Building Futures from Memory: Museums and Memorial Sites as Agents

How can memory be activated rather than simply preserved? In what ways can museums and memorial sites act as agents of dialogue, responsibility, repair, and transformation? And how might institutions engage with complex, often contested pasts while contributing to more just and equitable futures? Central to this year's focus is an understanding of memory as a dynamic force—one that shapes not only how societies remember, but also how they act in the present and imagine what lies ahead.

Within this framework, leadership is understood as a critical, reflective, and transformative practice. TheMuseumsLab invites you to reconsider how leadership is imagined and enacted within cultural institutions, particularly in relation to existing hierarchies, colonial legacies, and ongoing questions of accountability. Rather than reinforcing traditional top-down models, the programme emphasizes shared responsibility, ethical commitment, and community-oriented governance as essential dimensions of institutional practice today.

Through dialogue with cultural leaders working across diverse geographic, political, and professional contexts, you are encouraged to reflect on what museums might become if their internal architecture was built differently: Who do museums address? Who holds decision-making power? And how can institutions remain accountable to the communities whose histories they collect, interpret, and present? Alternative approaches—including co-leadership models, community governance frameworks, activist and civic initiatives, and memorial institutions—offer important starting points for reimagining museums as sites of participation, care, and social transformation.

Programme Components

Kick-Off ・ 1 Day | Online
Held online in the morning, the internal Kick-Off marks the official start of TheMuseumsLab 2026. In the afternoon, the programme transitions to the Public Kick-Off. This digital event is livestreamed on YouTube.

Module 1・1 Week | Online
The first module establishes the historical, conceptual, methodological, and collaborative foundations for TheMuseumsLab 2026. Conducted entirely online, it serves as a foundation for the on‑site phases in Berlin and Kigali by introducing relevant initiatives and mapping key debates.

Module 2・1 Week | Berlin, Germany
Building on the foundation established in Module 1, Module 2 brings the Fellows together in Berlin to deepen conversations, explore new contexts, and engage directly with exhibitions, curators, artists, activists, and public spaces.

Module 3・1 Week | Kigali, Rwanda
Building on the conversations in Module 1 and 2, Module 3 brings the Fellows together in Kigali to deepen conversations, explore new contexts, and engage directly with exhibitions, curators, artists, activists, and public spaces.

Residencies・1 Week | African or European partner museum
A one-week Residency at one of our partner museums in Africa and Europe provides further opportunities to share visions and approaches, and to build long-term relationships.

Closing Event・1 Day | Online
The Closing Event marks the official conclusion of the programme, creating space for reflection, exchange, and future perspectives.

Programme Curation

In 2026, four Co-Curators based at an African and a European museum collaborate to develop the content of the programme. The African curators, Jean de la Croix Mbarubukeye and Thomas Cadeau Ngwabije, are based at the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy (RCHA). The European curators, Gita Herrmann and Matthew Watts, are part of TheMuseumsLab Team at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN). They collaborate closely with stakeholders from the museum, heritage, and cultural sectors within their respective regions.