Connecting the Dots

The Connecting the Dots museum project (2023–2025) was conceived to strengthen community engagement with museums in Nigeria. Furthering critical discourse and art education was also significant to its mission. The project recognized museums as vital spaces for preserving and presenting societal history and culture and aimed to deepen their role as platforms for dialogue, reflection, and the reimagining of societal narratives. Implemented by Goethe-Institut Nigeria in partnership with The Ford Foundation and Nigerian museum collaborators, Connecting the Dots brought together a community of artists, art researchers, archaeologists, architects, social researchers, writers, journalists, historians, and cultural producers. 

At the heart of the initiative were three key programs: the Young Scholars Museum Fellowship Program for which six fellows were selected for an intensive six-month program conducted over two years, offering them the opportunity to critically engage with Nigerian museum collections; the Museum Conversations Series hosted in six museums around Nigeria to discuss museum curatorial practices and community-centered approaches, and the Youth Art Education Program whose primary impetus was to rejuvenate art and heritage discourse across Nigeria through activations with selected participants. Together, these components cultivated an exchange of ideas and perspectives within and beyond museum spaces.

Connecting the Dots examined and reinterpreted the narratives surrounding collections and curation, the project explored their relevance to pressing themes such as democracy, ecologies, gender dynamics, generational divides, justice, technological advancement, and social cohesion. By doing so, the project emphasized the intersection between cultural history and contemporary issues.


Key words:
Cultural education, Museum practice, Cultural Heritage, Networking

Further information:
Connecting the Dots - Goethe-Institut Nigeria

Partners:
Ford Foundation