TheMuseumsLab Forum brought together the Fellows 2026, Museum Directors, and Colleagues from across the Network and beyond. It created a shared space to reflect on the role of museums and memorial sites today, and to collectively imagine how we can shape their futures through stronger international collaboration.
Through self-facilitated sessions and participatory roundtables, participants engaged in discussions on governance and accountability, ethical practices and restitution, leadership development, public engagement, and digital innovation.
The evening reception celebrated the Pre-Opening of a new permanent exhibition at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, showcasing the museum’s participatory approach to re-examining natural history collections through multi-perspective views, expertise and narratives from countries of origin, and collaborative curatorial practices.
Welcome Words
Prof. Johannes Vogel, PhD
Director General of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Meryem Korun & Dr. Solveig Rietschel
Co-Heads of TheMuseumsLab
Keynote
Museum as Relationship-Building: Restitution, Empathy, Co-curation and Ecologies of Hope
Esme Ward, Director of Manchester Museum
Moderation
Prof. Dr. Sharon Macdonald
Professor of Social Anthropology & Moderator of the day