In the webinar, Anna Lawrenson and Chiara O’Reilly from the University of Sydney examined how museums embedded within regional communities are well placed to respond to environmental challenges. With strong local connections and adaptable ways of working, these museums can serve as centres for dialogue, healing and preparedness in the face of intensifying climate impacts.
- Watch the recording of the webinar “Australian Regional Museums and Climate Change”
The webinar showcased two case studies demonstrating the role cultural institutions can play in supporting community resilience during and after climate related crises:
- Shoalhaven Regional Gallery: Cultural institutions as sites of healing
Dr Anna Lawrenson presented the experiences of Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, which supported its community through consecutive bushfires, floods, drought and the Covid-19 pandemic between 2019 and 2020. The gallery provided a space for reflection, support and recover - illustrating how museums can play a central role in community wellbeing during times of crisis. - Wagga Wagga Art Gallery: Leading local climate conversations
Dr Chiara O’Reilly shared work from Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, which has developed long term, multimodal strategies to translate global climate concerns into local, actionable conversations. Through sustained programming, the gallery helps build resilience in an agricultural region where climate impacts are particularly acute.
About NEMO’s Working Group on Sustainability and Climate Action
NEMO's Working Group on Sustainability and Climate Action supports museums across Europe in their transition toward sustainable and climate conscious practice. By sharing expertise, highlighting opportunities for action and facilitating exchange among museum professionals, the group contributes to sector wide development and advocates for museums’ role in advancing environmental responsibility.
In 2026, NEMO’s Working Group on Sustainability and Climate Action is commissioning a report to explore how museums can address climate anxiety and support emotional resilience, offering practical guidance, case studies and strategies to help museums navigate the mental health impacts of the climate crisis.
Biographies of the webinar speakers
Dr Chiara O’Reilly and Dr Anna Lawrenson are located in Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney. They co-authored The rise of the must-see exhibition: Blockbusters in Australian Museums and Galleries (Routledge 2019) and are Associate editors for Exhibition Reviews for Curator: The Museum Journal.
O’Reilly researches cultural institutions (Galleries, Science Museums and Social History Museums) to examine their history, contemporary role and how their function changes over time with a particular emphasis on exhibitions and audiences. She has publishedjournals including: Journal of the History of Collections, Museum Management and Curatorship, Museum History and co-authored a chapter in Places of Traumatic Memories in a Global Context (Palgrave Memory Studies).
Lawrenson’s career has spanned critical museology and applied practice, having worked in academia and the arts sector. Her research considers how the history, funding and administration of museums and galleries shapes their public engagement. She publishes in academic journals and has been commissioned to conduct research within the museum sector resulting in a range of industry-based reports.
