For preparing the joint SUSTAIN & AVICOM workshop in Dubai, 13th November, we kindly ask you to participate in a short survey. Thank you in advance!
Great Response: 1st Webinar jointly organized by ICOM COMMS and ICOM AVICOM
Webinar: Museums and Social Media: Power, Politics, and Purpose in the Digital Age
How can museums stay authentic, ethical, and connected in an increasingly digital world?
That question guided “Navigating Current Challenges in Museum Social Media: Power, Politics & Social Media Posts,” a webinar jointly organized by ICOM COMMS and ICOM AVICOM. The session brought together museum professionals from around the globe to reflect on how digital communication is reshaping cultural engagement.
Lara Corona, PhD, member of AVICOM, had organized the program.
Dr. Michael Faber (Chair of ICOM AVICOM) and Dr Debora Ziska (Chair of ICOM COMMS) opened the event by framing the discussion around collaboration and transparency in the museum sector. They highlighted that social media has become a crucial arena for museums, not only for visibility, but for trust, dialogue, and accountability. Their introduction set the tone for a lively exchange about responsibility and innovation in the digital age.
With regards to speakers, Diego Vaz Bevilaqua (PhD, Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage and Science Communication, Chair of ICOM Brazil) reflected on the lasting impact of COVID-19, explaining how the pandemic transformed museums into digital lifelines and emphasizing empathy and accessibility as ongoing priorities.
Ech-Cherki Dahmali (Chair, ICOM Arab; Director, Telecom Museum, Morocco) explored activism and ethics in online communication, describing how Arab museums navigate cultural sensitivities while using digital tools to expand access and representation.
Mayki Gorosito (Immediate Past Director of ESMA Memory Site Museum, Former Clandestine Centre for Detention, Torture and Extermination, Argentina) highlighted how museums of memory use social media to keep human-rights histories visible and emotionally resonant.
Daniel Pett (Director of Digital Strategy and Operations, Westminster School, UK) addressed the practical realities of digital governance and institutional alignment, while Saskia Randle (Senior Design and Curatorial Associate, Climate Museum NYC) showcased creative storytelling as a pathway to climate awareness and collective action.
Together, the speakers underscored that social media is more than a communication tool. It is a shared space of learning, empathy, and responsibility that connects museums and communities across the world.
Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/50IN-D54q-k?si=sv6sPIqMi_AjKl00
ICOM COMMS and ICOM AVICOM Webinar Series
ICOM COMMS and ICOM AVICOM present the first webinar:
NAVIGATING CURRENT CHALLENGES IN MUSEUM SOCIAL MEDIA: POWER, POLITICS & SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
October 23, 2025, 6 pm CET / ZOOM online
Museums today are not only custodians of culture but also active agents in shaping public discourse online. Yet, they face increasing political pressures, censorship, and the rapid evolution of AI and digital platforms.
The webinar explores:
- Museums’ independence in the digital sphere
- Power, politics and government influence on communication
- Social media as both amplifier and risk zone
- Ethical practices, synthetic media and inclusivity
Speakers:
Diego Vaz Bevilaqua, PhD, Deputy Director of Cultural Heritage and Science Communication, Chair of ICOM Brazil
Ech-cherki Dahmali, PhD, Director of Telecom Museum, Morocco, Chair of ICOM Arab
Lic. Mayki Gorosito, Immediate Past Director of ESMA Memory Site Museum, Former Clandestine Centre for Detention, Torture and Extermination, Argentina
“Museological Ethics and the Digital: What Are We Doing for the Planed and Our Crowd?”: Daniel Pett, PhD, Director of Digital Strategy and Operations, Westminster School, UK
“Art, Learning and Empowerment for Climate Progress”: Saskia Randle, Senior Design and Curatorial Associate (digital presence), Climate Museum, New York
Moderators:
Lara Corona, PhD, Researcher; Director Rosas Museum (former UNESCO Global Geoparks), Italy
Sergio Manuel Rivera, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, MIDE Museo Interactivo de Economia, Mexico
Save the date and join us via Zoom:
Joint webinar “Social Media” by MPR and AVICOM: Experts wanted.
The International Committees MPR and AVICOM are planning a webinar on the topic of “Social Media” in preparation for their joint session at the ICOM General Conference in Dubai. This webinar is scheduled to take place in the summer. It will address questions regarding the efficient, sustainable, and inclusive use of social media by museums, as well as legal and ethical aspects. A small working group is now being formed to prepare and conduct this webinar. If you have an academic background in social media usage or consider yourself an expert in this field and are interested in volunteering for this working group, please contact avicom@icom.museum. Thank you!
Last chance to participate: Museum Digital Sustainability Talks: 3 workshops and 1 conference … SAREC project of AVICOM, ICOM Italy and ICOM Europe
Participation is free! Here you find the informations about the workshops and the application form:
Museum Digital Sustainability Talks: Take part in the three free workshops!
Museum Digital Sustainability Talks
This year, the ICOM SAREC Committee is supporting a project jointly conducted by ICOM Italy, ICOM Europe, and AVICOM, which aims at providing hybrid training on sustainable digital practices in museums. It aims to explore the integration of new technologies in the cultural landscape with an emphasis on sustainability and durability.
Cultural and museum professionals will be guided through the latest digital trends during a period divided into online talks and a final on-site meeting. The project offers three free English-language workshops, for which participants can submit their questions on the respective workshop topics in advance.
The reports and results of the workshops will be incorporated into a hybrid project conference to be held on October 16, 2024, one day before the start of the AVICOM annual conference in Turin. The program of the project conference is still being developed and will be announced in due time, among other channels, on the AVICOM website avicom.mini.icom.museum.
Please note that the number of workshop participants is limited. Therefore, early registration is recommended! Please use the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNsJOxMWkWfUXfKnfcBg25wFaCnCu1uW3S3JsBTFGIGaejcg/viewform
Do you have technical problems with the registration or further questions? Please contact: info@icom-italia.org
Workshop Participants: Advanced students, young professionals, and experienced experts in the fields of museology, museum research, museum education, curation, media production, museum management, public relations …
Workshop Duration: approximately 2 hours
Workshop Format: English, online, via Zoom
Participation is free of charge.
Registration deadlines: 1st workshop: July 20; 2nd / 3rd workshop: July 31
For the workshop topic, please submit your questions using the online registration form. Your questions will then be reviewed and addressed during the workshop.
July 23, 2024, 12 PM (CET): Workshop:
What emotions can do for museum engagement
Despite the well known relationship between emotions and aesthetic experience acknowledged since the classical age, top down approaches to visitors’ engagement tend to leave them to personal appreciation of art. Emotions, in fact, still represent an uneven and slippery terrain for designing methods that ensure predictable and controllable experiences.
Today, however, computational technologies provide a variety of methods for dealing with emotions, ranging from natural language processing tools for detecting, extracting and analysing emotions to face expression recognition techniques that allow measuring the emotional response of the audience using non-intrusive, portable devices.
Partly a response to the pervasiveness of emotions in social media languages and codes, these technologies can help create novel applications for engaging museum visitors with relatively simple tools. In this talk, I will review and discuss a set of case studies that illustrate this opportunity, with an eye on inclusion and sustainability.
Workshop Leader: Prof. Rossana Damiano
Rossana Damiano is an associate professor of Computer Science at Università degli Studi di Torino (Department of Computer Science), Turin, Italy, where she teaches Web Programming and Semantic Technologies. Her research interests mainly concern artificial intelligence for cultural heritage, with a focus on affect and storytelling. She has taken part in several applicative projects, ranging from social semantic environments for learning and cultural dissemination, to semantic annotation of cultural heritage, and artificial characters.
August 22, 2024, 12 PM (CET): Workshop:
How can emergent technology help Museums contribute to Sustainable Communities?
Emerging technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence offer engaging and novel ways of communicating. This workshop will address the challenges, opportunities, threats, and barriers associated with museums realizing the potential of these emerging technologies. Augmented reality offers the possibility of extending the walls of the museum and taking digital representations of heritage into the surrounding landscape. Virtual reality enables virtual time travel, supporting exploration of the past and potential climate futures. Artificial intelligence offers the prospect of personalized interpretation, connecting heritage with sustainable development and sustainable communities. By considering these technologies from the perspective of contributing to sustainable communities, we will draw on positive experiences and case studies and explore how this knowledge can be disseminated.
Workshop Leader: Dr. Alan Miller
Dr. Alan Miller is a lecturer at the School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews, Scotland. He has been involved in the use of virtual world technologies for cultural heritage for over 10 years. He is a member of the Open Virtual Worlds (OVW) research group at the University of St Andrews and co-CEO of Smart History and Smart Heritage.
August 30, 2024, 12 PM (CET): Workshop:
Navigating Copyright and AI in Virtual Museum Offerings
Join us for a comprehensive workshop led by an experienced attorney, focusing on the intersection of copyright and exploitation rights in virtual museum offerings and the use of artificial intelligence. Over two hours, we will explore crucial aspects of copyright law and data protection in the digital realm, with a particular emphasis on AI applications. Participants will engage in hands-on assignments and develop recommendations for citation practices in the context of AI usage. The workshop will also cover the implications of the EU AI Act for the museum sector, providing a solid foundation for legal and ethical AI integration in museums.
Workshop Leader: Yasmin Mahmoudi
Ms. Yasmin Mahmoudi is partner at the law firm Dr. Mahmoudi & Partner Rechtsanwälte mbB, Cologne, specialist lawyer for intellectual property, lecturer at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Chairwoman of the Board of the Society for the Promotion of ZADIK e.V. (https://zadik.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/zadik-ev/vorstand). She advises museums, galleries, auction houses and collectors as well as artists, also pro bono through her involvement with Kölner Kulturpaten e.V..
Online Workshop 13th Sept 2023: Museums, Virtual Reality and Sustainability in the Climate Emergency
Timetable (London Time)
Welcome Alan, Michael
12:00 – 1:20
- Heritage, Virtual Museums and the Climate Emergency
Henry McGhie: Museums Sustainability and Climate Change. Curating Tomorrow
Dr Jenny Newell: Imagining Potential Climate Futures. Australian Museum’s Climate Solutions Centre.
Klaus Thyman: Visualising Climate Change, Project Pressure
Nicola Henderson: Climate Ambassadors, Museums and Heritage Highland
Compere: Catherine Cassidy Carare
1:30 -2:30
- Building a Just Climate Future
Alaisdar Gordon Gibson: Climate Change a Humanitarian Emergency, Red Cross
Gozde Yilitz: Valorising Heritage Buildings, University of Sienna
Kevin Denham: Museum’s intervention in designing Climate friendly residential areas, Sweden
Ruiridh C Muir: Applying architecture to create climate friendly museums, Bard Architects
Compere: Maria Andrei University of St Ancrews
2:40 – 4:00
- Energy, Climate and Exhibitions
Michael H. Faber: Open Air Museums and Climate Change President of AVICOM
Maria Andrei: Immersive Climate Futures and Climate Action, UStA
Sophie Walker: Sophie Hynd: Verdant Works: a case study in climate informative exhibitions
Giula Gregnani: Beatrice: Transition Under Petrocapitalism, Timespan Museum and Archive
Pavat Kats: Digital infrastructure for sharing community climate information, Jewish Heritage
Compere: Alan Miller University of St Andrews
4:00 – 5:30
- Preparing for Climate Action
Kaye Hall: Barbados Museum and Historical Society
Ximena Jordan: Museos Frida Kahlo y Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Ibrahim Tchan: Digital Resilience: Takienta’s Adaptation to Climate Change
Catherine Cassidy Virtual Museum of the Caribbean: EU-LAC project
Compere: Marta Peinador, AVICOM Board.
Register for our online workshop #Museums, #VirtualReality and #Sustainability in the #ClimateEmergency, that will take place next 13th September 2023.
Registration is free of charge in this link:
For more information please, send an e-mail to alan.miller@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Museums, Virtual Reality and Sustainability in the Climate Emergency: Online Workshop 13th September 2023
Photo License: Takver from Australia, https://www.flickr.com/people/81043308@N00, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Climate_Emergency_-_PeoplesClimate-Melb-IMG_8280_(15121150847).jpg
The Climate Emergency represents an existential threat to culture and heritage. Yet museums can use VR to help mobilise climate action. The AVICOM General Assembly 2023 pre-conference meeting in St Andrews proudly presents an innovative and timely online panel, focusing on the intersection of climate change, heritage preservation, and the vast potential of virtual museums.
The workshop will draw upon experience of climate scientists, aid workers, museum practitioners and communities to understand how best we can mobilise climate action to address the climate emergency.
Topics to be addressed include:
- Using citizen science to monitor the impacts of climate change.
- How digitisation can contribute to preservation and adaptation to climate change.
- How does climate threaten our heritage?
- Imagining potential climate futures.
- Digital strategies for mitigating climate change
- Using immersive and mobile technologies to promote understanding fo climate threats and solutions.
If you would like to contribute to the workshop please email Dr Alan Miller ahr1@st-andrews.ac.uk or Dr. Michael H. Faber Dr.M.Faber@t-online.de
If you would like to participate in the workshop (13th September 2023, 2 pm CET) please reserve a ticket through eventbrite.
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