Museum of Contemporary Photography
In an over-communicated, over-mediated society, a museum of photography might seem like a redundancy.
With further investigation through an innovation lab and a series of follow-up sessions, GreenHouse uncovered a new utility for the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP), one that resides in the value of discourse which we defined thusly::
The creation of and participation in literacy, language making, and an exploration of greater understanding.
Working with guest thinkers from the GreenHouse Network, and executive leadership from the museum, we determined that in order to preserve and grow the value of this kind of experience at MoCP, we would need the following key elements::
Physical space, perhaps expanded to allow for convening and reflection
Curated content: exhibits, events, conversations
The ability to demonstrate openness and compassion, holding space for people to wrestle with discomfort on their terms
Deliberately shared experiences to generate literacy and dialog
A more versatile funding structure
Further, positioning the MoCP as a “forum for discourse” which is at once image and object based, allowed us to identify previously unseen groups of primary actors who could be categorized as champions of the museum and its mission, including HR directors at companies that remain committed to promoting diversity of culture and thought to drive innovation through inclusion, as well as the employees they serve.
The value is discourse:: the creation of and participation in literacy, language making, and an exploration of greater understanding.
While each group (above) has slightly different areas of focus, there is overlap which helped us recognize the deep and previously hidden value that MoCP can now add to the cultural landscape beyond the curation and exhibition of photography.