Explores how museums make collections visible, accessible and meaningful to different audiences, and how AI is reshaping interpretation, language, access and cultural context. The session focuses on the museum as a knowledge interface: not simply a place that stores objects, but an institution that frames relationships between collections, communities and publics.
Dr. Peter Magee
Dr. Peter Magee spent more than 30 years directing heritage research in the UAE and across the Middle East prior to becoming Director of Zayed National Museum. This appointment followed 20 years serving as Professor, then Chair, of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, as well as academic positions in Belgium and Australia.
He has published more than 70 scientific papers and books on the history and archaeology of the Arabian Gulf and is a Fellow of The Society of Antiquaries in the United Kingdom. He also serves as the current Chair of the International Association for the Study of Arabia.
Dr. Peter Kjærgaard
Dr Peter C. Kjærgaard is Director of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, which opened to the public in November 2025. The largest museum of its kind in the region, it defines itself as a place to engage, participate and grow, where communities, researchers and partners come together. It takes the stewardship of our shared natural heritage seriously and builds the scientific record of the region’s own nature, from its lost worlds to its living biodiversity, for future generations. Its ambition is to make a positive difference in the world for people and planet. Dr Kjærgaard previously served as Director of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, where he led the museum’s transformation and the development of a new museum building. Under his leadership an international evaluation panel rated the museum world-leading in its originality, significance and rigour. He holds an honorary professorship at University College London and previously held professorships at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University. He is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London and a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Suheyla Takesh
Suheyla Takesh is Director of the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, where she leads curatorial and scholarly initiatives focused on modern and contemporary Arab art. She has curated exhibitions internationally, and contributed essays to exhibition catalogues and peer-reviewed journals. She is co-editor of several books on Arab art, such as "Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s" (Hirmer, 2020), "The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun" (Skira, 2025), and "Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World" (Mapin, 2026). Suheyla holds a master's degree in History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art from MIT.