The Fioretti Vitrine

The Fioretti Vitrine is a collaboration between Museum Dr. Guislain and Fioretti, the youth unit from the Psychiatric Center Guislain. Young people select an object or an art work in the museum depots, get inspired by the stories behind the works and add the objects to the vitrine.

Young people are often neglected when it comes to a structural contribution to the functioning of museums. This is true especially for youngsters with a psychological vulnerability. We miss opportunities to valorize their ideas and creativity. The museum wants young people to explore their interests and wants to stimulate them to push their boundaries at a creative level.

In Flanders we are still at the very beginning of a structural collaboration between well-being and culture. As a museum in psychiatrics the Museum Dr. Guislain can have a pioneering role and stimulate other partners.

These young people, each one unique in talents and interests, live with psychological vulnerabilities. Frequently those vulnerabilities make their social relations more complex. Fioretti, as an admission and treatment department, wants to stimulate a positive social climate between those youngsters. The organization of activities increasing social interaction and creating contexts without reference to their problems is very important.

The Fioretti Vitrine offers a concrete framework for young people to participate, a framework that can adjust itself completely to the expectations and interests of the youth. During 6 sessions they select art works and objects in the museum depots to add them to the vitrine. Under the guidance of a professional artist the youngsters also create their own story. Each new trajectory is tailored. Each trajectory a new search. A definitive end product is not the aim. Youth controls everything. They decide on the choices that are made.

In order to realize this goal we create a workshop at the museum, a low level meeting place where the group feels welcome.