Museum-Based Environmental Communication A Case Study of the Environmental Concern Campaign at D’Bone Collector Museum, Philippines
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the environmental-concern campaign strategy developed by the D’Bone Collector Museum in Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, through its museum collections, storytelling, and exhibition design. The study employed a qualitative approach with a single-case study design. Data were collected through direct observation, interviews, and public discussions with the museum owner and with visitors who had visited more than twice. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. The results show that the museum collections constitute material evidence of the implications of human behavior. The museum’s campaign strategy is constructed through a combination of object authenticity, collection curation, narratives of death, guilt, empathy, moral reflection, and calls to action. This study concludes that D’Bone Collector Museum conducts an ongoing campaign promoting concern for nature conservation based on its collections, storytelling, and exhibition design. The results show that museums have the potential to serve as media for environmental communication through the presentation of authentic specimens, which can stimulate emotional responses and public contemplation. These findings enrich the study of museum communication by demonstrating that the synergy among collection management, curatorial narratives, and exhibition design strategies can optimize museums’ functions as instruments of persuasion and education while also supporting the achievement of SDGs.
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