muscon – Museum Network Conferences at Triennale

The 2022 edition of muscon – Museum Network Conferences is hosted by Triennale Milano. Three days of meetings and conferences involving representatives of leading international cultural centers.

Since 1996, the Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, Germany) has organized an annual series of conferences that are aimed at providing museums and cultural institutions with a professional platform for international networking and promoting the exchange of traveling exhibitions. The meeting is addressed to institutions working in the field of design and architecture and is open to museums working in art, science and other disciplines. Conferences are held every year in Europe and the United States and also, less often, in the Asia Pacific region. The muscon network draws together more than two hundred institutions and brings to light innovative areas of discussion and new synergies. In a cooperative atmosphere, museum directors and exhibition curators are invited to present their institutions and share their expertise, as well as to develop strategies and establish new relationships.

Over the years, muscon editions have been hosted by institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2010, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich in 2019, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 2011, and the Powerhouse Museum Sydney in 2006.

After two years of holding the conference online, the 2022 edition of muscon—the 26th in Europe—is held at Triennale Milano and welcomes more than 90 attendees representing 53 institutions worldwide, including the Hong Kong Design Institute, London's Tate Modern, the National Museum of Singapore, and the Barcelona Design Museum. Other participating institutions are Monnaie de Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Barbican Centre in London, and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The series of lectures runs from Wednesday, October 12 to Saturday, October 15, during the opening period of the 23rd Triennale Milano International Exhibition Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries, which by involving designers, architects, artists and researchers entwines art, design and science in a plurality of languages.

The program involves three days of meetings and discussions with the institutions’ representatives, visits to the 23rd International Exhibition, the permanent installation of Casa Lana, and the projects and works created during historic Triennial exhibitions in Parco Sempione. A moment of international interaction and debate in which through talks and meetings important issues for the future of cultural institutions are discussed, ranging from design to visual arts, from performing arts to fashion and craftsmanship. The muscon meetings, through stimulating conversations, presentations and visits promoted in collaboration with the hosting countries and institutions, foster a vibrant collective spirit that generates productive collaborations that are crucial for institutional development and growth.