Programme update for the 2024 ICOM UK Conference at the Ulster Museum, Belfast on Friday 12 April 2024

Booking is open for the 2024 ICOM UK Conference – Common Ground: the role of museums in divided communities at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. We encourage you to book early to get the best deals on transport and accommodation.

We live in an age of division and discord, with many communities riven by political differences, social inequalities and, in some cases, conflict and its legacy.

This conference will explore the role of museums as important shared spaces, where differences can be ethically discussed and represented, and areas of commonality identified and valued.

Hear from museum professionals from the island of Ireland, the UK and the global museum community, in a city that has been damaged by division but through the ongoing social peace process is embracing the opportunities of the present and looking to a more positive future.

Programme:

Thursday 11 April 2024

Afternoon – organised tour options (details to follow)

Evening – Informal meet up in a pub that also offers food (delegates to pay for own food and drink)

Friday 12 April

09:00 – 10:00 Early morning city or museum tour

10:00 – 10:40 Arrivals, refreshments (provided), informal networking

10:40 – 11:00 Keynote 1

11:00 – 12:00 Session 1

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch (provided) and informal networking

13:00 – 14:00 Session 2

14:00 – 14:10 Comfort break

14:10 – 14:30 Keynote 2

14:30 – 15:00 Break and refreshments (provided)

15:00 – 16:00 Session 3

16:00 – 16:15 Wrap up and close

16:15 – 17:00 Optional Ulster Museum tour

Saturday 13 April 2023

All day – we will provide a What’s On guide for self-guided visits

Further details about the programme on Friday 12 April at the Ulster Museum, and associated events in the city and other museums on the afternoon of Thursday 11 April, will be added shortly. We will provide information on self-guided museum and city visits on Saturday 13 April.

The ICOM UK 2024 Conference is a collaboration between ICOM UK, NMDC and National Museums NI, with support from the Northern Ireland Museums Council, the Irish Museums Association, ICOM Ireland and Barker Langham.