Volunteer Symposium for NSW Regional and Community-Run Museums 2025
Museums of History NSW partnered with Museums & Galleries of NSW to host the inaugural Volunteer Symposium for NSW Regional and Community-Run Museums, in July 2025.
The two-day symposium is intended for volunteers who work in small to medium-sized museums in regional NSW, as well as the workers who support them. The symposium will feature keynote sessions on strategies for volunteer-run museums, succession planning, First Nations engagement and school learning programs in museums.
There will be many breakout sessions specifically tailored to the volunteer museum sector, with some involving hands-on demonstrations. These will run concurrently across the two days. Presented by experts from MHNSW and M&GNSW, they include introductions to the State Archives Collection and the Caroline Simpson Library, as well as presentations on textile collections care, archival collections care, researching collections, collection documentation, significance assessment, AMaGA’s First Peoples: A Roadmap for Enhancing Indigenous Engagement in Museums and Galleries, creating simple labels, the use of AI at Museums of History NSW, marketing, engaging children in museums, storytelling, grants and funding, and tour guiding.
The symposium promises to be an informative and rewarding event, offering something for everyone working in a small volunteer- or community-run museum.
Tickets are limited with preference given to volunteers who work in small to medium-sized museums in regional NSW. Participants can attend a maximum of 5 breakout sessions during the 2-day conference. Delegates will be able to indicate their preferred breakout sessions on registration. Please note that due to scheduling constraints and session capacities not all preferences will be able to be accommodated.
Ticket includes lunch, and morning and afternoon teas.
For further information, contact regional@mhnsw.au
This program may be subject to change.
Keynote speakers
Lana de Kort
Lana de Kort has over 30 years’ experience working with volunteers across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Victoria. She has worked with the Australian Institute of Management (Qld and NT) and as general manager of Volunteering Queensland, and now works in the community centre sector, based in Clunes, a rural Victorian town.
After studying librarianship at university, Lana aspired to become a volunteer archivist for the Wordsworth Museum Collection in the UK, but didn’t make the cut! In 2022, she co-led a project with regional groups to reimagine volunteering after the impact of COVID. This work, developed with colleague Mark Creyton,* Consultant in Volunteering and Leadership Development, showcased strategies for revitalising rural volunteerism and sustaining community institutions, including a community-run museum.
*Our original keynote speaker Mark Creyton is unable to present due to unforeseen circumstances. Lana has kindly agreed to present in his stead.
Rebecca Kummerfeld
Dr Rebecca Kummerfeld is Learning Manager at Museums of History NSW and an adjunct at Deakin University. She has more than a decade’s experience managing learning teams at the Sydney Jewish Museum and the North Lincolnshire Museum service (UK), and is a published author and a regular presenter at conferences. With a background in teaching, research and management, she creates engaging and memorable museum experiences for a wide range of audiences. Rebecca works strategically at the intersection of history and education, developing projects that promote critical thinking and empathetic understanding. A skilled storyteller, she crafts narratives that connect audiences meaningfully with historical events and perspectives.
Peter White
Peter White, a proud Gamilaroi Murri, has more than 30 years’ experience in the creative and cultural heritage sector, and leads First Nations cultural engagement and strategy at Museums of History NSW. His mission is to ensure tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes for the protection and strengthening of cultural practices and mainstream sector engagement, through championing the cultural rights of First Peoples communities.
Peter excels in formulating and delivering culturally appropriate strategic approaches and program development, and fosters extensive networks across the arts, community, public, private and education sectors. He is a recognised transformational and strategic leader within the First Nations cultural sector.
Keynote sessions
In the first two sessions, participants will go beyond discussions of recruitment and retention to exploring strategies to build resilient and sustainable volunteer-run museums.
Breakout sessions
Partners
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