ICOM Italia assembles in Brescia to redefine museums' social impact

The ICOM National Assembly 2025 convenes at the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia from April 4 to 6, organized by ICOM Italia with Fondazione Brescia Musei and Intesa Sanpaolo, supported by Fondazione ASM and Fondazione CAB. The event builds on the 2022 Prague General Assembly's new museum definition emphasizing diversity, sustainability, and community engagement. Fifteen thematic tables on April 5 will explore measuring, communicating, and reporting museum initiatives to generate concrete value for cultural institutions and communities. International speakers include Jorge Barreto Xavier (Cultural Advisor at the Portuguese Embassy in Paris), Lluís Bonet Agustí (University of Barcelona), and Eleonora Belfiore (University of Coventry). Italian context is presented by Isabella Mozzoni and Federico Mento. ICOM Italia President Michele Lanzinger, former director of MUSE Trento, highlights museums' evolution from educational to complex social roles, noting cultural welfare investments. The assembly aims to produce guiding principles and impact indicators for sustainability reports, fostering public-private collaborations. Anna Maria Marras, coordinator of ICOM Italia's Multimedia and Emerging Technologies Working Group, will lead a panel on technology's role in enhancing museum-community interaction, stressing the need to overcome economic sustainability and skills gaps through networking.