WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025
The Sybir Memorial Museum’s Day

Registration and information desk

Permanent exhibition tour with the participation of Sybiraks
Language: Polish, English
Individual tours of the exhibition with audioguide are available
during the same time.
No registration required.

Workshops:
• 13.00 – 14.00 – conservation of collections
• 13.30 – 14.30 – relationships with the local community
• 14.00 – 15.00 – accessibility
• 14.00 – 15.00 – international cooperation
• 15.00 – 16.00 – events and education
• 16.00 – 17.00 – scientific activity
• 16.00 – 17.00 – communication and marketing
No registration required.

Guided walking tours of Białystok
(pre-registration required)

Meeting point:
Białystok Cathedral, Kilińskiego 16, Białystok

Duration:
11.00 – 14.00 (first group)
13.00 – 16.00 (second group)
15.00 – 18.00 (third group)

Reception and concert
Venue: Hotel Traugutta 3, R. Traugutta 3, Białystok
Welcome: Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial
Museum and Michal Wiśniewski, EMF Trustee

Concert of the “Czeremszyna” local folk music band.
Its music refers to the place of residence of the musicians.
They perform traditional songs from Podlasie region and the
Polish-Belarusian-Ukrainian borderland.

THURSDAY, May 22, 2025
EMYA2025 Conference

Registration and information desk

Opening of EMYA2025
Hans Looijen, Chair a.i., European Museum Forum
Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial Museum

Welcome:
Marta Cienkowska, Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage
Tadeusz Truskolaski, Mayor of the City of Białystok
Krzysztof Truskolaski, Member of the Polish Parliament, Vice-Chairman
of the Polish Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe, Chairman of the Council of the Sybir Memorial Museum
Jacek Brzozowski, Voivode of the Podlaskie Voivodeship
Wiesława Burnos, Deputy Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship

The Museum Empowering the Cultural Self-esteem of the Sámi People
Taina Máret Pieski, Director, Sámi Museum Siida, Inari,
Finland, winner of EMYA2024
Introduction: Léontine Meijer-van Mensch, EMF Trustee

Keynote address: Museums as Spaces of Remembrance
and Empowerment
Kaja Širok, Historian and Museologist
Introduction: Adriana Muñoz, EMYA Judge
The true potential of museums lies in their capacity to act as agents of
change, forging connections and fostering unity, rather than serving
as passive entities associated with the past. The museum of the future
will be a dynamic space of shared memories where stories about
our collective past are living narratives that connect generations and
communities. This forward-looking museum will be a vibrant hub that
actively engages visitors, encouraging participation and fostering
a sense of continuity and shared understanding to create a bridge
between the past, present and future.

Coffee Break

Presentation of EMYA Nominees and Thematic Panels
Introduction: Amina Krvavac, Chair, EMYA Jury and EMF Trustee

Art for All: Transformative Engagement Practice in Museums
Chair: Friedrich von Bose, EMYA Judge
Museums foster inclusive environments and transformative practices
through accessibility and community participation. We will explore
recent engagement strategies that champion traditional museum
models, aiming to create meaningful connections between art and
diverse audiences for positive social change.

• Foundation Museum Ovartaci, Aarhus, Denmark
• Serralves Museum, Porto, Portugal
• Korsak’s Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art, Lutsk, Ukraine
• Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul, Türkiye

Time Travels: Museums on Science and Technologies
Chair: Zandra Yeaman, EMYA Judge
Museums utilize science and technology to bridge the past, make
sense of the present, and envision the future. We will examine how
science-infused storytelling shapes new understandings and attitudes
towards innovation in science and technology, as well as solidarity
across disciplines and generations.

• Enter Technikwelt Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland
• Museum of Photography in Kraków, Kraków, Poland
• “Under the Swan” Pharmacy, Department of the Leon
Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz,
Poland
• Medical History Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden
• Coastal Express Museum, Stokmarknes, Norway

Lunch

Euskara (Basque Language), Goes Out into the World
Iurdana Acasuso Atutxa, Director, Euskararen Etxea, winner of
the Council of Europe Museum Prize 2025
Introduction: Mathieu Viau-Courville, EMYA Judge

Living Heritage: Museums and Communities Shaping the Present
Chair: Agnes Aljas, EMYA Judge
Heritage is not static – it lives through the people who carry its
traditions. Heritage also changes meaning depending on sociopolitical contexts. We will examine how museums actively engage
with and support communities in safeguarding and (re)interpreting
heritage to make it dynamic and relevant to addressing contemporary
challenges and (re)shaping the future.

• Alvor Lifeboat Interpretation Center, Portimão, Portugal
• Open Air Museum Het Hoogeland, Warffum, The Netherlands
• Collective Memory Point, Vad, Romania
• Euskararen Etxea. House of the Basque Language, Bilbao, Spain

Coffee Break

Changing Urbanities: Expanding Democratic Spaces
Chair: Hans Looijen, EMF Chair a.i.
Museums have the potential to strengthen urban democracy. They
develop new practices to stay in touch with what life is like in the city
– including the issues communities face and their hopes for the future.
We will discuss how museums today continue their mission to serve
as tools for civic engagement, enabling people to have more than just
consultative power but also exercise and develop agency.
• Wien Museum, Vienna, Austria
• Krzysztofory Palace, Museum of Kraków, Kraków, Poland
• Manchester Museum, Manchester, United Kingdom
• The House of Architecture, Madrid, Spain

Importance of Home in the Age of Climate Crisis
Ewa Socha, Head of Commercial Development, Museum
of the Home, London, UK, winner of the Meyvaert Museum Prize 2024
Introduction: Daniëlle Kuijten, EMYA Judge

Welcome Reception
Venue: The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art
Center, Odeska 1, Białystok
Reception host: Rafał Rudnicki, Deputy Mayor of the City of Białystok
Léontine Meijer-van Mensch, EMF Trustee

FRIDAY, May 23, 2025
EMYA2025 Conference

Registration and information desk

Bridging the Gap: The Role of Museums in Uniting Communities
Chair: Joan Seguí, EMYA Judge
People see museums as keepers of local identities and collective
memories. In times of social and political upheaval and increasing
economic disparities in society, what impact do identity tensions have
on museums’ ability to bridge inequalities and promote understanding
among diverse audiences and populations?
• National Navy Museum, Paris, France
• Museum of Amber, Department of Museum of Gdańsk, Gdańsk,
Poland
• Ensérune, Oppidum and Archaeological Museum,
Nissan-lez-Ensérune, France

Coffee break

Keynote address:
The Role of European Museums in Defending Universal Human Rights
and Democracy
Basil Kerski, Director,
European Solidarity Centre / Europäisches Solidarność-Zentrum
Introduction: Sharon Heal, EMF Trustee
What role do museums in Europe have in defending human rights and
democracy? Basil Kerski will explore the current political context of
the work of museums Europe. In the face of the instrumentalisation of
memory to legitimise authoritarian politics, he will make a case for the
defence of a democratic culture of remembrance and for museums
as peaceful actors in the cultural and political conflicts over the future
shape of Europe.

Innovating for a Sustainable Future
Chair: Michał Wiśniewski, EMF Trustee
Museums have increasingly explored new educational and learning
models related to environmental issues, including climate change.
Here we explore recent socio-ecological approaches and perspectives
and how museums are paying increased attention to topics such
as the interplay between nature and technology, the connections
between humans and non-humans, and new forms of collections and
collection-making in light of emerging eco-decolonial perspectives.
• House of the Volcanoes, Lanzarote, Spain
• Muzoo, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
• Glacier Garden Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
• Natural History Museum, Oslo, Norway

Lunch

Kalamaja Museum – Created by People, for People
Kristi Paatsi, Head of the Kalamaja Museum, Tallinn, Estonia, winner of
Silletto Prize 2024
Introduction: Dominika Mroczkowska-Rusiniak, EMYA Judge

Enhancing Immersive Museum Experiences
Chair: Beat Hächler, EMYA Judge
Immersive. Interactive. Experience-driven. We will dive into recent
developments in immersive museum productions: What constitutes
quality in an immersive design? What can other museums learn from
such designs and experiences? What and where are the limits of a
museum immersive project? What makes a museum a museum?

• Maria Callas Museum, Athens, Greece
• House of Music, Budapest, Hungary
• Salon Stolz, Graz, Austria
• Carl Nielsen Museum, Odense, Denmark
• Miffy Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Coffee break

Museum, Culture, and Love: A Journey of Inspiration and
Creation
Despina Kanelli, Manager, Salt Museum, Messolonghi,
Greece, winner of Portimão Museum Prize 2024
Introduction: Pedro Branco, EMF

Revisiting Legacies of Collectors and Collections
Chair: Zandra Yeaman, EMYA Judge
Museums have been increasingly concerned with placing the history of
their collections at the forefront of their institutional mission, enabling
new conversations about the legacies of collecting, challenges in
historical and contemporary collecting practices, and innovative forms
of curatorship and collection management. We will examine recent
efforts by museums to diversify the mission of collections and foster
renewed dialogue around identity and inclusion.
• Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom
• Isbank Museum of Painting-Sculpture, Istanbul, Türkiye
• Museum Arnhem, Arnhem, The Netherlands
• Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, Łódź, Poland

Historical Narratives and Innovative Museum Techniques
Chair: Adriana Muñoz, EMYA Judge
Museums preserve and shape memory – they shape our understanding
of and evolving attitudes toward the past. Museums have also been
increasingly committed to raising the public’s awareness that there is
not one history but many. We will explore museums’ recent strategies
and techniques for exhibiting interwoven histories that enable visitors
to question, engage with, and understand the world from different
perspectives.
• Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
• Savoisien Museum, Chambéry, France
• International Museum on the Reformation, Geneva, Switzerland
• Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum, Bodrum, Türkiye

Reception Dinner and Concert
Venue: The Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art
Center, Odeska 1, Białystok
Reception host: Abby Coombs, Co-MD, Head of Creative Services at Event,
Wiesława Burnos, Deputy Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship
Concert featuring Maestro Chives, accompanied by the Orchestra of
the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic and special guests.

SATURDAY, May 24, 2025
EMYA2025 Conference
and Awards Ceremony

Registration and information desk

Ihor Poshyvailo, Ukraine, winner Kenneth Hudson Award for
Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity 2024
Introduction: Hans Looijen, EMF Chair a. i.

Panel discussion: Solidarity – Museums Standing with their
Communities
Chair: Sharon Heal, EMF Trustee
Many museums actively engage their communities and invite them into
their spaces. But what happens when museums stand in solidarity with
their communities and prioritize their needs? We will explore cuttingedge museum work that shifts the emphasis from buildings and
collections to people and activism.

Speakers:
Matt and Jess Turtle, Co-founders Museum of Homelessness UK
Bernadette Lynch, Museum writer/researcher, Founder of the
International Solidarity Network and former EMYA Judge
Salma Jreige, Solidarity in Action Network

Coffee break

Identity in Architecture. The Museum of Blessed Father Jerzy
Popiełuszko in Okopy
Mirosław Nizio, Author of The Museum of Blessed Father Jerzy
Popiełuszko in Okopy design
Introduction: Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial
Museum

Presentation of EMYA2026

Certificates Ceremony
The EMF will formally present certificates to all nominated museums
Presented by Dominika Mroczkowska-Rusiniak, EMYA Judge and
Andrzej Zugaj, EMF National Correspondent, Poland

Group Photograph of All Nominated Museums

Lunch

Workshops by the EMYA2024 winners
How to Create a Value-led Retail Offer at Cultural Organisation
Facilitator: Ewa Socha, Head of Commercial Development,
Museum of the Home

Engaging the Community Through Creative Projects
Facilitator: Kristi Paatsi, Head of the Kalamaja Museum

Sound Heritage: From the Past to the Future
Facilitator: Despina Kanelli, Manager, Salt Museum

Registration for the workshops will take place onsite, at the
registration desk, and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Free afternoon for participants

Dress code: semi-formal

Performance
Artistic arrangement directed by Max Fedorov, performed by the
musical ensemble “Projekt Zimne Dranie”. Program: A Concert of Film Hits.

Masters of Ceremony: Daniëlle Kuijten and Mathieu Viau-Courville

Welcome: Hans Looijen, Chair a.i., European Museum Forum,
Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage,
Tadeusz Truskolaski, Mayor of the City of Białystok

The Meaning of the Council of Europe Museum Prize
Presented by Constantinos Efstathiou, Cyprus, Committee
Representative for the CoE Museum Prize, Council of Europe

Introduction to the Awards
Presented by Amina Krvavac, Chair, EMYA Jury

Special Commendation Certificates
Presented by Friedrich von Bose and Joan Seguí, EMYA Judges

Meyvaert Museum Prize for Environmental Sustainability
Presented by Serge Cappon, Head of Business Development,
Meyvaert

Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement
Presented by Sharon Heal, EMF Trustee

Portimão Museum Prize for Welcoming, Inclusion and Belonging
Presented by Dora Pereira, Head of the Culture Department, Portimão
Municipality and José Gameiro, Portimão Museum’s Scientific Director

Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional
Integrity
Presented by Léontine Meijer-van Mensch, EMF Trustee

European Museum of the Year Award
Presented by Amina Krvavac, Chair, EMYA Jury

Group photograph of awards winners

EMYA GALA DINNER
Venue: Branicki Palace, Kilińskiego 1, Białystok

The Branicki Palace in Białystok is one of the most magnificent
Baroque residences in this part of Europe, often referred to as the
“Versailles of Poland”. In the 18th century, Jan Klemens Branicki, one of
the wealthiest magnates of the Republic of Poland, turned the former
family seat into an impressive palace and garden complex that became
the centre of cultural and social life. Today, the palace, which houses
the Medical University of Białystok, delights visitors with its restored
interiors and gardens, attracting tourists from all over the world.

SUNDAY, May 25, 2025
The Sybir Memorial Museum’s
local tours

Białystok – guided walking tours of Białystok

Duration: 9.00 – 12.00

Meeting point: Białystok Cathedral, Kilińskiego 16, Białystok

Visit to the Białowieża Forest UNESCO Site
Białowieża – the heart of the Białowieża Forest – one of the oldest
and best-preserved primeval forests in Europe

Duration: 8.00 – 17.00

Meeting point: The Sybir Memorial Museum, Węglowa 1, Białystok

Supraśl – a picturesque town located in the a region of Knyszyńska
Forest wit still functioning Orthodox monastery from the late 15th
century

Duration: 9.00 – 14.00

Meeting point: The Sybir Memorial Museum, Węglowa 1, Białystok

Internal EMF/EMYA meetings during the Conference:

EMYA Jury and EMF Board of Trustees meeting

EMF board of trustees meeting

EMF National Correspondents, EMYA Jury and EMF Board
of Trustees meeting

EMYA Jury and EMF Board of Trustees meeting

EMYA Jury meeting