“The 21st Century Art Museum: Is Context Everything?”

The International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art (CIMAM) Annual Conference brings together directors and curators from around the world to discuss issues of common concern and to learn about the host city and the work of artists from there. CIMAM is pleased to announce that this year’s host venue will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney.

Over three days, this year’s conference titled “The 21st Century Art Museum: Is Context Everything?,” will address the evolving relationship between core museological practices and values and the necessary responsiveness of museums to context in their drive to remain relevant, innovative and accessible. 

The presentations and discussions will be influenced by the context of Sydney, acknowledging conflicting histories of cultural ownership, indigeneity and place that define the cultural landscape of Australia. Looking out from the east coast of Australia to the Asia Pacific region and beyond, the conference will reflect upon questions and topics that aren’t just local but urgent for museums globally.

Keynote speakers include Bruce Pascoe, Aboriginal writer and anthropologist discussing Challenging the Narrative: Indigenous Perspectives; Franklin Sirmans, Director of the Perez Art Museum Miami looking at the Future of Collections; and Sally Tallant, Director of the Queens Museum, New York examining how institutions can go Beyond the Walls.

The Annual Conference will be followed by the post-conference tour to Brisbane and Stradbroke Island. The two-day optional program will include visits to QAGOMA, Milani Gallery and Artist Studios and Institute of Modern Art, and will conclude with guided tours by Aboriginal custodians on country.

To see the full program and to register, visit the CIMAM website here.

Tickets are available to directors and curators of modern and contemporary art museums and collections from around the world as well as independent researchers and arts professionals.

About the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
The MCA is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and interpreting the work of living artists, presenting exhibitions of international and Australian art to over one million people a year. The Museum’s range of creative learning program engage people of all ages, from all backgrounds. 

Located on one of the world’s most spectacular sites on the edge of Sydney Harbour, the MCA stands on a land of immense cultural and historical significance to the traditional owners, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. 

About CIMAM, International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art
Founded in 1962, CIMAM’s vision is a world where the contribution of museums, collections and archives of modern and contemporary art to the cultural social and economic well-being of society is recognized and respected.

CIMAM is an Affiliated Organization of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and aims to foster a global network which encourages debate and co-operation between art institutions and individuals at different stages of development around the world. CIMAM is run by a board of eminent museum directors and curators. The current President is Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, Director of MCA Australia.