Cultivating Sustainable Collections

Hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Curating at Western University, London, Ontario

• Friday, September 11, 2026 (in-person): Vault and museum tours
• Saturday & Sunday, September 12–13, 2026 (partially hybrid with in-person workshops)
• October 3 (in-person): Extra event – Sustainability and Built Heritage with the Canadian Conservation Institute

About the Conference:

Cultivating Sustainable Collections is a gathering focused on advancing sustainable practices in collection management and preventive conservation. As community gathering places, museums, galleries, and other heritage institutions can play a crucial role in supporting the deep changes required to confront climate change and environmental degradation. Yet, many accepted conservation standards designed to protect and preserve material culture are energy- and resource-intensive. Cultivating Sustainable Collections responds to the urgent need for systemic change in how cultural institutions preserve, use, care for, and understand collections in the face of the climate crisis.

Building on the successful first gathering, hosted by Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Fall 2025, the symposium will strengthen and expand an active network for collaboration and advocacy, offering opportunities to share research, solutions, and questions. Topics range from rethinking climate control requirements to environmentally friendly packing materials, the energy footprint of digital preservation and solar-powered alternative archives, preparing for climate-caused disasters and collecting in the aftermath of wildfires, dealing with hazardous materials lurking in collections, and reimagining collections entirely through Indigenous, queer, and disabled perspectives. How can collections be managed and developed in ways that weigh past omissions and oversights against the impossibility of infinite growth? What examples exist of unique approaches to acquiring, caring for, ethically deaccessioning, and reimagining collections? The work undertaken through these events challenges traditional practices while highlighting the importance of integrating Indigenous, local, and community knowledge with scientific approaches to encourage regenerative, inclusive, and low-impact collection care.

*registration is required for in-person and online attendance

Registration fee: 

• With lunch CAD $45 (includes all events and 2 workshops)
• Without lunch CAD $20 (includes all events and 2 workshops) 
• Online (panels only) Free (registration is required)

To reduce the symposium’s environmental footprint, panel sessions will be livestreamed but not recorded. Workshops and tours will be offered in person only. Instead of traditional recordings, we are experimenting with alternative forms of documentation, including graphic recording, quote collection, and note-taking. These materials will be shared after the symposium.

Partners:

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council ∙ Canada Research Chairs ∙ Centre for Sustainable Curating ∙ Rodger Research and Development Fund ∙ McIntosh Gallery ∙ Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Western University ∙ Department of Visual Arts, Western University ∙ Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University ∙ Western Public History ∙ Agnes Etherington Art Centre ∙ Canadian Conservation Institute ∙ Galeries Ontario/Ontario Galleries ∙ Art Windsor Essex ∙ ICOM Canada ∙ Lambton County Museums ∙ Museum London ∙ Museum of Ontario Archeology ∙ Ontario Museums Association ∙ Woodstock Art Gallery