The Co-creation Game: does museum co-creation risk becoming one big performance?Stephen Welsh on how equity and humility can flourish when cultural institutions resist the urge to take the starring role in a co-creation project and refrain from concentrating all of their efforts on the creative outcome and its public unveiling. You may be surprised to learn that, in addition to being a cultural practitioner, I’m also a bit of a performer. At exhibition openings, networking events and conference socials in my beloved black sequined bomber jacket, I occasionally find myself belting out a bastard ..read more

La Jornada and Together We Can Food Pantry © Queens MuseumThe International Committee of Museums and Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art (CIMAM) Award for Outstanding Museum Practice aims to highlight exemplary initiatives that catalyze structural change in museums, fostering collective learning and empowering institutions to effect change on a global scale. Suzanne Cotter, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Chair of the CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award on how the projects nominated for the award invite us to not only imagine but to enact the possibilit ..read more

Discover how to achieve meaningful co-creation with communities and inspire community-led change in your museum. Explore the values that inform co-creation and different models of best practice when listening to community needs, sharing power, embedding democratic decision-making, and managing open-ended projects that aim to inspire change. You will have a chance to consider how such approaches might change your organisation or practice from within. You’ll also hear about case studies from museums in London, Manchester and New York and there will be time to build tailored strategies for ..read more

This new study day, led by cultural practitioner Stephen Welsh, will provide an opportunity for you to consider and work through proposed steps stages in successfully approaching the co-creation of museum projects with community groups. Stephen will discuss his significant experience in designing, developing and delivering co-creation projects, as well as sharing a number of case studies and facilitating practice-based exercises and learning. In addition, participants will be invited to reflect on their current co-creation ideas and activities while working in small groups in a conversat ..read more

© River & Rowing MuseumSteve O’Connor on getting a grip on finances, pulling together a clear and coherent plan to set a path to sustainability, and building the momentum needed to return the River & Rowing Museum to the centre of the community and deliver a world-leading educational product hosting the debate on healthy rivers. In the six months between my announcement as the new Director of the River & Rowing Museum (RRM) at the start of 2023, and taking up post in July of that year, I had the same sentence delivered to me multiple times, “River & Rowing Museum, great opportu ..read more

The increasing intersection between art restitution and human rights includes potential new avenues that may be used to commence restitution claims — Eleni Polycarpou (partner), Camilla Gambarini (special counsel), and Grace Finnigan (trainee) at leading law firm Withersworldwide on why a broadening of the definition of “culture” lends itself towards a human rights framework of restitution ——————————————————————————————- In international law, the definition of “culture” has shifted in recent years towards a broader concept of “cultural heritage”. The rationale is to move beyond tangible ..read more

EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: SAVE OVER 20% ON YOUR TICKET Explore the ideas shaping the future of museums at Museum Ideas 2024 on Thursday 10 October 2024 Discover how museums can be reimagined as co-produced, people-focussed, community-led organisations. An international programme of speakers will inspire you to push the boundaries of the museum experiences you create by building deeper connections, rethinking power and agency in the museum space, and reimagining the audience experience across digital, physical, and human interactions. Explore uniquely co-created projects with emotion ..read more

In this study day participants get the unique experience of building and playing their own escape rooms. In groups you will respond to themes and stories in real heritage sites and then using escape room props, equipment and tools, will devise your own pop-up escape rooms. Playing the roles of designer and player you will get a real sense for what makes a successful immersive experience. You will benefit from an in-depth walk-through of the entire process of designing, developing and delivering an immersive playable experience and discover how you don’t need ludicrous budgets to create a memo ..read more

In this study day, led by leading co-creation consultant Stella Toonen, you will explore approaches to achieving meaningful co-creation with communities and inspiring community-led change in your museum. This workshop will consider the values that can inform co-creation practices and explore different models for best practice when it comes to listening to community needs and dreams, sharing power, embedding democratic decision-making, and managing open-ended projects that aim to inspire change. You will have a chance to consider how such approaches might change your organisation or practice f ..read more

Discover how you and your museum might break free from convention and gain first-hand experience of how to create people centred and community led interpretation. Walk away with practical and actionable next steps that you can take back to your museum. In this era of participation and co-creation, join us to explore how museums are actively working to broaden representation and reimagine how they work with audiences. The study day will look at projects in progress to gain valuable insights of what to do at the initiation stage, including championing a more inclusive approach within organisati ..read more