Abram Jackson (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), Frances Homan-Jue (Audio Producer), and Claire Pillsbury (Museum Consultant) will explore how museums can hold space for emotions, difficult topics, and public dialogue in this first event of a series on the future of museums.

Using recent exhibitions at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco as a starting point, they will discuss how museums can move beyond spectacle or a leisure activity to serve as places of refuge, reflection, and community.

The speakers will touch on practices like audio storytelling, community voices, and dedicated reflection spaces. They will discuss how museums can respectfully present painful but highly relevant topics in ways that give visitors space for their reflections and responses.

Swissnex in San Francisco previously held a series of three virtual webinars this past Spring. Take a look at the archived recordings, and learn from an international group of artists, researchers, museum practitioners, and community builders as they explored what it means to put sound first.

​This is part of a series of roundtables Swissnex in San Francisco is hosting with Bay Area museum professionals ahead of the Future Museum Lab, which brings six museum professionals from Switzerland to San Francisco in October 2026.

*This event is designed for a curated group of participants interested in the topic, and space is limited. Please indicate your interest in your registration and reach out to Lucas Hagin or Elodie Malonga for any questions.