GLAM
Galleries, libraries, archives and museums
The GLAM programme strengthened institutional partnerships and built technical tools to make cultural heritage openly accessible.
Overview
This year, the GLAM programme is working with volunteers and freelancers to build capacity around important projects. Two Jubilee projects anchored the first half of the year: a pop-up exhibition at the Museum of Communication for International Museum Day in May, and the Artistic Intelligence exhibition at Gallery Glaab in Berne in June, which explored AI, digital art, and open access to knowledge.
A focus on co-creation projects was successful. Work uploaded to Wikimedia Commons was integrated into a virtual installation by the University of Basel at the Museum of Communication, a concrete example of institutional reuse of openly licensed cultural heritage.
On the technical side, development began on a grant-funded iOS app for Wikisource and a Wikimedian in Residence matching platform, expanding the infrastructure that connects cultural institutions with the Wikimedia ecosystem.
Key programme activities
© medea7
Organised a pop-up exhibition at the Museum of Communication in Bern for International Museum Day, with a panel discussion on museums uniting a divided world.
© Sternenjaeger
Ran the GLAM-on-Tour at Disentis Monastery (19–22 February), which produced around 50 new articles in the German-language Wikipedia on topics related to the Surselva region. The event generated significant Swiss media coverage and fed into the awareness campaign’s language diversity theme.
© GalerieGlaab
Opened the Artistic Intelligence exhibition at Gallery Glaab in Berne, featuring three artists exploring AI, digital art, and open knowledge access. The exhibition included a public edit-a-thon workshop.
Hosted a panel discussion for International Archive Week on “Archives for Justice,” and continued collaboration with the Swiss Association of Archivists (VSA-AAS) on the geographic archives map. We encouraged editors to fill gaps in Wikipedia coverage of Swiss archive institutions
Advanced co-creation projects where Commons content was used by the University of Basel for a virtual installation at the Museum of Communication. This project demonstrates that openly licensed cultural heritage can find new life when institutions engage with the platform.
Began development on a grant-funded iOS app for Wikisource and a Wikimedian in Residence matching platform.
Participated in GLAM Wiki Group and GLAM Wiki Ambassadors meetings. A conference at the National Library on artistic heritage is planned for October, following up on the 2024 feasibility study.
© medea7
Continued the decolonisation project (Faces and Masks) with plans for an exhibition at the National Museum in Kenya. Planning is underway for 2027 collaborations with Villa Sträuli in Winterthur and Villa Massimo in Rome to expand the decolonising knowledge network.
© Fred Erismann | Fondation SAPA
Continued the Neocomensia and SAPA projects alongside new ateliers in Winterthur.