Whether you’re a curator, a visual artist, theatre performer, writer or festival director, there will be plenty of professional development and networking opportunities in 2024.
For those looking for professional development, seeking to tap into sector trends or hoping to rub shoulders with cultural entrepreneurs, ArtsHub brings you the 2024 Conference and Summit Planner to map out the year.
Note from editors: we’ve tried to be thorough, but additional dates are sure to be announced later in the year, so bookmark this story and check in with us again.
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February
SYMPOSIUM: Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium, Melbourne.
ACMI’s Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium (FACT 2024) brings together speakers from across the globe to look at where arts and culture is heading – and the skills, imagination and infrastructure needed to get us there. FACT 2024 will look at the intersection of computation, climate, audience demographics and behavioural transformations.
Details: 14-15 February, ACMI. In-person.
CONFERENCE: GenreCon, Brisbane.
Delivered by Queensland Writers Centre, GenreCon is a gathering for writers. This year’s keynote speaker is UK-based Patrick Ness, a multi award-winning author of books for adults, young adults and children.
Details: 23-25 February, State Library of Queensland. In-person and online.
SUMMIT: Green Museums Summit, virtual event.
The international group MuseumNext will present its annual Green Museums Summit, bringing together examples that are transforming museums worldwide.
Details: 26-27 February. Online.
MARKETPLACE: Honey Pot, Adelaide.
Honey Pot is Adelaide Fringe’s International Arts Marketplace that takes place during the festival. It is an opportunity for artists and producers, across all performing arts genres, to present their work(s) to secure future bookings.
Details: 16 February – 17 March. In-person.
MARKETPLACE: Leaps and Bounds: APAM x Honey Pot, Adelaide.
Leaps and Bounds is a special platform event for circus and physical theatre artists. The Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) is partnering with Adelaide Fringe to deliver this targeted industry event.
Details: 27-28 February. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Cambridge Arts Network Conference 2024
With the theme, ‘Creative Place-Mmaking – how the arts and culture make a thriving city’, this conference looks at how arts and culture inform our identities and our sense of place. With a keynote address from Professor Flora Samuel, Head of the Department of Architecture at Cambridge University, the conference will also feature distinguished speakers from the arts, academia, local government and youth organisations.
Details: 27 February. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Family Arts Conference 2024, Leeds.
The UK’s largest family arts and culture conference this month. Organisers say of the event: ‘…it’s essential that the cultural sector can reframe, rethink and recharge to ensure families do not miss out on the benefits and joy that cultural and creative opportunities can bring.’
Join arts, community and family support professionals from across the UK to explore how you can ensure opportunities for arts and culture are accessible for all families.
Details: 29 February. In-person, Leeds Playhouse.
March
TALKS: March Meeting Sharjah 2024, United Arab Emirates.
Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual March Meeting convenes artists, curators and art practitioners from around the world to discuss vital issues in contemporary art. The upcoming edition focuses on collectives whose practice intertwines art-making and community building, examining various forms of collaboration that advance social justice.
Details: 1-3 March. In-person.
SUMMIT: The Big Creative UK Summit 2024, London and online.
The Big Creative UK Summit introduces you to the sharpest minds and trailblazers with ideas that will shape our future. It will take a look at how our sector is empowered by changes imposed on us – from the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to demands for new skills – to drive the systemic transformation we are all striving for. The focus for this year’s Summit brings together perspectives across technology, creative investment and the future of skills. Conversations will deliberate how, with the right balance of these, our creative economy can continue to be a remarkable ‘super-charged’ driver of UK economic growth.
Details: 6 March. In-person and online.
CONFERENCE: The Art Business Conference, Netherlands
The Art Business Conference is the conference for art market professionals held annually in London, New York and now at TEFAF Maastricht 2024. It is offering a half-day conference, followed by entrance to the key international art fair. The organiser, Art Market Minds, will present its annual London conference on 10 September.
Details: 8 March. In-person, Maastricht Netherlands.
CONFERENCE: Australian International Documentary Conference, Melbourne.
The southern hemisphere’s premier industry forum and marketplace for documentary and factual content – the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) will take place in-person at ACMI, followed by an online international marketplace. The theme is ‘Frontlines’.
Details: 3-6 March Conference (in-person) at ACMI, Melbourne (Vic), and 7-8 March 2024 Marketplace (online).
TALKS/SUMMIT: All About Women, Sydney.
Now in its 12th year, All About Women festival returns to Sydney Opera House with a day of talks about gender, justice and equality. The festival will feature lively in-person and online conversations and events. This year’s festival has been programmed by the Sydney Opera House Talks and Ideas team, led by Chip Rolley, alongside three All About Women alumnae who have co-curated individual events: Bri Lee, Clementine Ford and Nakkiah Lui. To view the full program and book.
Details: 10 March, Sydney Opera House. In-person and online.
CONFERENCE: Unlocked: Creativity and Culture for Positive Change, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
Dundee is delighted to be hosting the CHEAD Annual Conference 2024 at both the V&A Dundee and Discovery Point. The theme, ‘Unlocked: Creativity and Culture for Positive Change’, aims to share and build on diverse perspectives within art and design, and art and design education, and will focus on how we can reimagine and co-create our current and future curricula and research to enable creativity, creative communities and creative ecologies to flourish, and to realise the capacity for agenda-setting policy, action and impact through creativity via discursive themes.
Details: 19-21 March. V&A Dundee, in-person.
SUMMIT: Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024, Hong Kong.
The first ever Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024 will be hosted by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. The Summit will offer a platform to bring together leaders from arts and cultural institutions globally to promote international cultural exchange and cultivate long-term partnerships. It coincides with Hong Kong’s 2024 Art Week (25-30 March 2024) and art fairs. ArtsHub will be attending and reporting.
Details: 25-26 March 2024. In-person.
April
CONFERENCE: Association for Art History, Bristol.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Association for Art History. To mark the occasion, its annual conference will be held in collaboration with the History of Art department at the University of Bristol, and will bring together international research and critical debate about art history and visual culture. The 2024 Annual Conference is open to all, members and non-members.
Details: 3-5 April, University of Bristol. In-person.
SUMMIT: Perth 2024 ISPA Congress, Perth.
The Perth 2024 ISPA Congress is hosted by PAC. ISPA is the International Society for the Performing Arts, and is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024. ISPA congresses are attended by more than 500 leaders, from more than 50 regions, representing different genres and disciplines within the performing arts field. Programming is geared toward both established and emerging leaders in the performing arts. Congress attendees include presenters, festivals, producing companies, artist managers, consultants and government cultural leaders.
Details: 30 April – 3 May. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Communicating the Arts, Paris.
For the first time since 2016, Communicating the Arts is making a return to Europe with a stop in Paris! This year’s theme is ‘Impact and responsibility in the arts: advancing social and sustainable practices’, and the conference aims to showcase prestigious venues, introduce new Olympic sites and unveil hidden cultural gems in Paris. Over 200 international cultural leaders from the visual and performing arts, as well as heritage sectors, will come together to explore ideas, address challenges and collaboratively seek solutions.
Details: 2-4 April. In-person.
May
MARKETPLACE: Showcase Victoria 2024, Melbourne
Attended each year by over 250 industry members, Showcase Victoria is Australia’s leading state-based performing arts market, playing a key role in facilitating touring.
Details: 21-22 May, Darebin Arts Centre. In-person.
SUMMIT: MuseumNext Digital Summit, Virtual.
The ever-changing nature of digital can mean that it’s hard for museums to know where to focus their energy for the best results. The MuseumNext Digital Summit brings together international speakers to share action-orientated presentations to help museums find digital success. They will discuss how museums can stay up-to-date with the latest technology, strategies and tools, with case studies.
Details: 25-26 March. Online.
Read: Arts festivals and events calendar 2024
CONFERENCE: 2024 GAS Conference, Berlin.
Glass Art Society (GAS) will present its annual conference for the global glass art community in Berlin this year. The conference theme is ‘Where Art and Design Meet’, focusing on the space where art meets design, the synergy between the two, and the relationships between artists and designers. ArtsHub will be attending the conference and reporting.
Details: 15-18 May, Berlin. In-person.
TALKS: Vivid Ideas 2024, multiple Sydney venues.
Vivid Sydney is a festival of ideas, light and music presented by Destination NSW in partnership with the City of Sydney across key venues. It is the largest festival of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Alongside the spectacular site-responsive light works, a three-week program of panel talks, masterclasses and keynote speakers will be presented, which has garnered its own reputation for innovative thinking. Details of the 2024 program are yet to be announced.
Details: 24 May – 15 June. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society, Seoul, Korea.
The Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society offers an interdisciplinary forum for discussion of the role of the arts in society, under the theme ‘Art for Sustenance’.
Details: 24-26 May, presented at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. In-person and online.
TALKS: Semi Permanent, Sydney.
Semi Permanent presents an annual line-up of talks and events canvassing design, art, technology, fashion, music, film, video games, architecture and more. It is usually presented each year in May at long-time venue partner, Carriageworks.
Details: to be announced.
June
CONFERENCE: MuseumNext Live, London.
Described as ‘the most forward-looking museum conference in Europe, if not the world’, MuseumNext will return to London in June with a three-day live event featuring workshops, keynotes, presentations and lots of networking. The conference will bring together delegates from more than 40 countries to share ideas, strategies and optimistic visions of the future.
Details: 11-13 June. In-person.
CONFERENCE: 2024 BookPeople Conference and Trade Exhibition, Melbourne.
BookPeople (formerly Australian Booksellers Association) is this year looking forward to bringing the bookselling and publishing community together to celebrate 100 years of supporting Australia’s bookshops.
Details: 15-17 June, Pullman Melbourne on the Park hotel. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Remix Sydney, Sydney.
REMIX Global Summits explore the intersection of culture, technology and entrepreneurship. They offer an edgy forum where creative leaders from different sectors can exchange insights and ideas, and work together towards common goals. Always inspiring.
Details: 13-14 June, Australian National Maritime Museum. In-person.
SYMPOSIUM: ISEA 2024 Symposium, Brisbane.
ISEA (International Symposium on Electronic Art) is one of the world’s most prominent international arts and technology events, bringing together scholarly, artistic and scientific domains in an interdisciplinary discussion and a showcase of creative productions applying new technologies in art, interactivity, and electronic and digital media. This year it will be held in Brisbane. The theme for the 2024 event is ‘Everywhen‘ – understanding past, present and future in the days of singularity and climate change.
Details: 21-29 June. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Design Research Society 2024, Boston, US.
The 2024 Design Research Society (DRS) conference will be taking place in Boston (US), hosted by the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University. The global design community will come together to ponder the theme, ‘R4: ‘Resistance, Recovery, Reflection, Reimagination’.
Details: 24-28 June. In-person.
July
CONFERENCE: CYA Writers & Illustrators Conference, Brisbane.
CYA – the Children, Young Adult, and Adult Writers’ and Illustrators’ Conference – is an event for writers and illustrators of all ages, all genres. It is also an opportunity to network with fellow writers, illustrators and industry professionals, to gain valuable knowledge.
Details: 6 July. In-person and online.
CONGRESS: World Congress of Scottish Literatures 2024
The fourth World Congress of Scottish Literatures will be hosted by the School of English at the University of Nottingham and will bring together scholars from all over the world to situate Scotland in a global and transnational scope.
Details: 3-7July. In-person.
CONFERENCE: EVA London 2024, London
The EVA London 2024 conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts is planned for July this year, as a hybrid event. The conference will look at a number of themes and impact from the use of new and emerging technologies.
Details: 8-12 July. In-person (BCS London office located in Moorgate, central London), and online.
CONFERENCE: Kent Arts Conference 2024, Kent.
The 11th Kent Arts Conference (KArtsCon) will be presented this year under the theme is ‘Art as Legacy’, and posing questions such as: how has the evolution of art history impacted our definition of legacy? How might seeking to create a legacy both help and hinder an artist?
Details: 10-12 July. In-person.
CONFERENCE: International Conference on Thinking, Melbourne.
The International Conference on Thinking (ICOT) will return to Melbourne for its 20th edition. The 2024 theme is, ‘We are on the edge of what?’ The interdisciplinary conference promises thought-provoking innovation, creative and critical thinking and transformative ideas in the context of the greater good as we look to the future. Confirmed speakers include: Phillip D Jaffe (Switzerland), Teina Moetara (New Zealand), Tina Grotzer (US) David Perkins (US), Vishal Talreja (India) and Patrick Newell (Japan).
Details: 7-11 July, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. In-person.
August
CONFERENCE: Arts Activated Conference, NSW.
The next biennial Arts Activated Conference will take place in 2024, presented by Accessible Arts in partnership with a range of industry, community, government and corporate partners. It is a two-day event to share information and ideas about advancing arts and disability, both for arts practitioners with disability and audiences with disability. It is usually held in August.
Details: to be announced.
CONFERENCE: APAX 2024, Melbourne.
Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX) comes to Melbourne with its national performing arts market and conference. See new creative work and delve deep into the world of performing arts presentation and touring. Engage actively in discussions through provocation circles, breakouts, roundtables, panels and networking opportunities.
Details: 19-23 August. In-person.
CONFERENCE: UX Australia 2024, Melbourne.
The 16th edition of Australia’s premier UX design conference will be held in Melbourne. UX Australia 2024 will feature hands-on workshops and practical conference presentations. It is calling for proposals now.Â
Details: Workshops: 27-28 August 2024/Conference Presentations: 29-30 August 2024. In-person and online.
September
CONFERENCE: IOTA24, Perth.
The Indian Ocean Craft Triennial (IOTA) will present Futuring Craft 24: The Value of Craft conference  at Curtin University’s School of Design and the Built Environment. The conference is part of the 2024 Triennial (IOTA24) and extends its theme ‘Codes in Parallel‘, which contemplates the various languages inherent in contemporary crafts.
Details: 3-6 September. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Res Artis Conference 2024, Taipei.
Over 200 Res Artis Members, artists, curators and art administrators from across the globe will gather in Taipei for the 2024 Res Artis conference titled ‘Interweave the Spectrum: Beyond Collaboration’. It has been organised the Taipei｜Treasure Hill Artist Village under the Taipei Culture Foundation and co-organised by the Taiwan Art Space Alliance.
Details: 6-9 September. In-person.
CONFERENCE: AMaGA 2024 National Conference, Ballarat, Victoria.
The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) will hold its National Conference in Ballarat this year. It is the largest annual forum for Australian museum and gallery professionals to engage in networking and knowledge exchange.Â
Details: 17-20 September. In-person.
CONFERENCE: Seventeenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum, Vienna.
The Inclusive Museum Research Network (part of the Association of Art Museum Curators – AAMC) is brought together by a shared concern for the future role of the museum and how it can become more inclusive and sustainable. The conference offers a selection of panels, keynotes, workshops and breakout opportunities under the theme ‘Intersectionality: Museums, Inclusion and SDGs’ (Sustainable Development Goals).
Details: 18-20 September. In-person and online.
CONFERENCE: UMAC 2024 (University Museums and Collections), Dresden, Germany.
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) annual meeting for University Museums and Collections (UMAC) will be held at the TUD Dresden University of Technology this year, with the theme ‘Shaping Transformation: University collections in a changing world’.
Details: 24-29 September. In-person.
October
CONFERENCE: 2024 ASA Conference, Aotearoa New Zealand
Delivered by the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) in partnership with ARANZ and PARBICA, this year’s theme is ‘Opening the archives’. The conference aims to bring together a wide range of views on what “opening” the archives means – how this has been, or may be, achieved, and when it should not. It is also a space to explore the challenges and opportunities posed by new technologies, increased accessibility and the acknowledgement of historical and cultural sensibilities.
Details: 22-25 October, presented in ÅŒtautahi/Christchurch. In-person.
November
No conferences currently announced for November.
December
CONFERENCE: CIMAM 2024, Los Angeles
CIMAM, the International Committee for Museums and Collection of Modern Art, has announced it will hold its 56th Annual Conference in Los Angeles in 2024. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s Director Suzanne Cotter is on the planning committee. Joining her, Clara Kim, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, says of the upcoming event: ‘A city with a rich contemporary art history and a dynamic cultural scene. As a pan-American, trans-Pacific city, Los Angeles embodies diversity and vitality, shaped by its diasporic roots. With the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, the city’s cultural projects and infrastructure developments create a compelling backdrop for global discussions.’
Details: 6-8 December. In-person.
What did we miss? Email editor@artshub.com.au with updates and inclusions.
