NCAR Talk 010: Creating Museums Together: Learning from the Visitor-Centered Approach at Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)

Image: In-flight (Project: Another Country) 2009 by Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, QAG, December 2009 / Photograph: Katie Bennett

Who are museums for, and with whom are they created?
The new museum definition adopted by ICOM (the International Council of Museums) in 2022 emphasizes not only the importance of museums being open and accessible to all, but also their role in engaging with communities and encouraging participation from a diverse range of people. Museums are not simply places where experts provide knowledge and experiences to visitors; they are also spaces where institutions listen to visitors' perspectives, think together with them, and create experiences collaboratively. One institution that has put these ideas into practice is the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1895, QAGOMA has developed a wide range of initiatives that place meaningful engagement with audiences at the heart of museum practice.

For this tenth edition of NCAR Talk, we are delighted to welcome Tamsin Cull, who has played a leading role in developing audience engagement initiatives at QAGOMA over many years. QAGOMA’s Vision is to be Australia’s most inspiring and welcoming gallery, and a global leader in the contemporary art of Australia, Asia and the Pacific. To be truly welcoming means to create a space where we listen and engage in processes of codesign, with access and inclusion always considered, valuing the contributions of our audiences. Through a series of case studies, including Children’s Art Centre collaborations with artists and audiences, public engagement initiatives in the heart of major temporary exhibitions, and the 2025 all-ages exhibition ‘Wonderstruck’ which brought together more than 100 Collection artworks with interactive projects, Ms. Cull will discuss QAGOMA’s approach to meaningfully engaging audiences with the stories and ideas of art, artists and contemporary cultures through active participation.

Creating museums where everyone feels welcome and able to participate requires the involvement not only of exhibition and education staff, but also of professionals working across museum operations, including communications, visitor services, and facilities management. We hope this event will provide an opportunity for professionals across the museum sector to come together and reflect on the future of museums.

About NCAR Talk and The Japan-Australia Museum Curator Exchange Program
NCAR Talk aims to create a space for open dialogue around a shared theme by inviting a guest speaker to each session, helping participants become more familiar with and gain deeper insight into the diverse activities of the National Center for Art Research (NCAR). The Japan-Australia Museum Curator Exchange Program is an initiative that has been promoted by both countries for more than 30 years under the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia, with NCAR responsible for coordinating its implementation.

To participate, please register through the online registration form below (Deadline: Monday, November 16, 5:00 p.m. JST). 
Registration Form

 

 

Date	Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Venue	Meeting Rooms 3 & 4 Hitotsubashi Hall, National Center of Sciences Building 2F (2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8439)
Access	Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line/Toei Mita Line/Toei Shinjuku Line Jinbocho Station Exit A9 Tokyo Metro Tozai Line Takebashi Station Exit 1b Approx. 3 - 5 min. walk from the stations google map
Speakers	Tamsin Cull (Guest), Natsumi Yoshizawa (Facilitator)
Capacity	100 people (registration will close when capacity is reached)
Admission	Free (advance registration required)
Language	English with consecutive interpretation
Organizer	National Center for Art Research, Japan (NCAR)

Tamsin Cull, Head of Public Engagement, QAGOMA / Photograph: Chloë Callistemon, QAGOMA

Tamsin Cull (Guest)
As the Head of Public Engagement at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (2014 – present), Tamsin Cull leads the Children’s Art Centre, Public Programs and Members teams, working to meaningfully connect diverse audiences with art and ideas through interactive exhibitions and experiences, programs, film and publication projects.

Since joining the Gallery, she has worked with more than 100 Australian and international artists to develop children’s interactive artworks and exhibitions, including eight editions of Asia Pacific Triennial Kids, as well as major projects for audiences of all ages. She was the co-curator of ‘Wonderstruck’, a major all-ages exhibition on display at GOMA in 2025, which reimagined the conventional Collection exhibition model, bringing together more than 100 Collection works with ten original experiential artworks and projects first created as collaborations between contemporary artists and QAGOMA’s Children’s Art Centre.

Natsumi Yoshizawa (Facilitator)
Senior Educator, Section manager of Education and Public Programs, The National Art Center, Tokyo
Natsumi Yoshizawa began her career as an Educator at The Museum of Kyoto in 2004 and joined The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) in 2006. She has since led the planning and management of a wide range of educational programs, including artist-led workshops and talks, school programs, architecture tours, youth projects, teacher training, professional development initiatives, and corporate programs. She has also overseen the production of educational guidebooks and project publications. Since 2023, she has served as Head of the Education Section, overseeing all educational activities at NACT. She is also a part-time lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts, where she supports the development of emerging arts professionals.