With 241 participants from 37 countries, the conference held from 10–12 November 2024 in Sibiu, Romania, delved into the vital role museums can play in strengthening today’s democracies. Meta Knol set the stage with her call for museums to move beyond preserving the past and instead act as ‘time travellers’, crafting programmes that respond to pressing global issues like inequality, migration, and climate change.
Knol highlighted the potential of museums to foster long-term change by working closely with communities to counteract polarisation and disinformation. She challenged the audience by asking if we are prepared for a future that lies beyond four years of project planning or a political term? Although the future is the result of our actions, people tend to ‘outsource’ the future since it feels so far away. She urged us to 'Make a habit of uniting things that shouldn’t be separated' and encouraged interconnected relations to create change and a future without polarisation and populism.
Watch the recording below and access the slides with notes on LinkedIn.
