The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) is one of the country’s leading cultural institutions, operating across four branches and hosting around 20 exhibitions annually. In 2022, MMCA undertook a landmark initiative to better understand the environmental impact of its operations: the Museum-Carbon-Project. Designed as a pilot programme for assessing and addressing carbon emissions within a museum context, the project marked a critical step in aligning MMCA’s activities with broader sustainability goals.

Measuring Impact Across the Exhibition Lifecycle

“The first question is how the contemporary art museum deals with the Anthropocene,” explains curator Yonghee Sung. Motivated by growing concerns about climate change and the museum’s role within the cultural sector, the project set out to measure the carbon emissions generated through the entire exhibition-making process, what the MMCA team referred to as the “value chain” of an exhibition.

Applying the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, the project divided the lifecycle of an exhibition into discrete stages: concept development, production, installation, visitor experience, and deinstallation. This granular approach allowed the team to pinpoint where emissions were occurring and to begin identifying opportunities for reduction.

Notably, the majority of emissions were found to come from two main sources: visitor transportation and building energy use. These findings reflect broader patterns across the museum sector and present shared challenges for institutions aiming to reduce their environmental footprint.

Collective Reflection

In addition to data collection and analysis, the Museum-Carbon-Project also included a public-facing component: an open workshop inviting museum professionals, artists, and the public to reflect on the relationship between museums and the climate crisis.

“We want to contemplate how we should look at this situation, and there is no perfect solution,” says Sung. “We want to open this museum to the people and think about the situation together.”

This spirit of openness and inquiry was central to the project’s aims. Rather than offering prescriptive answers, MMCA sought to use the process as a platform for learning and collective responsibility, emphasising that sustainability in museums must be a shared and ongoing conversation.

Foundations for the Future

While the Museum-Carbon-Project was a one-year initiative, it has laid important groundwork for MMCA’s future sustainability efforts. By establishing a baseline understanding of emissions and creating internal tools for analysis, the project has sparked further internal dialogue and interest in climate action across the institution.

With visitor travel and energy consumption identified as key areas for focus, MMCA is now better equipped to develop strategies for long-term carbon reduction. Equally important is the museum’s commitment to transparency and public engagement, ensuring that sustainability remains a core value of the institution as it continues to evolve.

You can read more about MMCA Korea’s Museum-Carbon-Project, which includes detailed carbon emissions data alongside qualitative research findings and reflections, online here.

Blog written for GCC by Lorna Tiller.