Townhall Meeting

During the 2026 Town Hall Meeting – Walk Through the Future, we invite visitors, partners, communities, students, neighbours, donors, creators, and other stakeholders to look back together and look ahead.

Two years after our previous Townhall 2024-edition we’re taking a moment to reflect on what has happened since. Which ideas have been set in motion? What have we learned? And what steps are we now taking towards the renewed Wereldmuseum Leiden? 

Then we turn our attention to the future. We’ll share the plans for the building, the new entrance and the museum garden, take you behind the scenes of the development of exhibitions and programming, and discuss the role the museum wants to play in a changing world.

An evening to look back, think ahead, and explore the future of the museum together.

The Town Hall Meeting is an invitation to be part of this transition. Because a renewed museum is shaped not only by new buildings, exhibitions, and plans, but also by the relationships the museum builds with the people and communities around it.

Visitors, communities, donors, neighbours, artists, students, and partners each bring their own perspectives, experiences, and expectations. That diversity is, and will remain, an essential part of the future of Wereldmuseum.

Where the museum normally showcases the world in all its diversity, this evening we turn our focus inward and explore our own shared future.

What will Wereldmuseum Leiden look like in a few years?
Which stories will have a place in the museum?
What encounters do we want to make possible?
And perhaps most importantly: what will your place in that museum look like?

During the Town Hall, you’ll get a first glimpse into the future of Wereldmuseum Leiden. We’ll present the plans for the building, the new entrance, and the museum garden, share a first look at the exhibition Wax-prints Worldwide: From Batik to Vlisco, and explore together the role the museum wants to continue playing for diverse communities.

Don’t expect a traditional presentation, but rather an interactive evening where connecting, discovering, and sharing ideas take centre stage.

The central question is: The museum is changing — will you change with us?”

17:45 | Doors open

Welcome to Wereldmuseum Leiden.
We’ll welcome you with a warm drink, autumn bites, and live music.

18:15 | Welcome – The Future

A look back, a look ahead.

• Opening remarks – Wayne Modest & Marieke van Bommel, Wereldmuseum Leiden management
• Looking back at the Town Hall Meeting two years ago – Wayne Modest & Marieke van Bommel
• The future of Wereldmuseum Leiden – Wayne Modest & Marieke van Bommel
  “We are choosing a hopeful future in which we bring worlds together.”
• From vision to space – Marieke van Bommel & Rik Herder, Project Lead for the Redevelopment of Wereldmuseum Leiden

18:45 | Walk Through the Future

Choose your future walk

What will Wereldmuseum Leiden look like in the years to come? And what role do we want the museum to play in a changing world?

Choose one of three interactive sessions and discover different perspectives on the future of the museum.

1. The Museum of the Future – Building, Garden & Entrance
A walk through the plans for the renewed museum building, the World Garden, and the new entrance.
Carousel: Mara Molenkamp, Rik Herder & Thomas de Jong
Location: Outdoors

2. Stories of the Future – Exhibitions & Contemporary Art
An inspiring workshop exploring the future of contemporary art and the space for Indigenous communities, contemporary makers, and new stories within the museum. Which perspectives will have a place, and how can exhibitions create space for different ways of seeing, making, and storytelling?
Curator/exhibition maker & artist
Location: Museum Café

3. The Museum as a Public Space – Communities & Geopolitics
How can a museum remain meaningful in a world where geopolitical tensions, social changes, and cultural differences are increasingly felt? A discussion and workshop about cultural communities, encounters, and the need for a public space where different perspectives can come together.
Wereldmuseum in conversation with an external community – to be announced
Location: Main Hall, 1st floor

19:30 | Talks & Q&A

Inspiration from Practice

Two short talks by inspiring makers and contributors, followed by a group discussion.

Talk 1 – A World of Many Worlds
On creating space for multiple perspectives, stories, and worlds.

Talk 2 – The Family Museum / Wereldatelier
On new ways of meeting, learning, and creating meaning together in the museum.

Afterwards, there will be time for questions, conversation, and connecting with others.

20:15 | Musical Finale & Speed Dating

We’ll close the main programme with music and a special performance.

Afterwards, Wayne Modest and Marieke van Bommel will invite visitors to take part in a short personal speed date: an organised carousel where ideas, questions, and expectations about the future of Wereldmuseum Leiden can be explored and shared.

20:45 | Networking & Drinks

The evening continues informally with music, conversation, and drinks.

We’ll also look ahead to another special moment: on 18 February 2027, we’ll celebrate the opening of a new phase in the redevelopment of the museum building, with the opening of the exhibition Wax-prints Worldwide: From Batik to Vlisco.

21:00 | End