Museum Directors Salon ¦ "Looking Back; Leaping Forward"

August 24-26, 2002

Convenor

Larry Friedlander, Stanford Learning Lab, San Francisco, USA

Overview

Enough time has passed since the wide-scale of adoption of digital technologies by museums for us to stand back and assess the consequences of this sea-change in the functioning of our institutions. As we move into the second generation of technologies such an assessment can help us benefit from the mistakes and successes of the first. Over three days, museum directors and senior managers will: 1) review the major shifts and re-structurings caused by introduction of technology: 2) apply that assessment to formulation of practical strategies for the next five year period; and 3) envision new applications moving out from the immediate horizon to encompass our most ambitious hopes for the museum of the future. The salon will benefit from the experiences of a carefully chosen group of senior management participants: museum directors, chief curators, and heads of technology and media departments. We’ll discuss financial ramifications, changes in curatorial roles, the new relationship of museums to local and international audiences, issues of staff training and morale, and the challenges of planning for new facilities. Participants will be urged to bring their issues to the table for joint discussion.