Entitled "Demistifying Museum Soft Power: Geo-visualising Museums' Influence", this 'virtual study group' (VSG) or webinar will share key findings of a research project that has sought to define, explain and deconstruct the 'soft power' of museums. Spanning museums’ contributions to place branding, urban regeneration and the development of tourism, the concept of ‘soft power’ is an increasingly valuable metric for the museum sector, providing a unique set of insights. The presentation will aim to demonstrate the pilot version of the award-winning dynamic web application that was developed in partnership with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). The app Museum Soft Power Map enables users to explore a geographic spread of ACMI’s cultural resources and social outputs. Multiple layers across several datasets visualise ACMI’s cultural collections, online audiences, international partnership networks and the impact of travelling exhibitions. Plans are now underway for this pilot to be further re-designed in collaboration with museums around the world. This interactive VSG will encourage experimentation, networking and a collaborative exploration of what museum ‘soft power’ is and how it can be measured and analysed.  You can find out more about this project on the University of Melbourne Digital Studio’s website or view the pilot version of the Museum Soft Power Map. The VSG will be led by Dr Natalia Grincheva, Lead CI and Conceptual Designer of the digital mapping system. Dr Grincheva is a Research Fellow in the Research Unit of Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne. Guest speakers include the following:

• Gail Dexter Lord, one of the world’s foremost museum and cultural planners. Co-founder and President of Lord Cultural Resources.
• Seb Chan, Chief Experience Officer at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
• Chris Harris, Head of Exhibition and Touring at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
• Natasha Mian, Coordinator for the Development team, Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
• Eliza Coyle, Community Programmes Officer, Yarra City Council Libraries.

Further information

The webinar "Demistifying Museum Soft Power: Geo-visualising Museums' Influence" will be held at the following times:

• Melbourne, 11 December, 8am
• UK, 10 December, 9pm
• USA (East), 10 December, 4pm EST

For additional information and registration, please visit http://culturalresearchnetwork.org/demystifying-museum-soft-power-geo-visualising-museums-influence/