Dubai Culture highlights Al Maktoum Hospital Museum's crowdsourcing initiative at ‘Museum Next'

•    Al Maktoum Hospital Museum to develop a new museology for Dubai in the 21st century
•    Authority provides overview on crowdsourcing techniques
•    Dubai Culture highlights ‘Words That Heal’ campaign

Dubai, UAE; June 22, 2014: The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage, highlighted the differentials of Al Maktoum Hospital Museum, a first-of-its-kind tribute to one of Dubai’s oldest hospitals, at ‘Museum Next,’ Europe’s biggest conference on innovation and technology in museums.

‘Museum Next,’ held in Newcastle, UK, brought together the leading themes, trends, and related best practices with the aim of providing a clear insight into how innovation and technology that are shaping institutions and the world around us, enabling visitors to gain an understanding of what truly sets Al Maktoum Hospital Museum apart.

Presenting an overview on the initiative, Muna Faisal AlGurg, Project Specialist on Museums and Art Collections at Dubai Culture shared insights on the crowdsourcing programme that has been carried out to date, including the first phase which was executed by collating the experiences of the hospital’s doctors, patients, and staff.

As a society that has a rich oral history, Dubai Culture’s showcase of Al Maktoum Hospital Museum underlines the Authority’s mandate in preserving and portraying the local population’s memories and related stories of the development of the UAE.

A highlight of Al Maktoum Hospital Museum’s presence at ‘Museum Next’ is the Words That Heal campaign, the second phase of the crowdsourcing programme, which was opened to social media followers recently, allowing them to share kind, powerful, and remedial words for those who need them the most.

As part of Words That Heal, the Authority collected a ‘Bank of Healing Words,’ which has collected words shared by visitors, to be given to patients in need across hospitals across the Emirate.

Most recently, the Words That Heal campaign was carried out at Al Baraha Hospital, where the Authority invited children to share their words, which were then shared with patients across the hospital.

The Authority will continue to engage in the crowdsourcing initiative in various phases, giving people across the country the opportunity to share their insights through ‘Al Maktoum Hospital Museum.’
‘Al Maktoum Hospital Museum’ is a demonstration of the Authority’s vision to integrate members of the community into the grassroots growth story of its artistic and cultural industries.