IMD 2025: The future of museums told by those who are still discovering them

For this small campaign, we reached out to two children: Mía (8 years old) and Luciano (12 years old). We proposed a simple game: imagine the museum of the future.

Between laughter and drawings, ideas emerged—honest, surprising, and full of insight. Because if children are good at something, it’s getting straight to the point:
Who gets to enter? Can you touch things? Are you allowed to participate? Where do we draw the line between viewer and creator?

Mía and Lucho shared a few ideas about the future:

“In my museum there’s paper to draw, shapes to build with, and you can sew. You can leave what you make or take it home… but only one thing.”
Shared by Mía, a passionate fan of addition and subtraction.

“I think you can go to the museum from the age of 3. It’ll be a very elegant building made of marble. You’ll be able to interact with robots… and also eat there!”
Explained by Luciano, a lover of PE class and futuristic design.

Both children agreed on something fundamental: the museums of the future must be more accessible — and above all, interactive and participatory. Places where you can do, not just look. Where you can leave a mark, not just walk through silent halls.

Their ideas go beyond robots and screens (though those are part of it too); they envision living, shared spaces in tune with the community. In their museums, people of all ages are welcome, and participation is not a privilege but a given. The collections are constantly renewed because every visitor can contribute their own creation.

“The drawings in the museum are made by the people who come. And every day, there are more. The museum changes all the time.”
Mía, creator of the fictional Artistic Museum.

“I like museums with interactive things: buttons, machines, robots… But I also like it when the museum is close to the city.”
Luciano, designer of the Technological Museum of the Year 2135.

This exercise—imagining the future through children's eyes—was simple, yet revealing. Too often, cultural institutions like museums strive to connect with new audiences without asking those who rarely have a say in their design or programming.

Asking children not only sparks imagination but also serves as a pretext to test more inclusive and collective ways of listening. The aim is not to interpret their ideas literally but to acknowledge that the cultural future is also shaped by the voices of those who are rarely consulted.

As ICOM points out, we live in a world in constant transformation, marked by migration, new family models, the climate crisis, digital divides, and demographic shifts. Within this context, museums can become crucial spaces of encounter, care, and belonging. But to do so, they must open themselves to new questions, new perspectives, and new forms of participation.
It is not only about imagining the future—it is about rehearsing now how we want to build it.

This article is part of a campaign marking International Museum Day 2025. You can explore the rest of our posts on Instagram, featuring drawings, videos, and visions of the future told through the voices of the youngest generation.