On Wednesday 22 July 2026 the Australian Museum and Galleries Association (AMaGA) will host the timely forum Speaking Plainly: Honest conversations for a sector in transition at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre and online.

AMaGA’s Victorian Museum and Galleries Forum 2026 represents a valuable opportunity to hear from leaders and experts from across the sector, and to collectively engage with peers about how to adapt to current circumstances.

Speaking Plainly: Honest conversations for a sector in transition will address a particularly testing time for the museums and gallery sector as it navigates the challenges of a lean financial and funding climate, a highly charged cultural landscape, and significant leadership changes while still meeting community expectations.

Joining a long and impressive list of distinguished speakers will be Dr. Kent Wilson, Director NETS Victoria.

FORUM TITLE:
Speaking Plainly: Honest conversations for a sector in transition

DESCRIPTION:
The cultural sector is facing profound change. Organisations are navigating financial pressures, workforce challenges, shifting community expectations, leadership transitions, and evolving funding landscapes. Leaders cannot admit their organisation may be at peak maturity without it reading as failure. Funders cannot raise questions without withdrawing confidence. Boards cannot discuss endings without breaching duty. This forum creates a protected space for candid discussion about organisational change, adaptation, and sustainability.

Together, we will explore organisational transitions, mergers, partnerships, collaborative models, new funding approaches, succession planning, and end-of-life considerations. The focus is not on success or failure, but on adaptive strategy: recognising where organisations are today and considering what they need to thrive tomorrow.

Throughout the day, speakers from across the sector will share their experiences of navigating change, offering practical insights into what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons learnt. The afternoon workshop will bring participants together to develop practical tools and resources to support organisations considering key transition pathways.

Going beyond the tradition professional development offering this forum is an opportunity to build collective understanding, strengthen sector resilience, and create the language, frameworks, and relationships needed to navigate change.

The program is available below and in PDF format here. Additional speakers to be announced.

EVENT INFORMATION & TICKETING:
Forum | Speaking Plainly: Honest conversations for a sector in transition