Call for Papers | ‘Museum Why? Practice, Agency and Knowledge in the Art Museum’ – Conference
Conference dates: 22-24 May 2024
Conference location: University of Copenhagen
Submission: pass@hum.ku.dk
Submission deadline: 8 March 2024
Art museums stand at a crossroads, grappling with dynamic challenges and transformative demands that emanate both from within and beyond their traditional confines. In the current landscape, external political and economic pressures are reshaping the objectives of these institutions. Simultaneously, the ever-evolving landscape of artistic production is prompting the reevaluation and reorientation of established museum practices.
As we witness new research agendas emerge within art history, museology, cultural studies, and related fields, it becomes apparent that Western hegemonic ideas of art, culture, and knowledge, which have historically defi ned the structure and self-understanding of museums, are undergoing a profound shift. The motivations for this shift are twofold
– questioning the foundation of art museums and fuelling internal aspirations for the creation of more impactful, inclusive, and relevant institutions.
Against this backdrop, the conference, “Museum Why? Practice, Agency and Knowledge in the Art Museum,” seeks to deepen our understanding of the constellation of art production, audience commitment, and museum operations. We invite contributions that delve into these practices as a heterogeneous yet entangled set, characterized by numerous, often overlapping, competing, and sometimes contradictory interests, agencies, and power relations.