The Future of Museums: Exploring New Stories for Cultural Institutions in Aotearoa

Museums are changing - fast. Funding pressures, repatriation, new tech, community expectations, youth engagement, infrastructure… it’s a lot. Instead of debating surface-level issues, this energetic session teaches you a futures method (CLA) and helps you use it on the spot to explore new possibilities for museums in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What is CLA? Causal Layered Analysis (developed by Prof. Sohail Inayatullah) is a simple, visual tool that looks at four layers of any issue — headlines → systems → worldviews → myths/metaphors — and then “flips the iceberg” to build more hopeful futures. It’s easy to learn, collaborative, and fun.

What we'll do...

FIRST - we'll map the museum world as it exists today. Using a simple four-layer framework, we'll uncover:

• The headlines everyone's talking about

• The hidden systems creating those headlines

• The beliefs that make those systems feel "normal"

• The deep stories and images that drive everything

Think of it like archaeology, but for ideas.

THEN - we'll flip our framework and start from scratch:

• Imagine completely new stories about what museums could be

• Build fresh beliefs that support those stories

• Design different systems to make them real

• Create tomorrow's headlines about thriving cultural spaces

You'll work in small groups, use sticky notes and markers, and might even build something with your hands. No presentation skills required - just curiosity.

Who should come...

• Anyone who's ever walked into a museum and thought "this could be better"

• People working in culture, community, or local government

• People interested in how change actually happens

• Anyone curious about futures thinking (no experience needed)

What you'll walk away with...

• A working grasp of CLA you can reuse with your team

• A shared map of current + alternative museum narratives

• 2-3 specific ideas for transforming cultural spaces

• New connections with other changemakers

• A fresh perspective on how to spot opportunities for transformation

• Confidence to question "the way things have always been"

No prior futures experience needed. Curiosity very welcome.

Facilitator

Maggie Greyson MDes is an award-winning futurist and designer celebrated for her ultra- creative programs that help organizations and individuals of all ages experience the future.

Greyson’s superpower is helping everyone to have fun and make meaningful connections with their future selves. This sophisticated approach led her to found Futures Present, a futures, foresight and design consultancy that makes futures thinking accessible to all. They enable their clients to onboard fresh futures-thinking to make informed decisions in the present. As a boutique firm, they have developed a distinctive capacity to support clients who are either curious or committed to futures thinking. Clients across sectors (IT, wearables, healthcare, engineering, governance, museums and food banks) learn to interrogate futures and respond to the question, “Is this the future we want?”.

Greyson is recognized on the global stage for her contributions to the futures and foresight. She holds the position of Futurist-in-Residence at MOD. a world-famous futures-oriented museum in Adelaide, Australia. Her influence extends to nurturing emerging talents as a judge and advisor for the School of International Futures, Teach the Future, Experiential Realism, How to Change the World, and the Association of Professional Futurists. She also does public speaking and workshops on emerging technology, innovation, design and foresight at conferences worldwide.

Greyson has a Bachelor in Fine Arts, is a graduate of the Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation at the Ontario College of Art and Design University. She is now pursuing a SMARTlab Phd at Thomas Jefferson University and University College Dublin, with a focus on futures-oriented museums. In a past life she was a theatre designer and worked with renowned institutions such as the International Shakespeare’s Globe.

FAQs

Do I need futures experience?
No - the session is designed for beginners and practitioners alike.

Is this about museums only?
We’ll focus on museums to make it concrete, but the CLA method you learn can be reused on any complex issue.