First "think/do-tank" in February on the role of museums in the transition towards a sustainable future

The first think/do-tank is a symposium titled Acclimatize - A symposium on the role of museums in the transition towards a sustainable future. The Moderna Museet in Stockholm will organize the symposium in collaboration with Mistra Environmental Communication.

– Sweden's museums have incredible collections of materials, objects and art that show how humans relate to nature. It is a resource we could use to raise thoughts and awareness about sustainability to public, says Hanna Bergeå, responsible for think/do-tanks within Mistra Environmental Communication.

What is the role of museums in driving development and problematizing issues of sustainability? And how can we together make the public more aware and engaged?

– Museums are places for stories and memories, open forums for discussion and reflection. They offer unique opportunities for contributing to the transition to a sustainable future. It is amazing that we can raise these big and important issues within the framework of Mistra Environmental Communication. I think the symposium will be something out of the ordinary, says Ylva Hillström, curator at Moderna Museet.

For many years, several museums have had exhibitions and programs focusing on climate and sustainability.

– We believe that this symposium will give museum professionals an opportunity to think about these issues, to discuss and share with others in the same situation and to learn how other museums work to pursue issues of sustainability. We also hope that this will be the start of more collaboration between museums, says Hanna Bergeå.

The symposium on February 16 will be the first think/do-tank within the research program. A think/do tank is an overarching concept for some of the activities in the Mistra programme which bring research and practice more closely together, enabling us to overcome barriers between thinking and doing. Through the think/do-tanks, the societal partners are given space to continuously influence the program so it becomes relevant to them.

The symposium will be held in Swedish.

Read more about the event 

Or on the Modern Museum's website

Adrián Villar Rojas, Los teatros de Saturno III, From the series Fantasma (Ghost), 2015 © Adrián Villar Rojas. Photo: Åsa Lundén/Moderna Museet