ABSTRACT

Exploring the value, purpose and priorities of museums at the start of the twenty-first century is a critically important initiative, and I am honoured to be speaking to you today by videoconference from the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta – located in the heart of Canada’s Rocky Mountains. At a time of increasing pressure on our fragile biosphere, I believe it is important to minimize our personal impact on the planet, in part through decreasing the frequency of jet travel and the carbon footprint it creates (see Note 1 ). This videoconference keynote may be the first of its kind for an international museum conference, and I am hoping that more museum conferences will adopt this approach.