This year, the annual Museum Conference is bigger and better: it has grown into a two-day event in Athens, with expanded international participation and a dedicated website. For the ninth edition of the conference, we invite professionals from museums and cultural organisations, artists, civil society representatives, educators, activists and students to examine how museums can be places of intercultural dialogue, activism and community engagement.
The landscape for attracting audiences is changing and museums are transitioning from once hushed stewards of heritage into vibrant social, civic, and participatory venues. Visitors are increasingly exploring aspects of their identity in museums and finding out more about their communities.
Speakers
Conference speakers will explore how museums and cultural organisations can become safe spaces for knowledge exchange, multicultural dialogue, self-discovery and entertainment by offering new and expanded experiences that place these spaces at the centre of their visitors’ daily lives and transform them into the living rooms of society.
Our invited speakers are:
- Katy Ashton, Director, People’s History Museum (PHM), UK
- Christos Carras, Executive Director – Music Programme Curator, Onassis Cultural Centre, Greece
- Catherine Devine, Business Strategy Leader – Libraries and Museums, Microsoft, United States
- Cécile Dumoulin, Head of the Public and Cultural Programmes, Musée des Civilisations de l' Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM), France
- Kimon Frangakis, Journalist, Founder, Sophisticated Media, Greece
- Despina Geroulanou, Member of the Board of Trustees, Benaki Museum, Greece
- Akis Goumas, Jewellery Maker, Greece
- Sophie Lamprou, Co-founder, Impact Hub Athens, Kypseli Market, Greece
- Essam Makhlouf, Regional Business Manager (EMEA region), Libraries and Museums, Microsoft, United States
- Marlen Mouliou, Assistant Professor of Museology, Faculty of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- Meriç Öner, Director of Research and Programs, SALT, Turkey
- Irini Papageorgiou, Curator of Prehistoric, Ancient Greek and Roman Collections, Benaki Museum, Greece
- Kristin Prestegaard, Chief Engagement Officer, Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), United States
- Marcelo Rezende, Co-director, Archiv der Avantgarden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany
- Katrina Stacy, Curator of Education and Interpretation, Georgia O’Keefe Museum, United States
- Maria Tsantsanoglou, Executive General Director, Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki (MOMus); Creative Director MOMus – Museum of Modern Art – Costakis Collection, Greece
- Amalia Zepou, Social Innovation Expert, Founder synAthina, Greece
- Anticlastics and MeToo.
Simultaneous interpretation into/from Greek and English will be provided, as well as interpretation into Greek Sign Language.
Certificates of attendance will be provided upon request.
Athens
| When | Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 November 2019 (09.00–20.00 & 10.00–17.30) |
| Where | Benaki Museum 138 Pireos Street 118 54 Athens |
| Programme | www.thecomuseum.org/my-museum |
| Tickets | Standard: €15 | Students: €7 |
| Registration | www.thecomuseum.org/my-museum |
| www.facebook.com/events/976577666029053 | |
| Live stream | https://diavlos.grnet.gr/en/event/e1465 |
| Recorded sessions | www.blod.gr/events/to-mouseio-mou-to-mouseio-os-simeio-synantisis |
A series of workshops will be also be available as part of the Athens conference on 20 and 21 November. The workshops are aimed at professionals in the cultural field and require separate registration on the conference website. The workshops will be conducted in English without interpretation.
The conference is being organised in partnership with the Benaki Museum and the Embassy of the United States, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Athen and the Ambassade de France en Grèce / Institut Français de Grèce.
The conference is taking place under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, and the City of Athens.
Thessaloniki
| When | Friday 22 November 2019 (09.30–17.30) |
| Where | Thessaloniki Concert Hall Maurice Saltiel Hall (M2) 25 Martiou Street 546 46 Thessaloniki |
| Programme | www.thecomuseum.org/my-museum |
| Tickets | €5 |
| Registration | www.thecomuseum.org/my-museum |
| www.facebook.com/events/980132848989589 |
The conference is being organised in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General and the Benaki Museum, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Organisation of Museums of Visual Arts of Thessaloniki, the Goethe-Institut Athen and the Organisation of Thessaloniki Concert Hall.
The conference is taking place under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Region of Central Macedonia and the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
Information
| Website | www.thecomuseum.org |
| British Council | Katerina Galani | Katerina.Galani@britishcouncil.gr |
| Benaki Museum | Athina Isaia | aisaia@benaki.gr |