Museum Rietberg: Understanding religion through art

Two girls sitting on the floor bending over an illustration of a Hindu divinity. Photo: Sava Hlavacek

Project completed

Cultural institutions play an important role in Switzerland’s educational system as places of learning outside the school. The City of Zurich’s Museum Rietberg is among Switzerland’s most renowned museums of art and has a distinctive specialism. It focuses on the art of both traditional and contemporary cultures in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania.
The project «Mit Kunst sehen – Religion verstehen» (Understanding Religion Through Art) run by the museum since 2015 is a model for schools that works both in the museum and in the classroom.

Designed by and for schoolchildren

With the support of the Migros Pioneer Fund, schoolchildren helped to design programmes for the school subject «Religion and Culture» for use anywhere. The project’s aim is to teach different perspectives on Buddhist and Hindu art and cultures and to view them in relation to one another.

Collaboration between schools and museum

Schoolchildren and teaching staff of the school subjects «Religion and Culture» or «Religions, Cultures, Ethics», which are an obligatory part of the curriculum in the canton and city of Zurich, can now use Museum Rietberg’s programmes for workshops, interactive excursions and for reference. The materials thus specifically promote dialogue between cultures and religions – a vitally important matter these days.