International Museums Day, designated by ICOM, is held on 18 May each year. In 2026 the theme highlights the potential of museums to “act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion and peace within and between communities worldwide.”
Join us for a public talk led by arts manager Prof. Dr Gesa Birnkraut (University of Applied Sciences, Osnabrück) exploring how European museums are responding to growing calls for them to function as trusted democratic spaces that build bridges across difference.
Drawing on international case studies, Gesa will also reflect on what Australian cultural institutions might learn from these approaches. Far from offering easy solutions, this event aims to open a conversation with participants about possible directions, priorities and ways forward.
The underlying proposition of the discussion is that museums have the potential to act as agents of change, but that realising this potential is ultimately a question of priorities.
Presented in conjunction with the Museums and Heritage Studies Program, University of Sydney.
Prof. Dr. Gesa Birnkraut holds a diploma in business administration and arts management. Her PhD was on the topic: “Volunteering in arts institutions in a comparison between the US and Germany”. She is a professor for strategic management at the University of applied sciences Osnabrück (50%) and is the head of their Master for Non-Profit Management. She is also the general manager of the arts management consultancy Birnkraut|Consulting Kulturberatung and head of the board of the non-profit Institut fuer Kulturkonzepte.
