GLAM/Newsletter/April 2025/Contents/Poland report
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What's up in GLAM in Poland
WikiChełmoński: Where Free Knowledge Meets Museum Research and Exhibition
Wikimedia Polska, in collaboration with the the National Museum in Poznań and the the National Museum in Krakow, has just launched WikiChełmoński – a nationwide editing campaign dedicated to the works of Józef Chełmoński, one of Poland’s most acclaimed realist painters. The campaign is a response from the free knowledge community to one of the largest research and exhibition initiatives undertaken by Polish national museums in recent years.
The campaign runs from April 9 to June 29, 2025, and includes an open editing contest on Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Prepared jointly by the National Museums in Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków, the exhibition began with a record-breaking success in Warsaw, attracting unprecedented public interest. It is currently on view in Poznań, where the Wikimedia campaign is in full swing. The final stage of the exhibition will open in Kraków, where the outcomes of the campaign will be integrated directly into the museum space.
Through QRpedia, museum visitors in Kraków will be able to access selected Wikipedia articles – created or improved during the campaign – about five key paintings on display. This marks the first time Wikipedia is an official knowledge partner of a national museum exhibition in Poland.
The campaign focuses on:
- creating and expanding Wikipedia articles on Chełmoński’s artworks and recurring natural motifs,
- translating selected entries into other languages,
- enriching Wikidata and improving image metadata,
- adding alternative text descriptions for accessibility,
- and supporting Wikimedia Commons with high-quality reproductions.
Although the contest concludes on June 29, we are planning a final event for participants in early September in Kraków, including a guided tour of the exhibition and a community meeting.
By bringing together museum professionals, researchers, and the Wikimedia community, WikiChełmoński illustrates the power of collaboration in making cultural heritage more visible, contextualized, and accessible to all.
More information can be found on the WikiChełmoński campaign website.
Wikipedia Workshop at the National Museum in Poznań
On April 25, a training session was held at the the National Museum in Poznań for the museum staff, focused on improving and expanding Wikipedia articles. The workshop was led by Agata Stadnicka – a volunteer and Wikimedian in Residence at the Czartoryski Library of the National Museum in Kraków, Marcin Szwarc – an experienced Wikipedian and Wikipedia administrator, and Kamila Neuman from Wikimedia Polska.
The workshop was designed to help participants gain practical editing skills, with theory limited to the necessary minimum. It was also a response to a common situation encountered by museum professionals – noticing missing or incorrect information on Wikipedia, feeling frustrated, but not knowing how to fix it. This training aimed to turn that frustration into action by equipping participants with the skills to make improvements themselves.
During the three-hour session, participants learned the basics of editing Wikipedia, including how to add references, improve existing content, and create their own user accounts. They edited various articles related to art – both those selected collaboratively and individually.
The event was part of the WikiChełmoński editing campaign, organized in partnership with the National Museum in Poznań and Kraków.
Many thanks to all participants for their active involvement and to the Museum for its openness and hospitality!
Special thanks to Marta Tomczak from the Museum for her support and coordination.
WikiChełmoński in Action! An Inspiring, Curator-led Tour and Meeting at the National Museum in Poznań
On April 26, participants of the WikiChełmoński editing campaign gathered at the National Museum in Poznań for a special event – a curator-led tour of the exhibition Józef Chełmoński 1849–1914, conducted by Dr. Maria Gołąb, Director of the Museum and curator of the exhibition.
The tour offered new perspectives and helped participants better understand Chełmoński’s work in a broader context, including the artist’s life story and the curatorial concept behind the exhibition’s arrangement. It was an important step in deepening the knowledge we collaboratively build on Wikipedia.
After the tour, participants met in the Museum’s Library with Anna Gruszecka, Head of the Library, and Kinga Sibilska from the Education Department. The library impressed us not only with its rich collection of sources on Chełmoński’s work, but also with its atmosphere – a charming space perfect for focus and reflection. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss future plans, and talk about the next steps in the campaign.
We sincerely thank all Wikipedians who joined the event, as well as the National Museum in Poznań for the inspiring conversations and warm welcome!
The guided tour was also a great opportunity to connect with our partners – in addition to staff from the National Museum in Poznań, the event was attended by representatives of the the National Museum in Krakow, who traveled to Poznań especially for the occasion. We truly appreciate their presence and engagement!
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