Find out more about the CIMAM 2021 Annual Conference

The Annual Conference aims to anticipate and discuss questions relating to the running and development of contemporary art museums and collections worldwide.

This year's CIMAM Annual Conference is titled Under Pressure. Museums in Times of Xenophobia and Climate Emergency, and will be held in Lodz and Gdansk, Poland, November 5-7, 2021.

Main topics of discussion

• 1st Day: Conflicts, Crises, and the Politics of Growth

As a preview of the subjects to be debated, the first day of the conference will examine closely how xenophobia and the climate emergency are intertwined, their commonalities, and the most recent institutional and curatorial responses to them. If the Anthropocene has been born out of a capitalist acceleration that is reaching its peak, what will happen next, and how can museums further the process of rethinking their subjectivities?

• 2nd Day: Museums as Spaces for Recognizing Differences

The second day of the conference will shed light on the possible role of museums as spaces for recognizing differences and learning to respect them. Museums today face fierce xenophobic reactions and emotions fostered for political and economic reasons. Is there a way of addressing these reactions at the level of institutional programming? How can an art institution evolve to create platforms for a better understanding of difference?

• 3rd Day: New Perspectives on Climate and Commonality

The aim of the third day of the conference, to be held in Gdansk, is to go beyond disciplinary thinking in addressing the responsibility of museums in times of climate emergency, tackling not only the natural environment but also the atmospheres of the commonplace. Being aware that our material and social environments are not separate entities, it is essential to look towards unique research and practice fields that represent transdisciplinary approaches toward the environments we inhabit. How can we be more attentive, responsible, and engaged in the process of making museums more sustainable in the broadest sense?

This year's conference will offer a hybrid format with the programs adapted to physical and virtual scenarios, to facilitate access and attendance for all CIMAM audiences.

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On-site Conference registration includes:

• Access to all conference sessions.
• Conference lunches, dinners, and refreshment breaks.
• Access to organized visits.
• Coach service to and from planned visits.
• Accommodation and airfare are not included.

Virtual Conference registration includes:

• 3-day ticket gives you access to all the conferences, workshops, and networking sessions + virtual tours of the exhibitions.
• 1-day ticket gives you access to the conferences, workshops, and networking sessions of the day purchased + virtual tour to the exhibition.
• 1 session ticket, gives you access to the session purchased.

Cancellation policy:

On-site conference registration:

— On-site conference registration is fully refundable prior to 15 August 2021
— 50% refundable between 15 August and 1 September 2021
— Non-refundable after 1 September 2021
— Registration closes on 7 October 2021

Virtual conference registration:

— 50% refundable for 3-day tickets between 01 September and 15 September 2021
— Non-refundable after 15 September 2021
— Online registration closes on Thursday 4 November 2021