- International Museum Congress in Gdynia 28-29 May 2025
R&R Congress: Idea
As humanity we are constantly facing the reality frequently defined as ‘permacrisis’ – the state of overlapping crises that affect each and every sphere of our life. Wars and armed conflicts, the pandemic, climate change, unbalanced distribution of power and resources resulting in social exclusion; crisis of dialogue culture and polarisation of societies along with devaluation of interpersonal and social connections; nanosecond culture and burnout society – all these phenomena are more familiar to us than we would like them to be.
Nevertheless, crises can also be seen as turning points – they often procure change but changes result in crises thus creating a vicious circle of calamities.
However, we do not need to be trapped in it.
In 2025 the Emigration Museum in Gdynia celebrates its 10th jubilee. The past decade made us believe that that in times of reoccurring and inevitable crises the role of the museums and other culture institutions is not only to be the Cassandraic voice that diagnose them, endure, and adapt. We can shape the social resistance against the perils of today’s world and build precious resiliency: providing means to deal with harmful and traumatic experiences.
The culture itself can be the vessel that navigates societies through crisis times and delivers the most adequate, immediate and, at the same time, thorough response.
R&R Congress: EXPLORING THE NAVIGATION DIRECTIONS
The conference is addressed to all potential
‘CRISIS NAVIGATORS’ and their supporters, who want to ‘weather the storm they cannot avoid, and avoid the storm that they cannot weather’:
- culture workers (including non-institutional)
- educators, scholars & researchers
- civil service
- trainers
- artists
- observers of social phenomena
Join for inspiring discussions, engaging workshops, networking opportunities, museum study visits and much more!
- museums vs. politics & conflicts
- decolonisation & communication challenges
- museum responsibility in social crises
- museum interventions
- crisis management & future needs
Programme
All events will be held at the Emigration Museum in Gdynia. See location.
Registration
PANEL DISCUSSION 1: Crisis alert
- Krzysztof Krakowski (Kings College London), Navigating Multidimensional Conflicts: (Mis)Perceptions, Alliances, and the Power of Information, Kings College London
- Eleni Kyrkopoulou (Yale University), Bridging the Divide: Reducing Perceived Distance in Times of Crisis
Krzysztof Krakowski
Eleni Kyrkopoulou
Coffee break
PANEL DISCUSSION 2: Museums in the times of conflict
- Milena Chorna (Ukrainian Museum Association), Museums in an ongoing war: transformation of roles, challenges and perspectives
- Merav Maor-Komlosh (Museum on the Seam)
- Olha Mukha (Memorial Museum "Territory of Terror", UNSEEN FORCE project curator), Museums as Non-Violent Resistance: Ukraine's Cultural Resilience
Milena Chorna
Merav Maor-Komlosh
Olha Mukha
Lunch break
PANEL DISCUSSION 3: Decolonization in museums
- Thiago Haruo Santos (São Paulo State Immigration Museum), Recounting to Connect: The Work of Migration Museums
- Amer Shomali (The Palestinian Museum), Decolonizing a Museum in a Colonial Context
- Justine di Mayo (International Coalition of Sites of Conscience), Addressing the Silences: Making Change from the Inside Out Context
- Magdalena Wróblewska (National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw), Postcolonial critiques, decolonial practices. The case of the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw
Amer Shomali
Thiago Haruo Santos
Justine di Mayo
Magdalena Wróblewska
Coffee break
Discussion
Accompanying events:
Relaxation space / guided tour of Emigration Museum
Moving Europe - project presentation
Project Moving Europe - supports museums, school teachers, and young people in exploring and interpreting the legacy of migration by directly involving members of migrant communities. The goal of Moving Europe is to raise awareness about the complexities of migration and encourage society to critically address stereotypes, prejudices, myths, and misconceptions about migrants.
Dinner and networking event
WORKSHOP SESSIONS
- Bartłomiej Brach (University of Warsaw), Which cultures are resilient and why?
- Thiago Haruo Santos (São Paulo State Immigration Museum) Correcting the Record and Challenging Museums
- Agnieszka Mróz (SWPS University), Design in crisis: how to create a cultural offer that responds to new audience needs
- Lech Guzowski (Inalto Advisor and Trainer), Leading Through Crisis and Uncertainty
Bartłomiej Brach
Thiago Haruo Santos
Agnieszka Mróz
Lech Guzowski
Coffee break
PANEL DISCUSSION 1: Museum as a shelter
- Sebastian Tyrakowski, Rafał Raczyński (Emigration Museum in Gdynia)
- Edward Tepporn (Angel Island Immigration Station), Finding a Sense of Belonging in a Historical Immigrant Detention Center
- Taras Gembik (The Anti-Crisis Club, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw), From Crisis to Care: The Museum as a Place of Belonging
Sebastian Tyrakowski
Rafał Raczyński
Edward Tepporn
Taras Gembik
Lunch break
PANEL DISCUSSION 2: Designing the future
- Gabriela Manista (Polish Academy of Sciences IBL PAN), Artificial Intelligence in Museums: Challenges, Opportunities, and Crisis Resilience
- Maciej Frąckowiak (Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Poznan), Museums of resilience or resourcefulness? The everyday roots of futurising practices
- Piotr Zamojski (Polish Naval Academy), Keeping the future open in times of no future
Gabriela Manista
Maciej Frąckowiak
Piotr Zamojski
Coffee break
Accompanying events:
Relaxation space / guided tour of Emigration Museum
Speakers
Organiser
Organising commitee
Director of the Emigration Museum
Deputy Director of the Emigration Museum
Coordinator of the „Resistant and Resilient” Congress
Gallery
Transmission
‘R&R’ Congress transmission will be available for all ticket holders on 28 May 2025.
Tickets - Regular ticket 199 PLN / Online streaming 99 PLN
Registration
Partners
FAQ
The ‘R&R’ Congress takes place on 28-29 May 2025.
In Emigration Museum in Gdynia, Polska 1, Gdynia, Poland.
The ‘R&R’ Congress is held in ENGLISH.
We offer 2 types of tickets:
- regular tickets (299 PLN). Ticket holders are entitled to attend the congress in situ (all panels and chosen workshops) and gain the access to the live streaming as well. THE NUMBER OF THIS TYPE OF TICKETS IS LIMITED.
- streaming tickets (149 PLN). This type of ticket gives you the access to the live streaming (online).
Please use this link or click the REGISTRATION section. Your ticket purchase confirmation will be sent via email.
Once the ticket is purchased, it is possible to have an invoice issued.
The tickets cannot be returned but remember that you have the access to the streaming.
Regular tickets – until 8 May.
Streaming tickets – until 27 May.
You can pick a preferred workshop upon ticket purchase. However, the number of places is limited for each workshop. Participation is determined upon registration in the Emigration Museum on the day of the event.
All panels are to be streamed live on our website. The only exception are workshops.
The transmission is available to all ticket holders.
Please use this link or click TRANSMISSION section at the top of this site.
For ticket holders we offer free coffee breaks and lunches during the whole conference. All meals are vegan.
Attendees are responsible for their own accommodation. You will receive the information about available discounts upon registration.
Please contact: megcongress@muzeumemigracji.pl.
