Open Forum

Elaine Heumann Gurian                                 Américo Castilla 

Don't miss this important conversation between these two major thinkers in the museum world nationally and internationally. They will discuss a variety of topics including the following:

• How lessons learned from other catastrophes can offer useful examples of resilience as we all navigate the disruptive repercussions of the Covid crisis.
• Why smaller scale is a nimbler arena in which to incubate change in the museum field.
• How personal biography is the best way to deal with community engagement.
• How small indicators can signal when museums are genuinely engaged in issues of equity and inclusion.

Elaine Heumann Gurian is a well-known consultant and advisor to museums that are beginning, building or reinventing themselves. In this first MuseumExpert.org event of the new year, she will share her doubts on the field's reaction to the pandemic in the context of her belief that, "knowledge of one's ethical core is inextricably linked to professional practice and essential to responsible leadership." She will explain why she is proposing "centering the museum" which is a new and very much unexpected shift in her thinking.  

Américo Castilla, an artist and museum leader in Argentina, is the founding director of Fundación TyPA and organizer of the Museo Reimaginado conferences that have brought new and intriguing thinking and dialogue formats to the museum world.