IAWM Conference 2021 Hittisau (Hybrid Edition)

IAWM2021 Opening © FMH / Stefanie Momo Beck

From August 31 to September 3, 2021, the International Association of Women’s Museums held its 6th International Conference at the Frauenmuseum Hittisau — in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

Conceived as a fully hybrid event, the conference responded to a moment that exposed and intensified existing inequalities, particularly affecting women and care structures worldwide. Bringing together participants on site and online, it created a shared space across physical and digital boundaries. 

Under the guiding idea “And still we create”, the conference became a platform for exchange, resilience, and critical reflection. The program combined keynotes, presentations, workshops, and participatory formats, addressing themes such as birth culture, motherhood, reproductive rights, and women’s health from international perspectives. Sessions like “Bits & Bytes” and the storytelling café connected expert knowledge with lived experience, highlighting the political dimensions of care, body, and autonomy. 

The hybrid format also reshaped institutional practice. Program, discussions, and the IAWM General Assembly — including elections — were conducted across on-site and digital platforms, opening new forms of participation within the network. 

By linking local presence in Hittisau with global exchange, the conference demonstrated how feminist cultural work can adapt, persist, and respond to crisis — while continuing to build solidarity across borders. 

And still we create.