Conference 2023 content

Writer and director Vici Wreford-Sinnott introduces the first day of MA Conference 2023. Vici is the artistic director of Little Cog, a disabled-led production company that works across a range of artforms and is based in north-east England.

Hear from Chi Onwurah, member of parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and shadow minister for science, research and innovation.

Hear from our president Gillian Findlay and director Sharon Heal about our work and plans for the year ahead, and watch the proceedings of our AGM.

Discover the winners of our Museums Change Lives Awards from the amazing shortlists of museum projects and people delivering social impact in their communities.

Hear from Shanaz Gulzar, an artist and producer, in her capacity as creative director of Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture.

Vici Wreford-Sinnott introduces the second day of MA Conference 2023.

Ezzard Flowers and Michelle Broun offer their perspectives on working collaboratively with collections and truth-telling in museums with a contribution from researcher and curator Helen Idle.

Hear from writer, artist and part-time superhero Jess Thom, who co-founded Touretteshero in 2010 as a creative response to her experience of living with Tourette’s Syndrome.

Mark O’Neill, Jette Sandahl and Sara Wajid have an honest, hard-hitting conversation on shifts and changes in museum practice and reflections on what progress has been made and what still needs to be done.

A panel focuses on how museums can develop anti-ableist approaches to rethinking disability representation, reframing societal conversations around disability, and tackling contemporary discrimination.

Many civic museums are on the brink of collapse. What happens to England's national story once all of us are gone? And would a national strategy make a difference to our collective fate?

Western museums hold all the power. Can cultural rights help redress this imbalance? British public museums have an obligation to support all people to realise their rights, but do existing power structures enable or inhibit?

Members of this network describe why there needs to be a greater focus on ableism in museums, as well as how the network has supported the development of resources for the sector.

This session brings together leaders on collections development from around the world to discuss the potential power of collection disposal to empower communities and respond to the needs of society.

A reflective and discursive session exploring the emotional impacts of doing decolonial work with problematic museum collections, facilitating a ‘brave space’ to share experiences.

Not only can museums be powerful places for SEND audiences, but these visitors can also bring different ways of seeing, being and appreciating museums and the objects within them.

No corner of the globe is immune from the devastating consequences of climate change. As well as what museums can and should do right now, what is the long-term trajectory of this work in the sector?

This session asks whether nostalgia – often maligned as a regressive ‘pastiche’ of history – can be a positive force for change in our museums.

Hear about some of the key learning from the programme and discover what practical action can be taken to engage underrepresented groups with research and innovation.

How can we make our money contribute to a better future? Explore why sustainable procurement matters and how museums can make a difference through what we buy.

In June 2023 the MA launched a new toolkit to enable museums to more easily undertake disposals. Hear more about the process and work through some theoretical examples.

Helping Hands is an ambitious project to transform cultural volunteering in Cumbria, and its successes and challenges are all laid bare in a candid discussion between key project managers and partners.

Since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, many museums have committed to ending institutional racism and becoming anti-racist organisations – but what does this look like in reality?

Denise McGahan and Karen Logan have developed an innovative approach to exploring our understanding of identity, where it comes from and the agency we all have as authors of our own stories.

Running from 2020-23, Race, Empire and the Pre-Raphaelites was a research group of the British Art Network (BAN) focused on exploring Victorian art and design collections through the lenses of anti-racism and decoloniality.

As young people are a priority audience for Art Fund and UK museums, more funded projects are focussing on engaging this audience. Great North Museum: Hancock and Tŷ Pawb will share key learnings from programmes they've created with Art Fund support to engage families.

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