Museums are increasingly recognized as powerful spaces for reducing stress, combating loneliness and supporting emotional wellbeing. The Museum Wellbeing Summit 2026 from MuseumNext brings together inspiring case studies and fresh research from around the world to explore how museums can strengthen the health of their communities.
Dates: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Across two days, you’ll hear how institutions are working with NEET youth, supporting healthcare professionals, collaborating with prisons and social services, addressing climate emotions, and creating spaces for rest, mindfulness, connection and joy. Speakers from leading museums and pioneering community projects will share practical insights into what works and what’s emerging in the field.
What to expect
- Experience two days of cutting-edge wellbeing innovation from museums worldwide — from trauma-informed learning to awe pedagogy, mindfulness, arts-in-health, climate emotions, and community-centered practice.
- Discover practical models you can apply immediately, through case studies spanning prisons, hospitals, youth programs, migrant communities, and partnerships with social care, healthcare, and academic institutions.
- Learn directly from 30+ leaders in the field, including major museums such as MoMA, Whitney Museum of American Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Getty, National Gallery of Art, Vancouver Art Gallery, and pioneering smaller institutions pushing boundaries in wellbeing practice.
- Leave inspired, grounded, and energized, with new strategies, new collaborators, and a renewed sense of what museums can do for the wellbeing of their communities — and themselves.
