Call for Participation

Be innovative in 2024 - submit a proposal for the opportunity to share your work, ideas, research and collaborations at the conference. 

Attendees should note that the abstract process has undergone a re-focus and is now referred to as the Call for Participation. Please read the guidelines below before submitting your proposal to ensure all components have been addressed.

(un)Common Ground is a space where old and new ideas collide, where understandings and priorities converge, and where conversations between colleagues and communities are navigated. (un)Common Ground is an exploration of what brings us together and what keeps us apart. It explores the blurred boundaries where commonalities and divisions intertwine. The theme invites reflections and conversations that explore the relationships, structures and gaps that define (or constrain) our sector. 

We particularly encourage the involvement of rural, regional and remote participants, participants from volunteer-based organisations, and sector professionals across all areas of practice. We would love to hear from people working in visitor services, merchandising, marketing, engagement, administration, programming, education, collections management, curatorship and any other areas. It is not essential to be a member of AMaGA to submit a proposal. AMaGA encourages proposals that are innovative, timely and represent new thinking. All proposed speakers must be prepared to attend should their proposal be accepted. 

AMaGA is committed to equitable and diverse representation for our conference, and we ask you to ensure that proposals reflect appropriate cultural, gender and ability diversity. The Program Committee will prioritise proposals that reflect this. Should a proposal be about a First Nations or Indigenous cultural topic or project, a representative of the community concerned must be part of the speaker team. If no such speaker is available, the speakers proposal must demonstrate that they have the endorsement of the community’s Elders and/or Leaders to present on their behalf. 

An information session on the Call for Participation process was held on 26 March 2024. The recording may be seen on the AMaGA website.

submissions closed

Delegates attentively listening to a conference presentation.

Important dates:

  • Call for Participation CLOSED
  • Early bird registration opens: Late February 2024
  • Call for Participation closes: EXTENDED 11:59pm Tuesday 16 April 2024
  • Proposals reviewed: April 2024
  • Successful presenters contacted: May 2024
  • Early bird registrations close: 30 May 2024 (all presenters/authors required to be registered by this date).

Call for Participation information session

AMaGA hosted an information session with AMaGA National Director, Katie Russell, and Chair of the AMaGA2024, Anthony Camm, the Conference Programming committee, and conference managers, Conlog. The information session discussed this year's conference theme: (un)COMMON GROUND and the AMaGA2024 team spoke to the expanded range of presentation formats and shared tips on how to best prepare your proposal.

To watch the recording of the information session, please click below.

information session

Sub-themes

We invite participants to join us in Ballarat on Wadawurrung Country for important conversations inspired by the theme of (un)Common Ground and the following sub-themes:

        ACTIVISM

  • Can museums and galleries genuinely be sites for activism given the entrenched power dynamics at play? 
  • Are radical voices and difficult ideas weakened by our institutionalised spaces? 
  • What relevance do ideas like safe spaces, censorship, controversy, and critical engagement have in shaping contemporary galleries and museums?

        COEXISTENCE

  • How can different knowledge systems co-exist with, enrich or challenge our established ways of working? 
  • Can respect for professional, ideological, cultural and other differences lead to collaborative outcomes which make a difference? 
  • With museums and galleries increasingly co-located with other cultural services, how do we nurture collaboration and maximise our community relevance and reach?

        GATEKEEPING

  • How does gatekeeping reveal itself across our sector? Is there a disconnect between community perceptions and how we see ourselves (or how we would like to be seen)? 
  • To what extent are communities welcomed into programming and collecting priorities and decision-making? 
  • Can different leadership approaches create deeper community engagement and ownership?

        INNOVATION

  • Have we run out of fresh ideas? Where do we find new ones? 
  • Are our well-established standards a barrier to innovation? 
  • How do we scrutinise our professional practices, confront our inherited museum models, and explore creative and collaborative ways of working?

Before submitting your proposal, please:

 Familiarise yourself with the conference themes and submission guidelines

  Prepare a 200-word proposal and 50-word presentation takeaway and save in an easily accessible place. Your proposal submission will be completed via a text box only, so we recommend you have your proposal content ready to 'copy and paste' into the portal 

  Create an account in the Call for Participation portal, and follow the instructions to submit your proposal. Proposals can be saved as a draft, but must be finalised in order to be assessed for inclusion in the program 

  You may submit more than one proposal under the same account.

Presentation time and format:

AMaGA 2024 aims to refresh the approach to presentation formats. You will be asked to select the amount of time you require, either 10, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes and then provide a 50-word summary of how you will present your proposal. Consider the following questions in your 50-word summary:

  • How do you want to present your proposal?
  • How many delegates should be in attendance to your session?
  • How much time will you need for Q&A?
  • What will the experience look like for delegates?
  • What other materials might you need for a successful session?

As AMaGA 2024 is being run as a hybrid event, please remember to ensure that your proposal will work online and in person.

       A diverse group of individuals seated in chairs facing a screen, with a person writing in a notebook.
Delegates sitting at round tables, ready to begin a conference workshop.

Proposal selection:

Proposals will be assessed by the conference Program Committee using the following criteria:

  • Appeal
  • Clarity of purpose
  • Clarity of writing
  • The extent to which the proposal engages/entertains/encourages audience participation
  • Originality
  • Relevance to the sector
  • Relevance to the theme overall theme and sub-themes

The final program will be determined by fluid approach with the primary goal of delivering a valuable and engaging experience for delegates and speakers alike. The Program Committee will use its discretion to consider issues such audience appeal, mix of content and balancing informal vs deeper content.

Submitting your proposal:

All proposals must be submitted via the Call for Participation portal. Follow the below steps to submit your proposal:

  1. Prepare a 200-word proposal and save in an easily accessible place. Your submission will be completed via a text box only, so we recommend you have your proposal content ready to 'copy and paste' into the portal. Your 200-word proposal should cover:
    • The content of the presentation
    • Key issues explored
    • Who should attend the presentation and why
  2. Prepare a summary of how you wish to present your proposal
  3. Prepare an additional 50-word presentation takeaway, explaining the key points delegates will take away from your session
  4. Click SUBMIT PROPOSAL at the top of this page and create an account in the Call for Participation portal. Note, you will need to create a new account for the 2024 conference (your 2023 conference account is no longer active)
  5. Follow further instructions in the portal to complete your proposal submission
  6. You will receive a confirmation email once your proposal is submitted for review
  7. Proposal may be saved as a draft, to be finished at a later date, but it must be finalised in order to be considered in the review
  8. You may submit more than one proposal all under the same account.

For a successful proposal, you should highlight something new, innovative and thought provoking and the format encourages discussion and active participation amongst delegates. Your speakers should be engaging, informative and confident.

If your proposal is accepted you must agree to register and pay the early bird registration price.

Proposal submission closes Tuesday 16 April 2024.

Guidelines:

  • Online submission is the only method of proposal submission
  • Submissions can be saved as Draft in the Call for Participation portal but must be finalised to be considered
  • Proposals submitted for presentation will be published exactly as received and should be checked for spelling and grammar prior to submission
  • You may submit more than one proposal all under the same account
  • Proposals will only be accepted as 200-word text format abstracts. We recommend writing your proposal in Word and saving to your desktop prior to starting the submission process, then 'copy and paste' the proposal content into the relevant section
  • All proposals should be primarily in English. If English is not the first language of speakers/projects please provide details on how you will provide access for delegates (i.e., translator, subtitles…). If you need assistance with this, please contact the Program Committee
  • We are encouraging speakers to attend in person but can accommodate virtual speakers in advance. Certain sessions are in person only and will not be available virtually
  • It is the responsibility of the presenter/author to ensure that the proposal is submitted correctly. For assistance with proposal submissions, contact amaga@conlog.com.au.
  • It is the responsibility of the presenter/author to ensure their proposal explains how it relates to the themes
  • Where there is more than one presenter, all correspondence will be sent to the person who submitted the proposal
  • Every effort will be made to accommodate the presenter/author presentation preference however the Program Committee reserves the right to allocate the presentation to best suit the program
  • The invitation to submit a proposal does not constitute an offer to pay travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the conference. Similarly, no presenter fee is paid to successful presenters
  • If your proposal is accepted, all speakers agree to register and pay the Early Bird Registration price. Bursary applications will be available via the registration site. 


#AMaGA2024
          

AMaGA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water, culture and community. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; and to Elders past and present.