Leveraging virtual technologies to enhance museums and art collections: insights from project CHANGES

Our work is set in the context of Project CHANGES (https://www.fondazionechanges.org/), and in particular, within one of the research axes addressed in the project, which is dedicated to the use of virtual technologies for museums and art collections (Spoke 4 of the project). Several international policies support the focus on the universal use of Cultural Heritage (CH) digital data. Indeed, international, European, and national initiatives – guided, for instance, by UNESCO, the European Union, and the Italian Ministry of Culture – have provided specific guidelines for CH digitisation in the past years. To comply with these policies and guidelines, we need to make the digital enhancement of CH a permanent and widespread practice in CH institutions to increase the knowledge, curation and management of artefacts in all forms, expand the involvement of the general public, thus, improving accessibility, inclusiveness, critical thinking, participation, enjoyment and sustainability