Podcast Museums and Chill – Digital Practices and Accessibility in Museums

Museums and Chill is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcast!

How do you see digital practices evolving to make museums and cultural spaces more inclusive and accessible today?

As the ICOM General Conference approaches next week, museum professionals worldwide are preparing to explore the future of cultural institutions. In this episode of Museums and Chill, we speak with Emilia Sharples, member of the Museums & Audiences Team at Art Fund, about how digital practices can improve accessibility in museums.

Emilia shares her insights on making cultural spaces more inclusive through technology, the role of young professionals in shaping accessible experiences, and how institutions can embrace innovation while keeping accessibility at the heart of their work.

This episode highlights the subthemes of the upcoming ICOM conference - Youth Power and Technologies - showing how digital tools can empower both audiences and the next generation of museum professionals.

Listen to the full episode:

Anapaula García Soto is Communications Coordinator at the International Council of Museums. Before joining ICOM, Anapaula worked on different communication projects. She holds a B.A. on Communication and Digital Media from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a Masters in Creative Project Management, Culture and Design from the Rennes School of Business and the École européenne supérieure d'art de Bretagne.

Emilia Sharples works at Art Fund as part of the Museums & Audiences team, supporting initiatives that strengthen connections between museums and the communities they serve. Her passion for accessibility and inclusion in heritage was fostered while contributing to The Lyme Museum, an online space exploring how digital innovation and true conversation can help break barriers to engagement. Her article Digital Renaissance: Transforming Museums for Inclusive Education reflects her ongoing interest in how technology can foster more equitable, inclusive, and meaningful museum experiences for all.

The views and opinions expressed by our podcast's guests are their own and do not reflect the opinions or views of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and its bodies and entities. The content provided in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. ICOM and its bodies and entities do not endorse or take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed by guests during the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and seek professional advice when making decisions based on the information discussed in this podcast.