Abstract. The subject of the lecture is the historical overview of the natural art exhibitions in the Hungarian museum and cultural environment and the theoretical and practical approaches of museum pedagogical use in connection with them.

Land art and related art movements (e.g. earth art, environment, eco-art, arte povera), which originated in America in the 1960s and implemented minimalist and significant landscape interventions, appeared in Europe with the spread of the avant-garde, but took a different form in the domestic context. Subtle landscape experiments, 'signs' involving small-scale interventions, works made using natural materials were described in the term 'nature art', and the importance of respect for nature as an artistic attitude was emphasised, which is also an important characteristic of nature art, which has become established in the East. Site-specific nature art is ephemeral in nature, not seeking to be permanent, but being born in and contextualised by the natural environment and often shaped by nature itself. This kind of naturalism, this striving for naturalness, carries with it and reinterprets Rousseau's idea of a return to nature. The process of artistic creation is also often characterised by community involvement and the intention to change the natural environment for the better. Rural nature-based art initiatives not only provide specific exhibition venues (such as cave dwellings), but also improve the living conditions of communities, support the inclusion of people living in extreme poverty and can be a tool for landscape care and revitalisation.

The first appearance of natural art in the domestic museum context was at the Ernst Museum, where the concept, known since the 1960s, first appeared in a museum catalogue in connection with the exhibition called ’Naturally’. Since its foundation in 1989, the first contemporary art museum in Hungary, the Ludwig Museum, has shown the works of numerous natural artists and land artists, but also exhibitions on the theme of nature art have been held at MODEM, Godot Gallery, at The Kunsthalle and in other locations around the country. The various art camps and symposia (Farkaskő-Noszvaj Cave Art Camp, MagtArt International Nature Art Symposium, International Venice-Lake Symposium) also play an important role in promoting nature art, where masters and student artists from all over the world can work together.

The aim of the presentation is to explore the extent and role of nature art in Hungarian museum education from the first exhibition of nature art in 1994 to the present day, and to examine its significance and new possibilities for expanding the tools of museum education.

The research seeks answers to the following questions: To what extent is nature art and its related use in museum education present in domestic museums and cultural spheres? In what informal programmes and museum education activities are natural art contents processed and to what extent is this field of contemporary art used in museum education? To what extent does the National Curriculum (2020) support the role of nature art in formal and informal education and museum education? How can the teaching of natural history in museums contribute to the development of school education? How much more effective are site-specific or indoor sessions compared to traditional museum education programmes and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

Methods. The sources of the analysis are the brochures and leaflets of museums presenting indoor and outdoor exhibitions of contemporary art, the information documents published on the museums' websites, and the documents and publications of symposia on natural art made available online. In addition, the study is based on literature on natural history and its role in pedagogy, with particular reference to the training and research programmes of the Eger Workshop in Hungary. Research methodology: mix-method a) data mining through the analysis of websites to obtain qualitative data on the extent of the dissemination of nature-based museum activities; b) documentary analysis of museum publications and information materials to determine the structure and characteristics of the programmes through content analysis; c) comparative analysis of the results of the research with the help of the relevant domestic and international literature (hermeneutic content analysis).

Conclusions. Preliminary (expected) results: The study of this field of museum and museum education shows that the national museums dealing with contemporary art had already started to work on this topic earlier, and in the 2000s, more and more museums in the country started to include natural art in their events. In addition to the mostly indoor exhibitions, there will also be outdoor exhibitions and events such as the Landscape Art Trail in Kapolcs as part of the Valley of Arts Festival, which programme showcased site-specific nature artworks in the outdoors. The museum activities and programmes for a wide range of ages have been created with various aims: environmental education, reducing alienation from nature, education for sustainability (social responsibility), increasing knowledge of art, mental health and therapy, literary and geographic education, creativity development, etc. They use a variety of methods, often outside the traditional methodology of museum education, such as story therapy or yoga as a method. Benefit of the research: the place and role of nature art in the Hungarian museum scene is revealed. Nature art activities contribute to a more effective, experience-based introduction to contemporary art and to the formation of environmental attitudes. By teaching and applying nature art, museum educators and school teachers can acquire a new pedagogical tool that not only enables the acquisition of multifaceted knowledge and the development of personality and competence, but also helps to recreate harmony with nature. It is also significant in that it introduces new aspects into museum education, such as originality, naturalness and closeness to nature, or transience, sustainable art, and provides a framework for rethinking the relationship between art, society (consumerism), identity, culture and human-nature.

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