On November 30, the Benaki Museum, the U.S. Embassy Athens, the British Council and the British Embassy Athens are organizing the conference “Museums as Agents of Change: Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion.”

At the seventh edition of the Museum Conference, we invite professionals from museums and the wider cultural sector, artists, and students to examine in which ways museums and cultural organizations can change the lives of people and constitute pillars of healthy communities.

The conference will include keynote addresses and a series of workshops, and will feature the following guest speakers:

– Nicole Ivy, Director of Inclusion, American Alliance of Museums, USA.
– Georgia Krantz, Independent Educator and Accessibility Consultant, USA.
– Sarah Plumb, Research Associate, Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester, Great Britain.
– Matt and Jess Turtle, Co-founders, Museum of Homelessness, Great Britain.

During the conference, the international speakers will examine the museums’ role in a rapidly changing landscape of social inclusion policies. Among the topics that will be discussed are:

– How can museums give voice to underprivileged groups and be places of creative exchange and open dialogue?
– How can cultural institutions ensure that all audiences can access their programs, collections and resources? How do we make accessibility a lifelong process for museums and cultural organizations that goes beyond compliance with basic building standards?
– How can museums empower community through museum outreach programmes (including in hospitals, elderly homes, prisons and other institutions)?

On the 1st of December the conference will also be presented in Thessaloniki, at the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, from 09:00-17:00, in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate General, the British Council, the British Embassy in Greece, and the State Museum of Contemporary Art.

The conference is under the auspices of the City of Thessaloniki.

There will be simultaneous interpretation into Greek and English.

Admission is free, on a first come-first served basis. Pre-registration for the conference will be available on Eventbrite from 20.11.2017.