Lecture tour in Ofoten
Published 12 October 2026
The museums and libraries in Ballangen, Kjøpsvik and Narvik invite you to a lecture tour with Arne Håkon Thomassen from the Sami Parliament!
03 June 2026
Illustration by LPO arkitekter
The NMF research section invites you to submit abstracts for this autumn’s research conference on October 29 and 30 at the new SKREI in Lofoten.
EXHIBITION AND RESEARCH
Contribute your contribution to:
NMF research conference 2026, 29+30 October SKREI, Lofoten.
Call for papers with deadline for submission: 30 July 2026.
We live in a time characterized by major global upheavals. In this landscape, museums must continuously redefine their social relevance and offer safe, research-based knowledge. Through exhibitions and dissemination, museums have a unique power to influence the public debate, challenge established truths and shape how we understand our common past, contemporary challenges and future.
This year’s conference focuses on the exciting and sometimes challenging interface between exhibition and research. How do we ensure that our exhibitions convey robust, scientifically based knowledge? And how can the exhibition process itself be a form of research?
Developing good exhibitions requires collaboration across the museum’s professional groups. We want to explore new forms of collaboration, examine the synergies that arise, and discuss the challenges that characterize these processes.
The conference will be an academic arena for debate, competence enhancement and networking in the museum sector and in relevant research environments. Whether you do research on a daily basis, store exhibitions, engage in dissemination, manage the collections or contribute with the practical craft, this year’s theme will give you concrete tools and new insights.
The Section for Research invites you to submit abstracts for this autumn’s research conference on 29 and 30 October at the new SKREI in Lofoten.
The conference will consist of 1-2 invited keynotes and 2-3 thematic sessions based on submitted contributions. We are looking for presentations that shed light on the relationship between research and exhibition practice from different angles.
Current topics for contributions:
We welcome contributions that address one or more of the following issues:
- Research-based exhibitions: How do we build exhibitions on robust, recent and research-based knowledge? We are looking for contributions that argue for the importance of research-based exhibitions in an age of disinformation.
- Exhibition as a research basis and process: Do we always have to develop knowledge first, and then create the exhibition? Exhibition processes are often about deliberate selections under great time pressure. How can the exhibition process itself be considered research, and how can existing or historical exhibitions be used as sources of new research?
- Interdisciplinary collaboration, synergy and power relations: Developing exhibitions requires close collaboration between researchers, curators, communicators, conservators and museum craftsmen. How do we integrate research-based knowledge into this interdisciplinary work, and what are the success stories or challenges? We also want contributions that discuss the power relations in the process ? for example, the power of practical and artisanal solutions over the academic content.
- Exhibition renewal: How can we use current research results to update, expand and revitalize existing and older exhibitions?
- Solid knowledge dissemination and new methods: Development of dissemination methods and best practices that are firmly rooted in recent research.
- Co-creation: The exhibition as an arena for participation, citizen involvement and public debate. How can research be opened up to the public through the exhibition medium?
We encourage both established museum researchers, PhD candidates and practitioners who work at the intersection of research, craft and dissemination to submit contributions.
Submission and formats
- Presentation form: Oral presentation (normally 15-20 minutes, followed by joint discussion).
- Abstract: Maximum 300 words, including a short biography of yourself (name, title and museum affiliation).
- Language: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
- Deadline for submission: July 30, 2026.
- Applications should be sent to: anna.vermehren@museumnord.no
Do you have questions about the conference or the theme? Feel free to contact Head of Section Kristian Reinfjord (kristian.reinfjord@annomuseum.no / +47 977 20 236) or Anna Vermehren (anna.vermehren@museumnord.no / +47 903 61 053)