The Trial membership programme was first launched in 2022 with the aim of increasing access to NEMO and allow selected organisations to explore the benefits of being a member.
The following organisations have been granted a Trial Membership in 2024:
- Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (Greece)
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is one of the largest museums in Greece and the central museum of northern Greece. The museum building (designed in 1962) is an example of architectural modernism in Greece and therefore listed as monument of modern heritage.
General Director, Anastasia Gadolou, shared that the museum applied for the NEMO Trial membership since the network “reflects our museums’ philosophy which goes beyond its basic responsibility on researching, collecting, conserving, interpreting, exhibiting and communicating its rich archaeological collections. We would like to be more inclusive; we would like to be a point of reference for the different communities and we would like to become a museum meeting as many goals of the Agenda 2023 as possible. Learning and changing ideas, through an interdisciplinary approach, and through various and different voices, could just be a point to start with. And this is what we are looking for: insights into the methodological approaches of other Museums and the stimuli for redefining our cultural and social identity as a Museum Institution.”
- Rijksmuseum (the Netherlands)
The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands. They tell the story of 800 years of Dutch history, from 1200 to now. In addition, they organise several exhibitions per year from their own collection and with (inter) national loans. The Rijksmuseum links individuals with art and history.
- National Museum in Gdańsk (Poland)
The National Museum in Gdańsk is one of Poland’s oldest museums, established by the merger of the City Museum (est. 1870) and the Handicraft Museum (est. 1881). It showcases collections of artworks from historical and modern art, ethnography, patriotic music, and Polish gentry culture. They aim to create a modern museum that will respond to contemporary needs in the protection of cultural heritage and social ones, both locally and globally.
When asked why the museum decided to apply for the Trial membership, Assistance programmes specialist Katarzyna Piotrowska said “Our goal is to create a modern museum that will respond to contemporary needs in the protection of cultural heritage and social ones, both locally and globally. Looking for opportunities for reliable development of the museum, contact and exchange of experiences with European specialists, we decided to join the Network of European Museum Organisations.
We believe that the Trial membership will allow us to ascertain the validity of our museum's participation in the organization's activities.
To the most, we look forward to collaborating with the Working Group Learning Museum and will explore the topic of inclusion and community. In the context of NEMO membership, the museum looks forward to establishing contacts on future projects and exchanging experiences and knowledge with other European museums, especially during the NEMO European Museum Conference "Can we talk? Museums facing polarisation".
- Museum of Urban Wooden Architecture under the Directorate of Vilnius memorial museums (Lithuania)
The museum was opened on 18 May 2022 in an authentic late 19th-century wooden house. The project to restore the house and establish the museum has been awarded two national awards and The Europa Nostra Award in 2023. Their priority themes are wooden heritage, new wooden architecture and sustainability.
Head of the Museum of Urban Wooden Architecture Indrė Užuotaitė states that “We applied for NEMO's trial membership because we are a curious, vibrant, new museum that opened its doors to visitors two years ago. Working in our own field, we see that a museum this small (we have only three people on our team) cannot achieve big goals with its resources alone. That's why we want to become part of the European museum community.
Being a new museum, we believe that there is still so much to learn, both as a team and as a museum - this is where NEMO’s trial membership would be most beneficial. Being a part of the network for a year would not only help us grow professionally even more or contribute in expansion of our network, but also give us an opportunity to share our knowledge, and ideas.”
- Lviv Skansen (Ukraine)
Lviv Skansen is an open-air museum founded in 1971. Since its official establishment, the Museum has been preserving, researching, and popularising the culture, folk architecture, and ancient life of all of Western Ukraine.
More about the Trial Membership
The trial membership programme annually allows five organisations the opportunity to participate in NEMO’s training activities and to connect with likeminded people by joining one of NEMO's topic-specific Working Groups. The trial members also receive two complimentary tickets to the NEMO European Museum Conference.
Members of NEMO also get assistance to establish cross-border collaborations and are kept up to date with information about relevant EU policies and funding. Additionally, members are part of furthering political demands to the European Union.
- The next call for applications will be published in January 2025.
- Get to know all of NEMO’s members
