The modern museum is no longer just a repository of the past — it has transformed into a dynamic space of action. Here, heritage encompasses not only historical memory but also what we create today through creativity, partnerships, and collective efforts to preserve meaning. Museums are now laboratories where cultural futures are shaped.
The very notion of identity is being redefined. Amid rapid shifts in values and cultural paradigms, museums have emerged as platforms for collective self-discovery. Through exhibitions, research initiatives, and community engagement, they reconnect the personal, local, and national, transforming fragments of the past into tools for understanding the present and building the future.
While embracing contemporary discourse, museums remain spaces of reflection and trust. It is this adaptability that positions them as true heritage labs — where culture becomes an active force in shaping society’s long-term development.
Cultural Identity: How is the museum’s role evolving amid geopolitical and ideological transformations?
Governments, Businesses, and Creative Communities: What partnership models enable museums to produce heritage?
Cultural Diplomacy: How do international museum networks navigate a multipolar world?
Modern Engagement Formats: Which museum-audience communication strategies resonate today?
Moderator: Ekaterina Cherkes-zade, Director of the Creative Economy Development Centre, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects
Speakers: Olga Borisovna Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of Russia Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Envoy of the Russian President for International Cultural Cooperation Svetlana Chupsheva, Director General, Agency for Strategic Initiatives Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director, State Hermitage Museum; President, Union of Museums of Russia Semyon Mikhailovsky, Rector, Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts Pavel Prigara, Advisor to the Deputy Board Chairman, Sberbank Elena Davydova, Head of Department, Gazprom; Director, Gazprom Cultural Initiatives Foundation Alexey Fursin, Minister of the Moscow City Government; Head, Department of Culture of the City of Moscow
International Speakers: Elana Brundyn, Founder & Director General, Brundyn Arts & Culture Solange Farkas, Founder, Associação Cultural Videobrasil