Call for Hosts of CIMAM's 2027 Annual Conference

If you are an Institutional Member of CIMAM and would be interested in welcoming the CIMAM Annual Conference in your museum, city, and country, we encourage you to apply to host one of the most significant professional gatherings on the international modern and contemporary art museum calendar.

Institutions interested in applying are invited to consult the Guidelines for CIMAM Conference Hosts available at the Members Only section of CIMAM's website and submit their proposal accordingly. While this Call for Hosts is issued for the 2027 CIMAM Annual Conference, CIMAM welcomes expressions of interest and proposals for future editions, including 2028 and 2029.

The deadline for submitting applications is April 30, 2026.

About Hosting CIMAM's Annual Conference

Hosting CIMAM’s Annual Conference is a unique opportunity to present your institution to a global community of museum professionals and opinion leaders, while also introducing the artistic ecosystem in which it operates and the broader cultural, social, and urban context of its host city.

The Annual Conference represents CIMAM’s most substantial contribution to the field. For host institutions, it offers a platform to foster informed debate on critical issues facing museums today and serves as a catalyst for international collaboration and professional exchange, with meaningful impact at both local and global levels.

Since its founding in 1962, CIMAM has organized 57 Annual Conferences in more than 30 cities worldwide, establishing the conference as a recurring and highly anticipated event for modern and contemporary art museum professionals. Each conference features a three-day program that includes keynote and perspective lectures, roundtable discussions, workshops, and visits to museums and cultural institutions in the host city.

This high-quality program provides significant value for participants and creates opportunities to engage a wider professional audience in discussions around global curatorial and institutional challenges, while also highlighting local perspectives that can enrich and inform these international debates.

All conference presentations and discussions—of strong theoretical and practical relevance to the field—are recorded and made available after the event through CIMAM’s website, ensuring long-term access and impact beyond the conference itself.

Key Benefits of Hosting a CIMAM Annual Conference

• International Visibility and Positioning: Position your institution and city at the centre of global discussions on modern and contemporary art museum practice.
• Activation of International Networks: Host and engage directly with an international community of professionals, fostering long-term relationships, professional exchange, and future collaborations.
• Contribution to Global Art Museum Practice Debates: Participate actively in shaping global conversations on museums, collections, governance, sustainability, and curatorial practice from a locally grounded perspective.
• Showcasing Your Artistic and Institutional Ecosystem: Present your collection and curatorial programmes while highlighting the broader artistic, cultural, and social landscape of your city and region.
• Professional Development and Knowledge Exchange: Offer staff, local professionals, and partner institutions direct access to high-level international perspectives, research, and best practices.
• Long-Term Legacy and Knowledge Dissemination: All conference content is documented and made available on CIMAM’s platforms, extending the conference’s impact well beyond the event and positioning the host institution as a lasting point of reference.

Requirements for Hosting a CIMAM Annual Conference

• The proposal must be submitted by a CIMAM Institutional Member. It may involve or partner with other CIMAM member institutions in the city, as well as with other national and public museums, and privately funded museums with a stated public mission, reflecting a collective effort and shared institutional commitment in welcoming CIMAM to their city, country, and region.
• The hosting institution agrees to adhere to ICOM Code of Ethics, CIMAM's Code of Ethics and CIMAM’s Ethical Clauses of Governance. By participating in the organisation of the Annual Conference, the institution demonstrates its commitment to the modern and contemporary art museum field and its alignment with recognised professional and ethical standards.
• Fundraising capacity to cover over 99% of the total expenses and cover CIMAM’s overhead costs (€20.000). The hosting institution is responsible for securing the necessary funding (including in-kind contributions and sponsorship) to defray the costs associated with organising the CIMAM Annual Conference and the post-conference tour, ensuring the maintenance of CIMAM’s quality standards and the successful delivery of the event.
• A three-day event with at least two different venues that can accommodate around 300 participants in an auditorium, as well as a break-out session format within the hosting institution, and others, and a two-day post-tour.

The CIMAM Board will announce the host of the 2027 Annual Conference at the CIMAM 2026 Annual Conference taking place in November in Harare, Zimbabwe, where the director will be invited to introduce the hosting institution and city on stage.

For any questions regarding the application process, please contact us at conference@cimam.org.