Show latest news, more from August 2009.
ASEAN Museum Directors seek ways to better engage their communities at regional symposium
The second ASEAN Museum Directors’ Symposium (AMDS), jointly organised by the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) will take place at ACM on 19th and 20th August 2009. The symposium, which will be graced by Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister-of-State for Foreign Affairs, picks up from the first AMDS held here two years ago and is aimed at forging an integrated approach to museum programming, sharing of ideas and expertise and forming a directors’ network to facilitate more cross-border collaboration among museums in the region.
Following the success of its inaugural gathering, this year’s AMDS will see a 50% increase in the number of papers presented by representatives from public as well as private museums. Eighteen papers covering issues ranging from identifying and working with source communities to audience engagement will be presented by speakers from 12 countries.
The symposium welcomes representatives from museums both large and small across ASEAN. Two first-timers include Dr Cristina Lim-Yuson of the Museo Pambata Foundation in the Philippines who will be sharing her unique outreach programme of working with street children while Ms Tara Gujadhur of The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre (TAEC) in Laos will discuss how her centre is working with various ethnic groups to develop exhibitions through a cultural-mapping process which includes interviews with village chiefs and elders.
More than 120 people comprising directors and curators from ASEAN museums, members of Singapore’s Museum Roundtable, as well as museum professionals from global cultural organisations such as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Newcastle Region Art Gallery (Australia), students and members of the public will be attending the symposium.
Mr Michael Koh, Chief Executive Officer of NHB, said: “This is an important platform for our fellow museum and heritage colleagues to engage in an exchange ideas and knowledge. Through such ASEAN-wide cooperation we can improve our museological standards, better engage our respective communities and promote the love of museums and heritage throughout the region and beyond.”
The theme this year shifts the focus onto “Museum-Community Partnership: The Role of ASEAN Museums in the 21st Century.” The Symposium will discuss the following:
· National Strategies adopted/aligned to engage stakeholders within the community
· Audience engagement and accessibility
· Case studies of working with source communities such as oral history interviews and other forms of data collection
The ASEAN delegates will be joined by key speakers from global cultural organisations including Ms Alissandra Cummins, President of ICOM, and Mr Ron Ramsey, Director of Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Australia. Details of the speakers and programme can be found at Annex A and B respectively.
The Symposium illustrates the formation of an integrated ASEAN museum network, which will pave the path for future memorandums of understanding, enhanced cultural exchanges and deeper levels of integrated programming. This network fosters stronger cultural relations among neighbouring countries and enables
museums to tap into the many resources available in the region.
Show latest news, more from August 2009.
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >