AMaGA National Conference, Melbourne, 2018. Photo: Joel Checkley.
AMaGA National Conference
2024 | 17-20 September, Ballarat, Victoria
Building upon the success of AMaGA 2023 in Newcastle, we are delighted to announce another regional host for the National Conference: AMaGA 2024 will take place between the 17th – 20th September 2024 in Ballarat, Victoria. This year’s theme is (un)Common Ground: Collisions, Convergence, Conversations.
Located on Wadawurrung Country in Victoria’s Central Highlands, Ballarat has a unique gold rush heritage preserved in majestic buildings located throughout its CBD. This historic urban landscape will form the backdrop for the conference, with sessions held in a cluster of venues within easy walking distance from each other, notably Her Majesty’s Theatre, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and the Ballarat Mining Exchange. Ballarat is home to a proud community of First Nations artists, including Wadawurrung cultural knowledge owners who will make an impactful contribution to the conference.
An inspired hospitality scene and dynamic creative community enlivens the historic heart of Ballarat, and the conference will embed this contemporary cultural experience in networking events and activations in unexpected places. Ballarat has a prominent museums sector, including Sovereign Hill, a nationally significant outdoor museum and tourist attraction that tells the story of the first ten years of the Victorian gold rush. It is also home to Australia’s oldest and largest regional Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, and the Eureka Centre, home of the the Eureka Flag, located at the National heritage listed site of the 1854 Eureka Stockade. The Australian Catholic University and Federation University also have a presence in Ballarat, with academics strongly engaging with the local museum sector. Ballarat is especially well placed to host the conference due to its close proximity to Melbourne, with a direct train from the CBD and a direct shuttle bus from Melbourne Airport. All conference venues an easy walk from the Ballarat Railway Station.
About the Conference
The AMaGA National Conference represents a cornerstone of our professional development calendar, offering the largest annual forum for Australian museum and gallery professionals to engage in networking and knowledge exchange
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The theme for this conference was Discomfort: Brave Conversations and New Connections in Changing Environments. AMaGA invited delegates to address uncomfortable but extremely important conversations to engage with the current issues facing the GLAM sector. 476 delegates attended face-to-face, with 340 virtual delegates.
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The theme for this conference was HEAR. US. NOW: Turning conversations into action. Over four days we heard from more than 50 speakers as they shared their concerns for our culture and called museums and galleries into action. AMaGA 2022 addressed how global issues are impacting the Arts in Australia and considered how your local activities connect to the Indian Ocean Rim communities.
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The theme for this conference was Creating the Future: Trust. Diversity. Imagination. AMaGA invited new perspectives on the museum and gallery sector’s role in creating the future. It was an ambitious, imaginative and outward-looking program that questioned assumptions. It addressed our sector’s impact on communities, ecologies and economies.
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The theme for this conference was At the Centre: Our People, Our Places, Our Practices, which investigated how museums and galleries are situated at the very centre of national conversations about identity, communities and relevance, our diverse public, and the way we are deeply implicated in both a local and national understanding of Australia’s past, present and shared future.
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The them for this conference was Agents of Change, which was designed to explore museums and galleries as spaces that can be used to promote social, political, and cultural change. The nature of the theme allowed speakers to discuss and question a range of often difficult and sensitive topics.