International Museum Day is May 18th, and a great way you can spend it this year is to attend a session of the Museums and Markets: Perspectives on Income Generation in a Post-pandemic World online conference. CCI's own Dr. Jamie Larkin, along with Dr. Paul Burtenshaw are hosting the three day virtual conference which will take place May 18-20th, from 9am-11am each day. Every day's panel will include different speakers from a variety of cultural institutions that will explore emerging forms of cultural marketization and address how museums and heritage sites can better leverage digital opportunities, to develop both online and off-site revenues to create new, engaging forms of cultural consumption.
This year has been all about resilience for people and industries, including the museum sector. After being shut down for over a year, professionals in the field are figuring out how museums can bounce back from COVID-19. While the closures have had negative effects on the industry and those who work in it, there’s always the potential for growth and this lockdown could have the potential to push that growth into fruition for museums.
“I think, in some ways, this period of enforced closure that the museums have gone through, potentially has created an opportunity to think creatively about the future,” Dr. Larkin said.
Museums have been trying all different ways to engage with the public while facilities are closed such as online exhibitions. However one pitfall of these exhibitions is that most museum-goers don’t want this mediated experience. The ambiance of the museum and seeing the works in person make the experience. So, with this understanding museums have been trying to innovate in new directions with projects such as developing new digital experiences from scratch and museum subscription boxes.
“How can we build back better?” is how Dr. Larkin explained the purpose of the conference.
Through three different sessions conference-goers will be able to listen to professionals in the field talk about reimagining business models, partnerships with creative and cultural industries, and culture cash.
Speakers from around the globe from institutions such as the Dali Museum, the National Gallery in London, and the Vagina Museum in London. This is a unique opportunity for students to hear from so many knowledgeable people at once.
“I think students will have the opportunity to hear from really dynamic speakers who are working at the cutting edge of museums bouncing back from this,” Dr. Larkin said. “They will have the opportunity to hear from people who are going to be leading a sector in the next five or ten years, and who are repositioning museums in the market, particularly as we develop the kind of more expansive creative economy. They’ll discuss how museums can do more things than just exhibit objects, how they can kind of act more dynamically in contemporary society.”
So take a break from finals with us and join one or all of these conference sessions where you’ll have the chance to hear first hand how the landscape of cultural institutions is changing. Each session is FREE and open to the public, but reservations are required and can be made at the Museums and Markets Conference ticket page.
And for more information and details on the topics to be covered be sure to check out this post by Dr. Larkin and Dr. Burtenshaw on the International Council of Museums Site.