THE MISSION OF THE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY

– To be a welcoming and engaging thematic museum of the history of Estonian photographic culture, a valuable branch of the Tallinn City Museum and an efficient steward of the museum’s photographic collection;

– To be a focal point for the history of Estonian photography, where Estonian photographic culture is preserved and interpreted as it changes;

– To be a branch of the Tallinn City Museum that collects and communicates the history of Tallinn’s development through photographs;

– To promote the appreciative use of Estonia’s photographic heritage;

– To introduce different areas of photography through thematic years and thereby map and collect information on the subject;

– Present the museum building as an exciting whole, where photography and unique medieval architecture come together.

COOPERATION

– The staff of the Museum of Photography are friendly and helpful professionals who contribute to their own professional development and are experts in their field;

– The museum is a valuable partner for educational institutions in carrying out internships, educational projects and special lessons;

– The museum involves volunteers and trainees in the museum’s activities in the fields of collection management and research, education, exhibitions and events;

– The museum is a useful value-added partner for other organisations and events contributing to the development of the sector;

– The museum is a participant in the photographic communities operating in Estonia.

COLLECTIONS

– The museum collects, researches, preserves and disseminates Estonian photographic heritage and historical and contemporary manifestations of Estonian photographic culture;

– The museum maps the internal and external connections of Estonian photographic culture – including compiling literature on the history of Estonian photography, maintaining a biographical database of Estonian photographers and a dictionary of historical and contemporary photographic processes in Estonian;

– The museum popularises the content of its collections through regular social media posts, increasing the usability of the collections through virtual channels other than MuIS.

EDUCATION

– The museum offers experiential and practical workshops and educational programmes;

– The museum’s thematic year and educational activities dovetail and related courses, training and lectures are organised;

– The museum has an education room with the necessary equipment, a photo lab with equipment and the most extensive collection of photo books in Estonia;

– The museum provides opportunities for acquiring specialist skills and knowledge.

EXHIBITIONS

– The museum’s thematic year exhibitions, projects and events involve professionals, photographers, artists and researchers;

– The museum produces high-quality exhibitions and accompanying public programmes, articles and brochures that introduce and bind together Estonian and world photographic culture and history;

– Research exhibitions based on the museum and other Estonian photographic collections are organised as part of the museum’s thematic year;

– In the context of the museum thematic year, contemporary photography exhibitions will be held in the Town Hall Prison for half a year – January-June and June-January. Also in the courtyard of the museum and Gallery Seek during the summer.

ROOMS

– The museum is located in Tallinn’s Town Hall Prison, Raekoja 4/6, and also includes Gallery Seek, Väike-Pääsukese 5;

– The museum is home to Estonia’s oldest photo gallery Fotokelder Lee, which hosts the museum’s semi-annual exhibitions, along with a project room and gallery spaces on the second floor;

– The museum houses a professional analogue photography laboratory;

– The permanent exhibition rooms of the museum on the 1st and 2nd floors present photographic artefacts and the history of photography;

– The museum has a courtyard suitable for exhibitions during the summer season;

– The museum houses the Secret Staircase Gallery, a miniature photo gallery set in a medieval masonry wall;

– The museum’s Gallery Seek is designed for larger exhibitions during the summer season.

VISION FOR THE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2023-2028

– To be a constantly evolving and up-to-date center of photographic culture;

– To implement a sustainable approach to collections, education, and exhibitions; 

– The museum will periodically organise feedback campaigns to see the museum through the eyes of the visitor.

COOPERATION

– The museum is a member and partner of major photographic and art associations;

– The museum cooperates with Estonia’s near neighbours in education and exhibitions and carries out joint projects;

– The museum organises annual residency projects through open competitions.

COLLECTIONS

– All collections managed by the museum are properly packaged and storage conditions are guaranteed;

– Digital images of the most used, valuable and oldest part of the collections are available in the MuIS digital repository;

– The museum produces mementos to commemorate the content of the collections;

– Publications reflecting the content of the museum’s collections are published in collaboration with publishers;

– The museum conducts collection campaigns to collect photographs of life in Tallinn’s different neighbourhoods and settlements, to document the arrival of digital photography in Estonia, and to fill other gaps in its collections in an inclusive way. Whenever possible, it will carry out collection campaigns based on the year’s thematic programmes;

– The museum conducts collection campaigns in cooperation with other departments of Tallinn City Museum.

EDUCATION

– The museum’s public programmes reflect social debates and current issues;

– The museum offers a wide range of educational activities for different ages, targets and interest groups, which are up-to-date, safe and accessible;

– The museum’s educational programmes are in line with the national curriculum and promote the development of generic and future competencies;

– The museum’s educational programmes contribute to raising awareness of environmental and social issues and are geared towards the sustainable and sustainable development of society;

– The museum, as a provider of non-formal education, has active, flexible and open cooperation with primary, general, higher and vocational education institutions, preschool institutions;

– The museum involves teachers/specialists more extensively in its work;

– The museum creates opportunities for diversified recreational education and lifelong learning for adults;

– The museum takes a learner-centered approach to learning;

– The museum creates the conditions for an equitable learning environment;

– The museum attaches importance to the development of language skills through the use of language immersion and integrated learning of subjects and languages programmes;

– The museum cooperates with foreign educators to keep abreast of the latest trends.

EXHIBITIONS

– The museum’s new permanent exhibition (2023) will present a chronological overview of the history of Estonian photography, based on information from recent studies of Estonian photographic history and the FM’s collections;

– The museum will develop a new permanent exhibition zone and exhibition programme for the new Museum of Photography, opening in 2029.

ROOMS

– A virtual tour of the museum building will be created;

– The museum will improve accessibility for children, the elderly and people with special needs;

– An attractive museum shop in the museum’s lobby;

– A permanent exhibition space in the museum will tell the story of Estonian photography through the role of the photographer. The room also serves as a lecture hall and is applicable as an extension of the educational space;

– The museum houses a creative room where workshops, museum lessons and birthday parties are organised;

– The museum houses a visitor lounge with a photo book display;

– The attic of the museum will be insulated to improve the climate of the storage and working space on the third floor; 

– The museum will move to a new location by early 2029.