27/05/2025
On the challenges and best practices in museum work in Nova Gorica and Gorizia: over 130 participants from three continents took part in the international conference "(Borderless) Museums".
The international conference Borderless Museums: Redefining Museum Narratives and Inclusivity, organized by GO! 2025, EGTC GO, ICOM Italia, ICOM Slovenia, ICOM Southeast Europe, and ICOM Europe, successfully concluded in the twin cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia from 18 to 21 May.
This significant event brought together museum professionals and cultural workers from across Europe, Egypt, and Australia. Over 130 participants engaged in approximately 15 thematic sessions—including talks, discussions, and workshops—to share experiences, projects, and ideas on how museums can serve as spaces for encounter, dialogue, experimentation, and solutions for overcoming visible and invisible barriers. Local museum institutions were also represented, including the Goriški muzej, the Walk of Peace Foundation, the Kobarid Museum, the Peace Memorial at Cerje, and the Gorizia Provincial Museums.
The three days of working sessions highlighted the challenge that museums must—and can—play a leading role in questioning established narratives and considering others' perspectives. At the same time, they can become more effective laboratories for community inclusion, which requires careful thought: understanding what these communities are, how to involve them, and why it matters.
Speakers shared numerous valuable experiences: from a museum jointly managed by two cross-border municipalities in Sweden and Finland (the museum in the Torne Valley between Tornio and Haparanda), to the concept of a "discomfort curator" proposed by the University of Glasgow to explore ways to overcome inequalities and inadequate perspectives that persist in rapidly changing societies.
Marco Marinuzzi, project manager at EGTC GO and co-organizer of the conference, hopes this will be the first step toward continued stable cooperation among museum organizations in Italy, Slovenia, and neighboring countries, leading to the development of joint cross-border exhibitions, collaborative projects, mobility of museum professionals, and the exchange of best practices.
"The conference addressed the challenges of contemporary museology and the dialogue of museums with their communities; it brought together diverse perspectives on highly relevant topics, encouraged critical dialogue, and strengthened cooperation among professionals," said Dr. Kaja Širok, EPIC project leader and co-organizer of the conference. "We opened various themes and important questions that museums face today, and the active discussion is proof that guests were satisfied and the conference was successful."
