Abstract:
This article explores children's participation in museum processes, especially in curatorial work. To this end, I present an overview of the discussion about the democratisation of museums and the necessary protagonism of their audiences, aiming to reverse their history of erasure and exclusion from the new museology to the emergent critical children's museology. In order to exemplify this turn towards the participation of children as protagonists of museological actions, I present the experience of a recent exhibition entirely curated by children led by the Ipswich Art Gallery (IAG). To dialogue with the discussion and delve into the challenges of children's participation in museum curation, I first present a distinction between the terms consultation and participation. Then, I explore some power/knowledge relations inherent to this practice. Suggesting that power relations are not simply a matter of the powerful adults and less powerful children, I highlight some reflections around power as action, as opposed to power as a commodity in participatory techniques with children. Finally, I emphasise the embodied experience of children in museums in an attempt to move away from understanding children simply as learners in museums. Throughout the theoretical discussion, I weave in some snapshots from the IAG exhibition to reflect on the experience. Moving children from passive learners in museums and positioning them as protagonists in a structuring role in museological practice, this experience contributes to museum studies, presenting an innovative initiative for children's participation in the curation process. Visits to museums and art galleries are part of the curriculum in most schools; consequently, students of all ages are the main audience of most of these institutions. In this way, by discussing the inclusion of children's voices in the construction of museological discourse, this article also contributes to studies in the broad field of education and curriculum.