MuseumNext — LLMpedia

MuseumNext
Name	MuseumNext
Type	Nonprofit / Conference Organizer
Founded	2009
Headquarters	London
Services	Conferences, workshops, publications, consulting

Contents

MuseumNext

MuseumNext is an international conference and events organization focused on contemporary museum practice, curatorial innovation, audience engagement, and digital transformation. Founded in 2009 in London, it has organized summits, forums, and workshops that bring together professionals from institutions such as the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Tate Modern. Its activities intersect with networks linked to the Getty Foundation, European Commission, UNESCO, Arts Council England, and regional museum associations across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

History

The organization emerged from dialogues among professionals associated with Museum of London, National Galleries of Scotland, Royal Ontario Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Walker Art Center seeking platforms for exchange after major events like the Heritage Lottery Fund initiatives and debates following the 2008 financial crisis. Early conferences featured speakers from institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Rijksmuseum, and State Hermitage Museum, and responded to trends influenced by projects funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Paul Mellon Centre, and foundations connected to the Ford Foundation. As the sector grappled with digitization exemplified by initiatives at Google Arts & Culture, the organization expanded programming to include case studies from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Australian Museum, and Akademie der Künste.

The stated mission centers on fostering innovation among practitioners from institutions like the National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and National Museum of China. Activities include peer-led workshops drawing on expertise from the National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico), Aga Khan Museum, Israel Museum, Musée du Louvre, and Prado Museum. Programming addresses themes explored in reports by entities like the ICOM and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. It convenes professionals involved with initiatives at Zayed National Museum and policy-makers from bodies such as the European Museum Forum.

Annual summits and regional events have been hosted in venues including the Southbank Centre, Barbican Centre, Olympia London, Palais des Beaux-Arts, and university venues like University College London, Sorbonne University, and University of Oxford. Featured panels often include curators and directors from Serpentine Galleries, Hayward Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and National Museum of Korea. The program has aligned with festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and partnerships with initiatives like Creative Europe and the Hay Festival to reach broader cultural audiences.

The organization produces proceedings, white papers, and reports that reference methodologies developed by teams at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, Yale Center for British Art, and research labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Publications synthesize case studies from projects conducted at the British Library, New York Public Library, Wellcome Collection, Natural History Museum, London, and conservation departments such as those at the National Gallery (London). Research themes include digital audience analytics used by European Space Agency-adjacent labs, accessibility frameworks implemented at the Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago), and evaluation techniques promoted by the Nesta and the Harvard Art Museums.

Partnerships span funding bodies and cultural institutions like the Wellcome Trust, Nesta, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, and multinational museums such as Pinacoteca di Brera, Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Nacional de Antropología (Madrid), and Museu de Arte de São Paulo. Collaborations have included academic units like the University of Melbourne, University of Toronto, Columbia University, and policy forums such as the World Economic Forum cultural initiatives. The organization has also worked alongside tech partners who have supported projects similar to efforts by Microsoft research groups, IBM Watson teams, and creative labs at Adobe.

Through convening leaders from institutions including the National Gallery of Canada, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Royal Academy of Arts, Auckland Art Gallery, and Shanghai Museum, it has influenced practice in areas such as digital strategy, inclusion, and sustainability. Programming has fed into policy discussions at forums like the UN Sustainable Development Goals cultural heritage dialogues and professional standards debated at the International Council of Museums conferences. Its alumni network includes directors and curators who moved to leadership roles at the Museum of New Zealand, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Vancouver Art Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, and municipal museums governed by entities such as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Governance typically involves a board and advisory panels drawing experts from institutions like the British Museum, Tate Britain, National Trust (United Kingdom), Historic England, ICOMOS, and university partners such as King's College London and the University of Cambridge. Leadership teams have included event directors and programme managers with backgrounds at the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, European Cultural Foundation, and cultural agencies including Arts Council England and the Council on Library and Information Resources. Staff have collaborated with consultants and specialists from firms and initiatives like Deloitte cultural practice, KPMG cultural strategy units, and independent researchers associated with the Open Data Institute.

Category:Museums