A Rolling Stone Gathers No Dust

When the Museum Becomes a Verb

Abstract

Since the late nineteenth century, museums have struggled to dispel the popular image of being static, inert, and inaccessible—dark, unattractive, in a word “dusty.” Generations of directors on both sides of the Atlantic have sought, with limited success, to present museums as dynamic institutions that evolve in response to public demand. I argue that this difficulty stems in part from viewing the museum as a place—dusty or gleaming—rather than as a set of activities: in short, as a verb rather than a noun. 
First implemented at the Pinacoteca di Brera in September 2020, this approach marked a paradigm shift in how museums are perceived, used, funded, and governed. By eliminating the entrance ticket and replacing it with a subscription at the same price, the museum ceased to be a site of one-time access and became an institution in which visitors participate. The “visitor” is thus transformed into a stakeholder, with corresponding rights and privileges. Central to this shift is the museum’s capacity to offer meaningful, museum-enhanced activities accessible 24/7.