Our mission
We are the Red Star Line Museum.
Starting from the historical story of European emigration via Antwerp to America, we encourage reflection and dialogue about migration in the past, present and future.
We do this together with our (future) visitors, participants and partners.
The Red Star Line Museum is located on an authentic location, the place where two million emigrants left in search of a better life. The museum cherishes and preserves this history and does so based on the personal stories of passengers.
By collecting and sharing the life stories of migrants past and present, we deepen this core story and connect it to current social issues through recognisable themes.
Vision and core values
As a Flemish museum about migration, the Red Star Line Museum brings people and organisations together to preserve personal heritage of migration for the future. There is room for everyone's story. In this way we stimulate emotional involvement and recognition of the profound impact of migrations on everyone's life. And so we make the museum a place of exchange: multi-voiced and connecting, authentic and topical, locally anchored and with international reach.
Loaded theme museum
Together with Kazerne Dossin (Mechelen), Museum Dr. Guislain (Ghent), the Africa Museum (Tervuren) and the In Flanders Fields Museum (Ypres), the Red Star Line Museum belongs to the so-called loaded theme museums. These are all linked to a 'lieu de mémoire', an authentic historical site. In addition, they all study a loaded theme from the past (genocide, psychiatry, migration, colonisation, war) that has great topical value. The five museums have therefore entered into an informal collaboration. They exchange experiences, insights and new methods with each other in order to translate them into their own operations and to be able to formulate a common voice in the public debate on these themes.
- Kazerne Dossin https://www.kazernedossin.eu/NL/
- Museum Dr. Guislain https://www.museumdrguislain.be/
- In Flanders Fields https://www.inflandersfields.be/
- Africa Museum https://www.africamuseum.be/nl/home
At the heritage sector's 2019 networking event, 'Groot Onderhoud', these museums presented their ideas on the social role of museums. Faro collected the texts. You can download them here (in Dutch).
As a result of the preparation of the new policy paper of the Minister of Culture, Jan Jambon, various museums started to discuss the multi-voice approach in the spring of 2020. It led to the following memorandum in February 2021: 20210216_MuseaMeerstemmigheid.pdf (in Dutch)
On 15 June 2021, the Red Star Line Museum, together with other museums and speakers, investigated how intentions about the multi-voice approach can be put into practice. You can read the result of this webinar on the FARO website, on the page Meerstemmigheid, de tijd van palaveren voorbij' (in Dutch).
Our policy
Since 2018, the Red Star Line Museum has been a national museum recognized by Flanders. As a museum of the city of Antwerp, it is supervised by the Autonoom Gemeentebedrijf Culturele Instellingen Antwerpen – Erfgoed and by the alderman for culture.
If you are interested in our policy plan or annual report, please contact director Karen Moeskops at karen.moeskops@antwerpen.be.