Warning
  • JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 165
Log in
A+ A A-

Benaki Museum Holds International "The Future is Now" Conference

  • Written by 

"The Future is Now: Evolving Museum Strategy, Programming and Communication" museum conference is being held on Thursday, December 4th, between 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Benaki Museum in Athens.

It has been organized by the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the British Council, along with the Benaki Museum. This year marks the fourth Conference, where Greek artists, American artists, British artists, museum professionals and independent curators will convene to discuss creating the museum of the future.

As the U.S. Embassy in Athens states on its website of the Conference, "Museums and other cultural institutions are often located in august buildings that imply the ability to shrug off any pressure to change. But that's an illusion: they are the product of social and economic forces and remain subject to the shifts in those forces."

The American Embassy adds, "Take technology. A few years ago, when we held the first of these conferences, the Tate and the Met had major websites, but their presence in social media was negligible. Now both are leaders in audience engagement. Then there's money. Museums cost. The Metropolitan and Tate host their collections in multiple branches and operate on multimillion dollar budgets. Where does the money come from and where does it go? Strategy is what gives direction in the squall. How does a museum examine its purpose, rethink its core programming, and renew its audience? How should a museum use tech to engage with the audience without losing sight of its original vision? How do people running museums decide what is meaningful growth, and what's growth for growth's sake?"

Many museum leaders will be present, including Cynthia Round, Senior Vice President of Marketing and External Relations for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Susan Sellers, Head of Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Sam Thorne, Artistic Director of Tate St Ives. "The Future is Now: Evolving Museum Strategy, Programming and Communication" offers free admission and will be available in both English and Greek. More information will be available on December 1st at: www.benaki.gr, www.britishcouncil.gr and www.mosaiko.gr.