ONLINE PANEL DISCUSSION PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY

 

 

Title : “Museums in Motion: Navigating Change through Heritage, Youth and Technology”

Occasion : International Museum Day 2025
Theme : “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities”
Date : 22^nd May 2025

Time: 16.30 hrs Indian Standard Time
Format : Online Panel Discussion (Zoom)

Organisers: Indian Museum, B-CAF and ICOM INTERCOM

Link to join the panel discussion: https://meet.google.com/wfa-jfgk-iws

 

Background:

As communities around the globe face unprecedented change—through globalization, climate crisis, digitization, and demographic shifts—museums are being called upon to redefine their social relevance. International Museum Day 2025 explores this transformative journey through the theme: “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities”, encouraging institutions to become more adaptable, inclusive and responsive.

 

This online session will bring together museum leaders, educators, cultural practitioners and youth advocates to reflect on how museums can empower communities by embracing intangible heritage, harnessing youth energy, and integrating emerging technologies.

 

Sub-Themes & Provocative Questions:

1. Intangible Heritage: Preserving the Unseen

• How can museums respectfully and meaningfully represent oral histories, rituals, crafts and performing arts within institutional spaces?
• What is the museum’s role in safeguarding living traditions without freezing them in time?
• How do museums engage with custodians of intangible heritage — especially Indigenous and local communities — as collaborators rather than subjects?

2. Youth Power: Agents of Change

• How are museums creating space for youth to lead and not just participate?
• What intergenerational programs are effectively integrating young voices into museum strategy, design, and content?
• Can youth-led initiatives shift power structures within traditional museum hierarchies?

3. New Technologies: Innovation vs. Alienation

• In what ways are museums using digital tools (AI, AR/VR, immersive media) to democratize access and interpretation?
• How do museums ensure that technological integration doesn’t widen the digital divide?
• Can technology support co-creation and community engagement, especially in underrepresented areas?

 

Objectives:

• To explore how museums can reimagine their roles in shifting cultural and social landscapes.
• To identify inclusive strategies for integrating intangible heritage into museum practice.
• To amplify youth perspectives as essential to the future of museum engagement.
• To examine the potential and limitations of technology in driving innovation and participation.

Session Format: (Subject to change)

• Welcome & Opening Remarks – (5 mins)
• Moderator setting the tone of the conversation and briefly introducing the panel– (5 mins)
• Each speaker gets to give their opening remark – 5 min (30 min)
• Moderated Discussion & Audience Q&A – 20 mins
• Closing Reflections – 10 mins

 

Speakers

 

• Goranka Horjan, ICOM INTERCOM Chair
• Mr A D Chowdhury, Director, Indian Museum
• Sayan Bhattacharya, Dy. Director, Indian Museum
• Mr Vinod Daniel, Chairman AusHeritage and CEO of India Vision Institute
• Mr G S Rautela, Former DG NCSM
• Ms Sujata Parsai, Director, Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum

 

Moderator

 

• Reena Dewan, Director B-CAF and Board Member ICOM INTERCOM