The “Anything Goes” Museum is a museological and educational experiment – coined by the Director of the National Museum in Warsaw, Agnieszka Morawińska – in which children are responsible for preparing the main temporary exhibition at the museum’s building in Warsaw. A group of 69 children aged 6–14 was divided into six curatorial teams. Over six months, the participants got to know the Museum and worked on the exhibition during weekly 4-hour meetings. The teams of junior-curators prepared the scripts and selected almost 300 works to be displayed. They also provided ideas for multimedia presentations and exhibition design, designed educational leaflets, recorded audio guides, prepared captions and selected works that were to be used for promotional purposes. The exhibition, which is divided into six individual segments, features works from all museum collections: ancient and Oriental artefacts, craft objects, old and contemporary sculptures, photographs, drawings and prints, coins and medals, clothes and paintings created in various periods. Many of these works have never been presented to the public. The children say that they “found and liberated them from the museum’s storeroom”. The selection of themes and exhibits may be surprising. Juxtaposing works from different eras and cultural circles illustrates the children’s interests and tastes as well as the functions which – in their opinion – should be performed by an ideal museum exhibition. For the public, they have chosen a large number of mysterious objects, with encrypted information and tasks to be undertaken on the journey. The children want the museum visit to be an enthralling adventure, which requires involvement on the part of the audience. Through the selection of works, manner of their presentation and interactive multimedia elements, they not only want to tell stories, but above all to raise emotions, “inject visitors with their passion” and invite them to a museum game. This game will not let anyone remain passive, involving the mind, the senses, and the joy of new experiences. At subsequent stages of preparing the exhibition, the young curators got to know the entire museum team. Curators and conservators shared their knowledge about works selected by the children. The Education Department coordinated the weekly meetings and oversaw the schedule, the Communication and Marketing Departments shared their know-how and experience concerning the promotional campaign, press conference and exhibition opening. The Publishing Department supported the junior-curators in the preparation of texts accompanying the exhibition, captions, educational brochures and leaflets. A book, written mainly by children, will also be published to summarize the activities surrounding the exhibition. The Exhibition, IT and Multimedia as well as Administration and Investment Departments assisted in preparing the exhibition design and, most importantly, constructed its layout. This universal exhibition was created by the children for just about everyone!
