MMCA Sri Lanka trains young museum professionals

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) recently concluded its 2024 Visitor Educator (VE) training program. 

This four-day program set a new benchmark for training young museum professionals in Sri Lanka, a task that the MMCA Sri Lanka has been actively engaged in since 2019. 

This year’s training was planned following a detailed needs assessment, ensuring that the VEs are better equipped to provide visitors with an enriching and informative experience for the museum’s current exhibition ‘Total Landscaping’.

This training program is a crucial part of the MMCA Sri Lanka’s broader vision of building capacity of museum professionals in Sri Lanka, schooling them in methods and approaches employed internationally, while addressing the unique challenges relevant to Sri Lanka’s museum landscape.

The trilingual VE program at the MMCA Sri Lanka, which began in 2019 with the establishment of the museum, is inspired by docent programs used in major museums worldwide. It is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka and was conceived to equip Visitor Educators with a diverse skill set. In addition to honing these skills, this year’s training program focused on enabling them to deliver curatorial information with precision and passion. Through these training efforts, the museum aims to enhance the visitor experience, skill-up the VEs, and foster an environment where audiences feel welcome and not overwhelmed.

MMCA Sri Lanka Gallery Manager Thariq Thahireen emphasised the importance of VEs in providing a high-quality visitor experience noting that, “The VEs play a pivotal role as our visitors’ first point of contact. They are there to greet guests and engage with them inside the galleries. While not every visitor may want direct interaction, our VEs are present to facilitate meaningful conversations for those who do.”

The role of a VE at the MMCA Sri Lanka extends beyond simply explaining exhibits trilingually. They also ensure the safety and care of the exhibits and perform checks as part of their daily routines. The Visitor Educators also play a critical role in facilitating school and higher educational institution visits, making museum experiences more interactive and enriching for students and teachers. This has become one major area of development over the last five years. 

One key objective of the 2024 training program was to identify issues faced by the VEs in performing their duties at the museum. The MMCA Sri Lanka team designed training materials and sessions tailored to the specific needs of VEs towards this end, and these materials include an updated comprehensive VE Handbook. Moreover, hands-on approaches such as role-playing scenarios helped the VEs to learn how to handle different types of visitors and situations with confidence and insight.

MMCA Sri Lanka Chief Curator Sharmini Pereira said: “While exhibitions are central to our work, our VEs are instrumental in helping visitors engage with the art and break down barriers for those who may feel intimidated or unsure how to approach an exhibition. Their passion and commitment are crucial to the success of our learning and public benefit mission.”

Since the launch of the program, the MMCA Sri Lanka has trained close to a 100 Visitor Educators, creating a community of professionals dedicated to improving the local public engagement with modern and contemporary art in Sri Lanka. Through programs like this, the MMCA Sri Lanka is taking small but significant steps toward building a more informed, interactive, and accessible cultural landscape in the country.

The MMCA Sri Lanka is an education-led initiative that aims to establish a public museum dedicated to the display, research, collection, and conservation of modern and contemporary art for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public, schools, and tourists. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except on Poya days and public holidays) at the ground floor of Crescat Boulevard, Colombo 3, and entrance to the museum and all its public programs is free.