Mission Masterpiece was the Rijksmuseum’s first family exhibition, presented in the summer of 2023. Developed in collaboration with NEMO Science Museum and an advisory children's panel, it explored the theme of Conservation & Science. Through interactive elements, children and their caregivers engaged as museum scientists—examining objects and meanwhile reflecting on fundamental questions such as: When does an object belong in a museum? What defines a masterpiece? The integration of art and science not only proved highly effective for interactive engagement, but contributed to reaching new audiences and making the museum more family friendly.

In 1982, Carlos Tortolero and five fellow educators from the Chicago Public Schools founded a museum to affirm Mexican identity through art and culture. In 1987, the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) opened in Chicago’s Mexican community. Today, it is the nation’s leading Latino cultural institution, welcoming 150,000 visitors annually from 60 countries and housing a 22,000-piece Permanent Collection. NMMA was the first Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Beyond art, it fosters civic dialogue and has shaped national conversations on race, immigration, LGBTQ rights, and political repression.

In the mountains of southeast Spain, the Snow Wells of Sierra Espuña are historic ice storage structures, active from the 16th to the early 20th century. The restoration of Wells 11 and 13, led by Ecoproyecta, recovered their original form using traditional materials and techniques, within a protected natural environment. The project highlights the connection between cultural heritage and climate change, as snowfall in the region has become rare. Recognized by the Europa Nostra Awards 2024, it demonstrates a successful model of collaboration between public institutions and technical experts.

Sámi people are the only recognized Indigenous people in the European Union, and Siida is the only Sámi museum in Finland, carrying both national and regional responsibilities for cultural heritage and the cultural environment. Named European Museum of the Year 2024, Siida marks a historic moment as the first museum in Finland to receive this recognition. Its main exhibition, Enâmeh láá mii párnááh – These lands are our children, presents Sámi history, traditions, and contemporary life, where Sámi traditional knowledge is finally recognized as an equal source of knowledge alongside Western science. Siida ensures that Sámi voices and perspectives shape the way their heritage is shared with the world.

Inari-yu is a public bath, or sento, in Tokyo, Japan, originally constructed in 1930 and currently operated by the fifth-generation family owners. This project was spearheaded by local organization Sento & Neighborhood, which collaborated with World Monuments Fund (WMF) to repair the bathhouse structure and restore an adjacent rowhouse into a community space for bathers and other neighborhood residents, thereby enhancing the sento’s social function as a neighborhood gathering place. The project received the Award of Excellence from the 2024 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, which recognized it as a new model for preserving Japan’s vanishing public baths.

Museum of the Home is in Hoxton, London. It exists to reveal and rethink the ways we live in order to live better together and is a place to explore and debate the meaning of home – past, present and future. The Museum uses its collections, content and programming to spark ideas and conversation and works in partnership with others locally, nationally and internationally, to be a force for change on issues affecting the ways we live. Through its issues-focussed programming and celebrations of diverse collections the Museum poses the question: what does home mean to you?

Founded in 1952, the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting Dubrovnik’s cultural heritage. Entrusted by the authorities, it manages and maintains the Dubrovnik City Walls. Despite numerous challenges, it remains the largest investor in heritage in the region. Its impressive results span the territory of the former Republic of Dubrovnik (Konavle, Ston, Pelješac, Elafiti, Lastovo, Primorje). Beyond restoration, the Society also acquires monuments, publishes works, organises exhibitions, and educates all generations, with a strong focus on raising public awareness of cultural heritage.

The MARQ (Archaeological Museum of Alicante) is committed to renewing the traditional exhibition system with its own unique approach that, without compromising scientific rigor, offers a surprising and engaging learning experience. It presents a new vision of archaeology and history accessible to all audiences, through a journey across the civilizations and peoples that inhabited the province of Alicante. Each room is dedicated to a specific era—Prehistory, the Iberian World, Roman Culture, the Middle Ages, and the Modern Age—alongside three additional spaces that explain archaeological methods in field, urban, and underwater contexts. The museum also features appealing educational and accessibility resources. 

​Perhaps best known for the song What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong is a founding figure of jazz and America’s first Black popular music icon. Armstrong entertained millions, from royalty, to the kids in Queens, New York where he and his wife Lucille resided for three decades. That landmarked home is the crown jewel of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, a 3-building campus and 60,000-piece archive in the heart of the block. Honored with a United States National Medal for Museums and Libraries, the museum’s programs embody the Armstrong values of legacy, artistic excellence, education, and community. 

The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in Kyiv has most significant collection of world art, featuring masterpieces from European, Asian, and ancient cultures. Traditionally centered on historical art, the museum had limited engagement with contemporary art practices. Since of the full-scale Russian invasion, it has emerged as a beacon of cultural resilience—not only by safeguarding its collection but through innovative methodologies, exhibitions with contemporary Ukrainian artists, opera performances, architectural workshops, and discussions on the role of museums in war. Internationally acknowledged for its wartime initiatives, the museum exemplifies the vital role of cultural institutions in heritage preservation and their profound dedication to serving society.

This project marked Ghadames’s first major heritage initiative since its UNESCO “in danger” listing in 2016. It restored a partially collapsed mudbrick house in the Old Town and transformed it into a cultural hub celebrating both tangible and intangible heritage. The work included documenting the urban fabric using drones and photogrammetry, and recording traditional know-how such as building techniques, crafts, and the endangered Zanjafour wall-painting art—a women-led practice. Local women revived the tradition by creating new murals and mentoring others. The project became a community-led effort, with residents documenting heritage and traditional crafts, ensuring heritage remains active, inclusive, and locally rooted.

The International Festival of Classical Theatre for Youth, held annually in Palazzolo Acreide, Syracuse (Italy), is organised by INDA (Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico) and dedicated to the future of classical theatre. Since 1991, over 55,000 young people from around the world have gathered at the Greek Theatre of Akrai to reinterpret classical Greek and Roman texts. The festival blends tradition and innovation, celebrating Europe’s classical heritage while nurturing the next generation of artists and thinkers. With a rich programme of performances, workshops and cultural exchange, it fosters creativity, participation and a lasting appreciation for classical theatre.

The Museum of Wu is located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. It is the first comprehensive museum in China which fully displays Wu culture, and holds the accreditation of  National First-class Museum of China. It has been awarded as one of China’s Most Innovative Museums of 2024. The Museum has focused on the synergistic integration of local cultural identity and global perspective. Through continuous innovation in cultural heritage preservation, exhibition curation, technological application, and community engagement, it has pioneered a series of replicable and disseminable practices for small and medium-sized museums across China.

The Soares dos Reis National Museum, Portugal’s first public art museum, showcases 1,140 key works of 19th-century Portuguese art across 27 rooms. Its total collection holds 18,000 culturally significant items, including painting, sculpture, engraving, decorative arts (furniture, pottery, glass, goldsmithery, jewellery, textiles), and archaeology. Responding to a more active, informed society, the Museum seeks to reimagine and retell the stories of its heritage. It values its legacy while embracing change, undergoing an ambitious transformation to enhance both its own relevance and that of its collection in preparation for its 200th anniversary.