07/05/2026
Join us in these two open conversations to support museum professionals in their workplaces. It’s a proactive framework for institutional integrity.
Museums today face a double challenge: to create change, they must navigate contested narratives, colonial legacies, and rising demands for inclusive representation. But transformation begins at home. Internally, museums also confront a troubling reality – workplace toxicity, burnout, and systemic inequities that undermine their stated values. In both arenas, communication is a fundamental tool for preventing and addressing harassment, racism, and discrimination.
SESSION 1: 18 May 2026, h. 5-6 pm CEST
SPEAKING OUT: Strategic Communication to Promote Inclusive Narratives in Museums.
How can museums use their unique public platform to challenge discrimination – without alienating audiences or oversimplifying complex histories? This session explores the museum as an ethical communicator: an institution that takes positions, mediates conflict, and builds trust with diverse communities through the stories it tells.
Richard Sandell, Professor of Museum Studies and Co-Director of the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at University of Leicester (UK).
Sandro Debono, Museum thinker, academic, and advisor based in the Mediterranean island of Malta; Executive Board Member of NEMO Network of European Museum Organisations.
Rebecca Thonander, Communications Officer at NEMO. Invited case study: the “LGBTQIA+ inclusion in European museums. An incomplete guideline”.
Special Guest: Darko Babic, PhD, Chair of ICOM ICTOP.
Moderator: Cristina Chiaiso, Research Fellow at the University of Genoa, Board Member of ICOM COMMS, Coordinator of the Museum Communication Working Group of ICOM Italy.
Please fill out the form, and we will send you the link to participate before the event: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=XzTq0CUTXEGT0MQvQzsOYqBfo7gI8mlNp7uPsHm82NJUOFVLUktSSzhCQzNKQzNISTFNUEROU1czUC4u
The project is aligned with the International Museum Day 2026 theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World”, promoted by ICOM. In cooperation with ICOM ICTOP, INTERCOM (International Committee for Museum Management) - ICOM, “Museum Communication” Working Group of ICOM Italy, NEMO, University of Genoa – Innovation Hub Tourism & Heritage UniGe-Ulysseus, Ulysseus European University WP6 “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Community Engagement”.
Who should attend: Museum directors, communication and marketing professionals, HR and governance officers, curators, educators, members of ICOM International Committees working on training, management, and ethics, and students.
