The main event of the Closing Conference of the project ,,BITE of Art” named ,,The Museum of Contemporary Art in an Extended Field” was held on 17th of November in Belgrade, Serbia. This event gathered curators and representatives of some of the most important European cultural institutions with an aim to involve them in the disscusion on the future of contemporary art and about the ways in which the management of art museum can be improved through international cooperation, use of modern technologies and inciting public attention. At the same time, the Conference served as a platform for the promotion of the accomplishments of ,,BITE of Art” initiative which was ranked as the best European project for 2019 within the EU programme “Creative Europe”. Even though many guests attented the Conference in-person at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the event also attracted online attendees through social media streaming.

The Conference was opened and moderated by Marijana Kolarić, the director of the Museum of Contemporary art in Belgrade. She presented the achievements and activities of the Museum which aims to promote contemporary art in Serbia and region.

Right after Mrs Kolarić, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon, Isabelle Bertolotti presented a case study of a successful and fruitful cooperation between Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon with the Museum of Contemporary Arts in the same city.

Gunnar B. Kvaran , the former director of a privately-owned museum “Astrup Fearnley” in Oslo, spoke about the role of private museums and galleries in Scandinavia, where the state-owned institutions dominate the cultural scene.

He was followed by Jean-Max Collard, curator of the Centre Pomipidou in Paris, who presented the work of the department for speech that operates within this institution and the ways in which it is possible to democratize the work of the museum by involving people from all walks of life through dialogues and forums.

Holger Reenberg, director of the HEART – Hearning Art Museum in Denmark, was the next speaker. In his presentation, he emphasized the role that regional museums of contemporary art in the development of the international cultural scene.

Branko Franceschi, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, shared his experiences regarding efforts to attract new audience to the museum by offering more interactive content to the visitors.

For the end of the Conference, the participants and numerous guests were addressed by the program director of the international initiative “BITE of Art”, Ivan Despotović, who presented the achievements of this project and the tools developed within it with an aim to help cultural operators to improve their work and attract new young audiences to their events.

This conference presented a unique chance for cultural operators to meet in person during the ongoing pandemic, exchange their views on future of visual arts and share the experiences of managing their institutions. International initiative ,,BITE of Art” will continue supporting their work and will continue producing new solutions for the promotion of contemporary art in Europe.