Taking the past into the future

A virtual tour of Piramal Museum of Art

With the implementation of the lockdown, museums around the world have had to limit access to their physical spaces while coming up with newer ways of engaging their audiences. Several prestigious institutions maximised on their digital affordances by streaming their collections and exhibitions through live tours. However, the idea does raise a burning question as far as the bigger picture goes: How will the role of the museum change post this pandemic?

On account of International Museum Day, Piramal Museum of Art has organised an open discussion on Opportunities For Museums: Re-looking In Times Of Physical Distancing. The panel will include keynote speakers Ashvin E Rajagopalan, director of Piramal Museum of Art; Deborah Thiagarajan, director of DakshinaChitra Museum; Mallika Ahluwalia, CEO and curator of Partition Museum; and Manasi Prasad, director of Indian Music Experience. The session will be moderated by Vaishnavi Ramanathan, senior curator at Piramal Museum of Art. "They will explore how museums are going to adapt to changing times, shifting roles of staff, alternative revenue streams and ways to continue creating connected communities," says assistant manager of outreach and programming, Sayali Mundye.

Amareswar Galla

Similarly, Ahmedabad's Anant National University, Barbados Museum & Historical Society situated on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean and International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Osterreich, have joined hands to talk about tackling disparities in access to museums in the digital domain. Today's topic for their webinar series Heritage Matters is Museums of Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. It will be moderated by Dr Amareswar Galla, director of the International Centre for Cultural Leadership at Anant National University, Ahmedabad, and will include guest-speakers Alissandra Cummins, director of Barbados Museum and Historical Society; Dr Hans-Martin Hinz, programme director, ICOM International Training Centre for Museum Studies, Peking; and Elke Kellner, managing director, ICOM Austria.

On May 18, 5 pm; 7.30 pm to 9 pm
Log on to insider.in; https://bit.ly/heritage-matters-3

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