Museums of the Future: Between Aesthetics and Social Responsibility

The museums of today are institutions with widely recognized educational and social roles. Their former role as depositories of beautiful objects—especially when speaking of the art museum—and places of aesthetic and spiritual experience has been pushed into the background, lest the charge of elitism comes into play. Scholars and practitioners expect museums to lead debates about diversity, equity, access, and human rights and take on socially responsible functions. Programming has replaced collections as the focus. Nonetheless, all of these roles are still present and necessary, and perhaps new conceptual models and updated discourse are in order. What will the future museum look like, and what identity will it carve for itself?

Moderator Jelena Trkulja, Senior Advisor for Academic and Cultural Affairs, Qatar Museums
Speakers:
Adam Weinberg, Director, Whitney Museum of American Art
Arturo Galansino, Director General, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi
Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum
Zeina Arida, Director, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

This Qatar Creates session was co-curated with Art for Tomorrow