Contemporary Art as an Open Door: Enhancing Accessibility and Visitor Wellbeing at MNAC Bucharest

Contemporary art is part of societal transformations reflecting socio-economic challenges and needs within specific geographical environments. This exploratory visitor-centered assessment case study aims to investigate how the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) leverages temporary and permanent exhibitions not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a strategic tool for cultural accessibility. Interviews and field research were used to collect both visitor answers and observational data, which were further processed in the study with the help of word clouds, correlations, and statistical tests, particularly used to analyze nominal and categorical data. The main results show an important attractiveness of MNAC for educated and informed audiences, both residents and international visitors, who perceive the museum as moderately accessible, with further gaps to be addressed for people with different types of impairments. The main results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (significant loads of underlying factors for internal physical and cognitive accessibility) underscore the relevance of adopting a holistic accessibility paradigm in the design and optimization of museum products.