Dr Keir Winesmith is currently the Tim Fairfax Head of Digital at the National Gallery of Australia, co-founder of the bi-monthly Cultural Data Salon for Sydney cultural workers, a mentor in the ACMI and Australia Council funded CEO Digital Mentoring Program, and an Adjunct Professor at UNSW Art & Design. In 2020 he was the inaugural Digital Collection Catalyst in Residence at the State Library of Queensland, and recently published The Digital Future of Museums, co-authored with Dr. Suse Anderson.  From 2018 to early 2020 Winesmith was the Chief Technology Officer at Old Ways, New, an Indigenous owned and managed social enterprise that creates new services, experiences, and places. From 2013 to 2018 he was the Director of Digital Experience at SFMOMA in San Fransico, where he co-founded and led SFMOMA Lab.  

Winesmith has produced and collaborated on award-winning projects that blend the digital and the physical in Australia, Europe, and the United States. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, the BBC, the ABC, Radio NZ, WIRED magazine and many others. In 2018 he was named in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business for this work.  

 In addition to many years’ experience, Winesmith holds a Ph.D. in new media and a science degree (hons) that majored Computer Science and Physics. He frequently writes and speaks on in the intersection of digital and the arts, in particular, the role of digital as an agent for organisational change a topic he has discussed at conferences and forums such as South by Southwest (SXSW), AIGA, MuseumNext, REMIX, Communicating the Arts, Museums and the Web (MW), Nation Digital Form (NDF) in New Zealand, Communicating the Arts, and the Museum Computer Network (MCN).  

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

ABSTRACT 
The Trends Shaping the Future of Museums  
The unique relationships we each have with the organisations that record, share and conserve our community’s culture are varied and complex. Most such organisations were founded in a time (often more than a 100 years ago) that is fundamentally different to our digitally mediated present. This talk will explore the most impactful of today’s trends and discuss how museums and galleries can thrive in an unpredictable future.

Dr Mike Jones is an archivist, historian, and collections consultant. Since 2008 he has collaborated with diverse researchers, community organisations, and the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) on digital collections and public history projects. His research explores the history of collections and collections-based knowledge, and the ways in which contemporary technologies can help to develop and maintain relationships within and between collections and communities. Mike is currently Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Deep History (School of History, Australian National University). His first book, Artefacts, Archives, and Documentation in the Relational Museum was published by Routledge in 2021.

CONCLUDING KEYNOTE 

ABSTRACT
Nature, Nurture, and the Future of Museums 
What is the nature of museums? While the international community continues to debate definitions, institutions and their staff have been forced to navigate what feels like a series of rolling crises, including environmental disasters, pandemics, culture wars, and rolling budget cuts. When faced with the pressures of the now it can be difficult to find time to think about the future. But museums are more than collections, buildings, policies, and individuals. They are complex bundles of relationships that need to be nurtured and maintained. In this presentation, Dr Mike Jones looks at the past, present, and future of ‘relational museums,’ exploring how a focus on relationships and the ethics of care can help us navigate the challenges of the present and prepare for unknown futures.  

After 16 years living and working in the UK, Caroline returned to Australia in July 2018 to take up the role as CEO at Arts Access Victoria. She is best known as a performer, maker, teacher, speaker, and mosquito buzzing in the ears of the arts industry in the UK and further afield. 

Caroline is a regular consultant on access and inclusion internationally, and has also led international residencies in Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. She is regularly invited to mentor local, national, and international artists at all levels of their artistic development. With the support of the Australia Council for the Arts, Caroline took part in the prestigious CEO Leadership course at Harvard Business School in 2019-2020. 

Under Caroline’s leadership AAV has developed key partnerships with major arts and cultural organisations, strengthened AAV’s financial position and transformed AAV into a disability-led organisation at every level of operation. 

KEY THEMED SPEAKER

ABSTRACT

Cultural Safety
The concept of Cultural Safety is much more present in our consciousness now than it possibly ever has been. But who is defining it? How are we recognising and addressing unsafe cultural practices in our organisations? How do we embed Cultural Safety into our organisational behaviours, strategies, policies and governance structures? How does cultural safety become a habit?

In this keynote presentation Caroline Bowditch, Arts Access Victoria's CEO and Artistic Director, will talk to some of the challenges to achieving cultural safety and share some practical steps to get us closer to Cultural Safety, specifically from a disability perspective.

Dr Shannon Faulkhead is currently Head, First Peoples Department at Museums Victoria and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow with the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University. Shannon’s research concentrates on the positioning of Indigenous Australian peoples and their knowledges within Australian society and collective knowledge. This research embraces the differences occurring between Indigenous and mainstream Australia as being positive and working towards methods of celebrating these differences within mainstream research methodologies and collective knowledge. Shannon’s multi-disciplinary research has centred on community and archival collections of records.  

KEY THEMED SPEAKER

ABSTRACT 
The Right of Reply to Indigenous Knowledges and Information held in Archives

The Indigenous Archives Collective was established in 2011, by Dr Shannon Faulkhead and Kirsten Thorpe through a National Archives of Australia Ian Maclean Research Award. The Ian Maclean Research Award supporting hosting for a period of five years (2011 to 2016).

In 2018, a group of researchers and practitioners – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – came together to revitalise the network under the new name of the Indigenous Archives Collective* to reframe the site as an open blog to encourage discussion about Indigenous archives. The Indigenous Archives Collective is based on values of respect, integrity and social justice and supports Indigenous-led aspirations and dreams about the sector that we want to see.

In 2021 the Archive published the INDIGENOUS ARCHIVES COLLECTIVE POSITION STATEMENT ON THE RIGHT OF REPLY TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGES AND INFORMATION HELD IN ARCHIVES. This statement, which will be detailed in this presentation, supports the work of the Indigenous Archives Collective to assert the rights of Indigenous peoples to challenge and respond to their information and knowledges contained in archival records held in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum (GLAM) institutions through a Right of Reply.

Monica Galassi is an Italian anthropologist who has been working in Australia for the past decade to support Aboriginal self-determination and sovereignty in collecting institutions. She is passionate about finding ways to foster culturally safe and community-driven initiatives across the cultural sector through research-led practice. Monica was part of the Indigenous Engagement team at the State Library of NSW, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Archive (ATSIDA) and is currently part of the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous  Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). In 2020, Monica was awarded a Research Excellence Scholarship to undertake a PhD in the field  of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archival records which are held in Italian museums and archives.  

KEY THEMED SPEAKER

ABSTRACT 
The Right of Reply to Indigenous Knowledges and Information held in Archives

The Indigenous Archives Collective was established in 2011, by Dr Shannon Faulkhead and Kirsten Thorpe through a National Archives of Australia Ian Maclean Research Award. The Ian Maclean Research Award supporting hosting for a period of five years (2011 to 2016).

In 2018, a group of researchers and practitioners – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – came together to revitalise the network under the new name of the Indigenous Archives Collective* to reframe the site as an open blog to encourage discussion about Indigenous archives. The Indigenous Archives Collective is based on values of respect, integrity and social justice and supports Indigenous-led aspirations and dreams about the sector that we want to see.

In 2021 the Archive published the INDIGENOUS ARCHIVES COLLECTIVE POSITION STATEMENT ON THE RIGHT OF REPLY TO INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGES AND INFORMATION HELD IN ARCHIVES. This statement, which will be detailed in this presentation, supports the work of the Indigenous Archives Collective to assert the rights of Indigenous peoples to challenge and respond to their information and knowledges contained in archival records held in Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum (GLAM) institutions through a Right of Reply.

Mike Murawski is an independent consultant, change leader, author, and nature lover living in Portland, Oregon, who is passionate about transforming museums and non-profits to become more equitable and community-centered. After more than 20 years of work in education and museums, Mike brings his personal core values of deep listening, collective care, and healing practice into the work that he leads within organisations and communities.  

Mike has served as Founding Editor of ArtMuseumTeaching.com since it launched in 2011 and is also currently co-producer, along with La Tanya S. Autry, of #MuseumsAreNotNeutral, a global advocacy campaign aimed at exposing the myth of museum neutrality and calling for equity-based transformation across museums. He has served as a contributor to the Museums as Sites of Social Action (MASS Action) initiative supporting equity and inclusion in museums; and as First Wave Project Advisor for the OF/BY/FOR ALL initiative helping civic and cultural organisations grow of, by, and for their communities.    

Mike has served as the Director of Learning & Community Partnerships for the Portland Art Museum, Director of School Services at the Saint Louis Art Museum, and Coordinator of Education and Public Programs at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds a MA and PhD in Education from American University in Washington, DC, which focuses on research on educational theory and interdisciplinary learning in the arts.    

Mike has spoken nationally and internationally on the social responsibilities of museums and how museums and cultural organisations can serve as agents of positive change within their own communities and has lead participatory workshops, lectures, panels, and training sessions at various institutions, including the Aspen Art Museum, Barnes Foundation, Crocker Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Phoenix Art Museum, among others.  

 His first book, Museums As Agents of Change was published in 2021.   

KEY THEMED SPEAKER

ABSTRACT
Shaping a More Human Future
Across the world, the impact of the COVID pandemic has been felt by arts, culture, and museum professionals at all levels. Not only were institutions forced to close, cancel events and programs, and layoff or furlough staff, but the pandemic also exposed a value gap between many workers and institutions based in a growing lack of trust, a lack of equity, and a lack of commitment to deeper human values. So how can museums and cultural institutions begin to repair this gap, enact more human-centered change, and build a stronger culture of equity and care? What are some steps that leaders and professionals at all levels can take to prioritize people, community, empathy, and relationships as we work together to shape a better future for our institutions?

Nina Earl is a curator and science communicator at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney. She holds a Masters of Science Communication and has extensive experience in STEM education and community outreach. As a curator she works across the Museum’s science collections and has delivered many successful cross-disciplinary exhibitions, such Design for Life (2020) and Eucalyptusdom (2021). Nina sits on the Australian Museum and Gallery Association Emerging Professionals Network Committee and National Council, where she advocates for a sustainable and diverse industry.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKER

ABSTRACT
Mentoring for meaningful growth 
The last few years have resulted in global shifts that have impacted the nature of work and more specifically our work in the cultural sectors. Charged issues, such as climate, equality and ethics are reshaping the foundations of what our museums and galleries should and could do for our communities. As the definition of ‘museum’ changes, so to have the expectations on staff, at times leading to burnout and an exit from the industry. At a time when our roles are in a state of flux, mentoring can provide early and middle career professionals with the opportunities to deepen and develop the soft skills that will be required to adapt and respond to a changing future. Mentoring also offers these staff an opportunity to extend beyond their role description, providing opportunities for growth and new experience. By supporting connections through this type of engagement, organisations can build loyalty and passion and improve the transfer of institutional knowledge, helping with staff retention and succession planning. 

Jamie Marloo Thomas is the Co-Founder Wayapa Wuurrk® and is a GunaiKurnai man and Maara descendant.  He is a conduit of knowledge from his Elders to the next generations. He understands the pain of disconnection from Country, which is why he is devoted to reconnecting people back to their responsibility for caring for the planet.

Combining 26 years of vast professional experience in Men’s Health, Well-being, Drug and Alcohol Support, Family Violence Prevention, Youth Mentoring, Cultural Heritage and Ancestral Remains Repatriation, with his personal connection practice rooted in Aboriginal Dance and Ceremony, Jamie co-created Wayapa in consultation with his Elders and Community.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKER

ABSTRACT
Wayapa® is an earth connection practice that is based on ancient Indigenous wisdom that focuses on taking care of the Earth as the starting point for creating Earth Mind Body Spirit well-being.

Wayapa meets people where they are at, providing a prompt to reconnect with the natural world. As we ourselves are nature, participants will bring unique points of connection to living systems to nourish, release and contribute to the collective consciousness of Earth reciprocity.

Wayapa is about creating a different lifestyle but for those just starting, it can be done as a 25-minute physical practice, sitting or standing, or as a narrative meditation to slow us right down to sit in the stillness of nature.

Participants will have a tailored experience of guided visualisations sharing some of the principles that kept Aboriginal Australia thriving for thousands of years.

Dr Luke Keogh is a curator and historian. Currently he is a Lecturer in both the Museum Studies and History Programs at Deakin University. For more than a decade Luke has worked with collecting institutions around the world, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Deutsches Museum Munich and the Queensland Museum. Most recently he was the Senior Curator at the National Wool Museum in Geelong, where he was lead curator on the award winning On the Land: Our Story Retold, which won its category at both MAGNA and AMAGA (Vic). Luke is an active researcher in the museums and collections fields and has published widely on the role of museums in the Anthropocene. His book about a lost museum object, The Wardian Case, recently won the NSW Premier’s General History Prize.   

Roundtable - ‘How can the profession support emerging professionals to ensure they have the skills and experience needs for a career in museums and galleries’ 

Steve Cooke is an Associate Professor of Cultural Heritage and Museum with teaching and research interests in heritage, memory and identity, particularly the conservation, management, interpretation and use of sites associated with the Holocaust.  From 2002 until 2011 Steve worked in high level management positions in some of Victoria’s most significant places, including the Melbourne Maritime Museum – home of Polly Woodside and the Shrine of Remembrance. In 2011 he returned to academia at Deakin University, and served as Course Director for the Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies Programs (2013-2020) and Associate Head of School (International and Partnerships) within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2019-2022). He is the author of over 35 publications including three highly commended books on the memorialisation of war and genocide.  He was appointed as Expert to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2015, where he sits on the Memorials and Museums Working Group.

Roundtable - ‘How can the profession support emerging professionals to ensure they have the skills and experience needs for a career in museums and galleries’ 

Dr Nicole Tse is part of the research and teaching team at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, The University of Melbourne, and Discipline Chair of the Masters of Cultural Materials Conservation. Nicole’s research focusses on active citizenship to develop regionally relevant conservation approaches for works of art in tropical Southeast Asia, under the auspices of APTCCARN (Asia Pacific Tropical Climate Conservation Art Research Network, (www.aptccarn.com). As a co-founding member of APTCCARN, she has co-convened four international meetings in Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines since 2009, with the most recent on ‘Natural disasters and cultural heritage in the Philippines: Knowledge sharing, decision making and conservation’, Tagbilaran City and Towns on the island of Bohol, the Philippines with National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO SPAFA). Since 2013, Nicole has been the Chief Editor of the AICCM Bulletin, the Australia Institute for Cultural Materials Conservation’s peer reviewed journal published by Routledge Taylor and Francis.

Roundtable - ‘How can the profession support emerging professionals to ensure they have the skills and experience needs for a career in museums and galleries’  

Forbes Hawkins is currently Senior Digital Systems Developer at Museums Victoria, where he has worked for over three decades in various roles. For many years he has specialised in the design and development of systems to support museum collection data management, publication, aggregation and syndication. Involved with the early design of KE EMu in the 1990's, Forbes designed and developed the systems used to track the relocations of Museums Victoria's vast collections, including perhaps the very first integrated mobile device interfaces for collection management such as location tracking and image capture. Over the past 20+ years, Forbes has worked on many online and in-gallery digital experiences, but his primary interest has been his work on platforms to support digitisation and collaboration across cultural organisations and the research community. He designed and developed Victorian Collections, and continues to work with AMaGA Victoria on its' ongoing support and development. Forbes is particularly interested in how the role of museums in society will evolve as a result of the changing intersections between digital and physical spaces, the democratisation of the museums sector through platforms like Victorian Collections, the transformation of aspects of museum practise through new tools such as machine learning and the ever growing opportunities for, and investment in, collection digitisation.

PANEL SPEAKER

 Panel session: What does collection management/collection management data look like in 50 years?

Jackie Fraser is currently working to support the delivery of the Regional Collections Access Program, Jackie first joined AMaGA Victoria in early 2021 as part of the Working for Victoria-funded Regional Museums Services Project team. Before this, she was curator and assistant curator at the Australian Sports Museum and Melbourne Cricket Club. Jackie has also worked at the City of Wanneroo’s Regional Museum in WA, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre Museum and Archives, and the University of Queensland’s Antiquities and Anthropology museums. When she’s not at work, Jackie enjoys dabbling in community theatre, settling in with a good science fiction or post-apocalyptic novel, and drinks more coffee than she probably should.

PANEL SPEAKER

Panel session: What does collection management/collection management data look like in 50 years?

Sarah Jane Rennie is the Coordinator of Collections Care at Sydney Living Museums (The Historic Houses Trust), NSW. In this role she is responsible for the management of the SLM's objects based collection, located across more than twelve properties. This role includes the setting, implementation and supervision of standards in collection care, collection storage, conservation cleaning, conservation documentation, pest and disaster management. 
 
Prior to working with Sydney Living Museums, Sarah-Jane worked at Museums & Galleries NSW as the Manager, Sector Development and as a conservator in museums, galleries and private settings. She has contributed to a variety of cultural publications and training packages on a range of topics including preventive conservation, significance assessment and the development of museums and galleries in heritage buildings. She has been a board member of ArtsTraining NSW and Accessible Arts and was a member of the National Standards Taskforce for the museum and gallery sector. 

PANEL SPEAKER

Panel session: What does collection management/collection management data look like in 50 years?