PROGRAMME
DECEMBER 3
11:00 – 19:00 (Eastern European Time)
*Please note that slight amendments to the final agenda might occur.
10:30
Arrivals
11:20 - 11:50
Welcome Remarks
Dr George Manginis, Academic Director, Benaki Museum
Dr Lina Mendoni, Minister of Culture, Hellenic Republic
Matthew Lodge, British Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic
Harriet Berg, Norwegian Ambassador to Greece and Cyprus
Anastasia Andritsou, Director, British Council in Greece and Cyprus
11:50 - 12:20
Inauguration
CoMuseum 15 years : Past Reflections, Future Directions
by Maria Papaioannou, Head of Arts Greece & Regional Lead Museums Revisited, British Council
Setting the Scene
by Dr Sophia Handaka, CoMuseum Co-Founder and Curator of World Cultures, Benaki Museum, Greece
12:20 - 12:30
Pessimism of the intellect versus optimism of the will
by
Dimitris Christopoulos, Professor of State and Legal Theory at the Department of Political Science and History of Panteion University, Greece
12:35 – 13:00
Keynote speech
The Grit & Glitter, how asking the question “What If?” can inspire us to be more in times of turbulence
with
Sharon Ament, Director of London Museum, UK
Learning and insight from the grand endeavour to transform London Museum through its move to a set of market buildings in London’s iconic Smithfield.
Q&A
13:05 – 13:30
Keynote speech
space of togetherness
with
Elina Kountouri, Director NEON, Organisation for Culture and Development D. Daskalopoulos, Greece
How artists in the present moment use their distinctive voices to shape the museum of the future? What is the role of the city in shaping how past and current histories are told? This keynote speech will unfold through a personal storytelling of my understanding of the most pressing issues and our need to retain hope. The responsibility of the institution to join forces in rejecting censorship of the imagination and create a space of togetherness to explore ideas about mutual respect, compassion and care.
Q&A
13:35 – 13:50
Provocation
by
Karalyn Monteil, Head of Programmes & Stakeholders Outreach, Culture Sector, UNESCO, France
13:50 – 14:35
Panel discussion #1
New visions: the power of collaborative storytelling.
with
Maria Camilla De Palma, Founding Director of Castello D’Albertis Museum of World Cultures, Italy
Sado Jirde, Director of Black South West Network, UK
Heracles Moskoff, General Secretary for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection, Greece, and Angeliki Grammatikopoulou, Coordinator for the Museum of Migration, General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection, Greece
Sandra Shakespeare, Founding director of Museum X CIC and the Black British Museum Project, UK
Moderated by
Lizzy Moriarty, Independent Museum Consultant – Museum Expert, Museums Revisited, British Council, UK
Q&A
14:35– 15:00
Keynote speech
Enthusiasm, surprise and inspiration. Übersee-Museum Bremen – a workshop report
with
Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt, Director Übersee-Museum Bremen, Germany
Starting with the new exhibition „The blue continent – islands in the pacific” the Übersee-Museum Bremen established a new concept for the definition of the brand and the creation of exhibitions. That included for example cooperations with curators from all over the world and a new look at the visitor expectations. Director Prof. Dr. Wiebke Ahrndt shares insights of this development and gives an outlook on upcoming projects.
Q&A
15:00 –15:45 | BREAK
15:45 – 15:55
Pre-recorded session
Reclaiming the Museum: Solidarity, Crisis, and the Renewal of Institutional Imagination
Daniel Muzyczuk, Director Muzeum Sztuki, Poland
15:55 – 16:20
Keynote speech
Moving at the pace of Trust – change at a time of uncertainty
with
Lynn Scarff, Director National Museum of Ireland, Ireland
In this presentation Lynn will explore the relevance of national cultural institutions at times of uncertainty and polarisation and some possible mechanisms for Museums to adapt and provide leadership at a national and local level in their communities.
Q&A
16:20 - 16:50
Discussion
Vassilis Charalampidis, Artistic Director BIOS, President European Creative Hubs Network, Greece
Rosa Ferré, Co-director of TBA21 | Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Spain
Q&A
16:50 - 17:15
Keynote speech
Future Curating – towards collective practices with humans and non-human others
with
Joasia Krysa, Professor of Exhibition Research, Liverpool John Moores University & Liverpool Biennial, UK
While the conference frames museums as spaces for human connection and resilience in a time of rapid change, this presentation extends the discussion to nonhuman practices. It reflects on how advanced technological developments—particularly in AI—together with a growing awareness of more-than-human worlds, are reshaping our understanding of curating and museum practices. Referencing the forthcoming book Curating Superintelligences, the presentation explores curatorial approaches that bring together human and non-human networks and ecologies, highlighting emerging research and examples, from environmental and multispecies projects to machine-learning–based collection curation. In doing so, the talk points toward the future that embraces more-than-human practices towards more inclusive, responsible, and sustainable forms of museum curating.
Q&A
17:20 - 18:00
Arts Council England session
with
Hannah Fox, Executive Director, Bowes Museum, UK
Emmie Kell, Director of Museums and Cultural Property at Arts Council England, UK
Dhikshana Turakhia Pering, Head of Creative Programmes, London Museum, UK
Kim Streets, Chief Executive, Sheffield Museums Trust, UK
Q&A
18:00 - 18:10
Provocation
by
Natalie Giorgadze, General Director of Culture Action Europe, Belgium
18:10- 19:00
Panel Discussion #2
with
Silke Krummel, CEO, Agency for International Museum Cooperation, Germany
Liv Ramskjær, Secretary General, The Norwegian Museums Association, Norway
Azra Bečević Šarenkapa, Deputy Director, National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stelios Voulgaris, Founding member and Advocacy group participant of Culture for Change, Co-founder COMM’ON, Greece
19:00 - 19:10
Closing
with
Dr Sophia Handaka, CoMuseum Co-Founder and Curator of World Cultures, Benaki Museum, Greece
19:30- 20:30
Networking event | Benaki Museum/Pireos 138
