Conference 2023 content
Watch content from our 2023 MA Conference, which was held in Newcastle-Gateshead and online on 7-9 November 2023.
Plenaries
Introduction by conference host, Vici-Wreford Sinnott (day one)
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.
Chi Onwurah
Hear from Chi Onwurah, member of parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and shadow minister for science, research and innovation.
Presidential address and AGM 2023
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.
Museums Change Lives Awards 2023
Discover the winners of our Museums Change Lives Awards from the amazing shortlists of museum projects and people delivering social impact in their communities.
Shanaz Gulzar
Hear from Shanaz Gulzar, an artist and producer, in her capacity as creative director of Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture.
Introduction by conference host, Vici-Wreford Sinnott (day two)
Vici Wreford-Sinnott introduces the second day of MA Conference 2023.
Approaching truth-telling in museums: a view from Australian First Nations cultural leaders
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.
Jess Thom
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.
The curse of permanence
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.
Main sessions
Disability representation and rights
A panel focuses on how museums can develop anti-ableist approaches to rethinking disability representation, reframing societal conversations around disability, and tackling contemporary discrimination.
A crisis in English civic museums
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?
The power imbalance of museums: using cultural rights to address accountability
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?
Museums Strategic Disability Network: building alliances to effect change
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.
The power of letting go – why we owe it to society to dispose of museum collections
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.
Who cares? Understanding empathy and trauma in museums
A reflective and discursive session exploring the emotional impacts of doing decolonial work with problematic museum collections, facilitating a ‘brave space’ to share experiences.
SEND in Museums: ways of seeing, ways of being – equitable engagement for all
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.
Beyond 2050: the future of climate change programming in museums
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?
Whose past is it anyway? Nostalgia, belonging and inclusion
This session asks whether nostalgia – often maligned as a regressive ‘pastiche’ of history – can be a positive force for change in our museums.
In Practice sessions
Mindsets + Missions: learnings for the future of museums, galleries and science and discovery centres
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.
Enhancing social value through sustainable procurement
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.
Off the Shelf: a new toolkit for transfer, reuse and disposal of collections
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, Cumbria: inclusive volunteering through collaboration beyond the museum
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.
Making institutional change: anti-racism and contemporary museum practice
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?
How the stories we tell shape who we become…
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.
Race, Empire and the Pre-Raphaelites: exploring strategies for reframing Victorian art and design collections
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.
Sponsor sessions
The power of engaging families
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.
Bloomberg Connects
Join a global community of more than 300 cultural institutions offering rich experiences for visitors through Bloomberg Connects. Discover the platform's capabilities and learn how your institution can become part of this network.
Upcoming events
view all eventsBreaking Barriers: Radical Curatorial Practice
28 January 2026, 1100-1600
Online, Zoom
Online, Zoom
Open Minds: Understanding Copyright in Museums
10 December 2025, 1100-1600
Online, Zoom
Online, Zoom
Building Foundations: Transforming Facilities Management
19 November 2025, 1100-1600
Online, Zoom
Online, Zoom