a Special Commendation for Innovative Practices. The Academy recognized and highly praised the Museum’s recent initiatives, including the “Against Stereotypes” (Wbrew stereotypom) program.
The judges said:
The State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, Poland, embodies a complex history and a bold contemporary mission. Founded in 1888, it was originally situated within a zoo, a symbolic reflection of the exoticism and racial superiority framing its early collections. Since 1973 the museum occupies a grand 19th-century building in central Warsaw, formally owned by a financial institution. In six months, an extensive restoration and modernization project, funded by the European Union and the Mazovian Voivodeship’s Self-Government, will begin, aiming to upgrade both the building and its permanent exhibition with cutting-edge multimedia. Under the leadership of director Magdalena Wroblewska, an internationally experienced art historian and museologist, passionate about decoloniality, the museum is actively redefining its approach through the “Against Stereotypes” programme. This initiative infuses all museum activities—from temporary exhibitions like “Afrotopias” and “Bleaching” to innovative, critical interventions in the permanent “African Expeditions-Asian Ways” display—with contemporary artistic voices that challenge traditional narratives. The museum’s well-structured, fully English-translated website provides detailed information about its accessibility achievements and challenges, reflecting a transparent and inclusive ethos. By embracing critical reflection, co-creation with diverse communities, and multimedia engagement, the museum positions itself as a vibrant space for dialogue, education, and social transformation in today’s cultural landscape.
źródło: https://europeanmuseumacademy.eu/
The Art Museum Award category focuses on the social role of art museums and recognizes projects that place art in innovative contexts to address contemporary social issues. The award is rooted in democratic and humanistic values, such as social justice, participation, inclusivity, gender equality, racial justice, community building, sustainability, and resilience. These very values are intended to drive new museological ideas. The award identifies new benchmarks and models of excellence that demonstrate the social impact of art museums. It is open to both art museums and art galleries.
The goal of the “Against Stereotypes” (Wbrew stereotypom) program is to replace simplified European perceptions of Africa with a more comprehensive and accurate portrayal. The program was developed in collaboration with residents of Africa as well as the African community living in Warsaw.
As part of the initiative, two temporary exhibitions were presented: “Afrotopias” – an affirmative depiction of Africa through the lenses of a young generation of photographers; and “Bleaching” – a self-critical reflection on the Museum’s history, focusing on the acquisition of African collections and their presentation within museum spaces. Additionally, the permanent exhibition “African Expeditions, Asian Ways” was enhanced with “Interventions” – commentaries addressing selected objects and the issues raised in the display.
