Developed and endorsed during the conference by NEMO’s Executive Board, the statement outlines the organisation’s position on integrating museums into health and social policy across Europe. It affirms NEMO’s ongoing commitment beyond the conference to recognising museums as vital components of civic care systems, and calls for their structural inclusion in public-health strategies. The statement also highlights the importance of intersectoral collaboration, social prescribing, and evidence-based approaches to embedding wellbeing into museum practice and policy.
The statement, also available as PDF, reads:
“This year’s NEMO European Museum Conference ‘Who cares? Museums, wellbeing, and resilience,’ convened over 300 delegates from 37 countries to explore how museums across Europe are contributing to individual and collective wellbeing. The discussions and case studies presented revealed the breadth and depth of research, innovation, and practice, demonstrating museums’ growing impact on health, care and social resilience.
Fostering intersectoral collaboration between the cultural and health sectors is essential to advancing recognition of the transformative role that museums play in society, both now and in the future. We acknowledge the dedication of museum professionals across Europe who are working alongside mental health practitioners and community partners to embed wellbeing into their institutional missions. NEMO encourages museums to continue strengthening these partnerships at local, regional, and international levels, building shared infrastructures of care and participation.
NEMO - the Network of European Museum Organisations calls for the structural integration of culture - including museums - into health and social policy frameworks across Europe. Embedding cultural participation in public-health strategies will empower museums to take an active role in social prescribing, community health initiatives, and programmes that nurture emotional and social wellbeing. We envision museums as vital components of Europe’s civic care systems - places where culture supports mental health, emotional resilience, and social cohesion. In an era of increasing social tension and fragmentation, museums’ role as spaces of belonging, healing, and recovery is becoming more critical than ever.
By promoting a data-driven, evidence-based approach and by supporting cross-sector partnerships, NEMO advocates for museums to become trusted partners in Europe’s wellbeing ecosystem, helping to shape a healthier, more connected, and resilient future through culture.”
