Museum Education Programmes for Senior Visitors on the Case of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

Special programs for older adults are quite rare in Russian museums at the moment. Core principles of work with this visitors’ category as well as its evaluation system have not been well established yet. This study aims to provide the basis for their development. This paper substantiates the positive potential of museum programs for older adults both for their participants and for the museums themselves. It also provides an analysis of four foreign and four Russian examples of such programs which allowed defining their common and distinctive characteristics. Special attention is paid to their organizational process. Central case for this analysis in an educational program for older adults at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. In order to conduct this study, the methods of in-depth interviews, observational research and analysis of the museum questionnaire were used. This research results in the evaluation of this program, it highlights its weaknesses and strengths and gives recommendations for further development. In the conclusion, a number of general recommendations for museum programs for older adults’ management is formed based on the empirical research. Key words: museum education, older adults, Young Old, well-being, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art