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Cultural Current: International Exchange Program between the UK and Russia

From December 21, 2020, applications for participation in the international online program for the exchange of professional experience between museum specialists of Russia and the UK CULTURAL CURRENT will be accepted. The program is implemented with the support of the Department of Culture and Education of the British Embassy in Moscow as part of the program UK-Russia Creative Bridge 2020-21. 

The program is designed to activate the work of university museums and the communities around them. Using examples of the best museum practices in Russia and Scotland, we will consider the diverse possibilities of university museums, and through them universities as centers for the preservation and presentation of scientific and cultural heritage, centers of social change. The implementation of this program is a step towards increasing the openness and accessibility of university museums. The program will expand the sphere of influence of museums within universities, through universities to form the cultural and social agenda of cities and regions. 

The program provides participants with the opportunity to: 

– to establish professional contacts with leading experts of museum affairs of Russia and Scotland; 

– share your own experience in implementing various projects and get instant feedback; 

– develop strategic thinking, gain skills in setting and achieving goals; 

– expand its sphere of influence within universities. 

Organizers of the program: Tomsk Polytechnic University,  Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University,  Perm State National Research University together with the Association of University Museums of Scotland  UMIS. 

Co-organizers of the program: Department of Culture and Education of the British Embassy in Moscow. 

Seminars of the CULTURAL CURRENT program will be held online on February 5, 11, 12 and 19, 2021. Participation in the program is free – you can join it as a speaker or listener. To do this, you must register by specifying the selected form of participation in the application. The organizers reserve the right to select participants. 

The program is aimed at: 

– managers and employees of university, corporate, and school museums who believe that difficulties harden and open up new opportunities; 

– students who want to change, expand their social circle, find new topics for inspiration; 

– volunteers who need to be in the museum and with the museum; 

– researchers who are open to scientific and creative projects in partnership with university museums; 

– anyone who understands how great and underestimated the potential of university museums in the world is. 

Working language of The Program: russian and english. 

Registration for the program: 

– for those who want to participate in the program, registration will be open from December 21, 2020 to January 15, 2021 through this online form.

The number of seats is limited. All relevant information about the program and seminars will be provided in the  program group on Facebook. 

Curators of the program: 

Lidia Lozovaya 

 

Supported by:

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Nominees for the UMAC Award 2020

Today, the three nominees for the UMAC Award 2020 have been announced by Akiko Fukuno, Chair of the UMAC Award Committee.

We invite you to learn more about these three outstanding projects every Monday in September on our YouTube channel:

7 September: The Egyptian Coffins Project, Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, with Steph Scholten (UMAC)

14 September: Return of Cultural Heritage Project, The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, with Akiko Fukuno (UMAC)

21 September: A Hundred Faces of the University of Tartu, Tartu University Museum, with Andrew Simpson (UMAC)

28 September: Announcement of the Winner of the UMAC Award

 

 

 

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Solidarity with University Museums and Collections in Beirut — UPDATES

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Grâce Homsy-Gotwalles discute des opportunités de formation des professionnels des musées après l’explosion à Beyrouth.

Avec Sébastien Soubiran, UMAC Board/UNIVERSEUM/Université de Strasbourg.

Thursday, 27 August 2020

Suzy Hakimian, Chair of ICOM-Lebanon talks to us about the impact of the explosion, the reconstruction of museums, the international effort, and more.

Friday, 14 August 2020

Elsa Urtizverea, Heritage Protection Coordinator at the ICOM Secretariat in Paris shares her first hand impressions and explains the next steps for the international recovery efforts.

Wednesday, 12 August 2020

To the volunteers in Beirut:

Transcription:

Dear volunteers,

The international community of university museums and collections is deeply sorry for the shocking tragedy that happened last week in your beautiful city of Beirut, Lebanon. You, your family, your friends and all citizens of Beirut are in our minds and hearts, and I sincerely hope you are all well.

I want to express my deepest gratitude, on behalf of UMAC, for your amazing capacity of response and spirit of solidarity. The task ahead is huge and barely starting, but I am confident that with your help, resilience and passion, the cultural heritage of Beirut – particularly the outstanding museums, collections and archives of Beirut universities – will soon be well preserved and accessible again for research, education and culture.

On the international community side, the response has also been super quick and we are proud to be part of a coalition of institutions involving ICOM, ICOMOS, the Blue Shield, and others, led by ICOM Lebanon.

I want each and every one of you to know that you are not alone. You will be working towards the preservation of heritage that is not only of the Lebanese but of citizens from all over the world, of citizens of the future. Your hands and minds will be the hands and minds of hundreds of us who cannot be physically with you at this moment.

Thank you all, and thank you Gilbert, Elsy and David for mobilizing this extraordinary group. Together we will restore Beirut’s cultural heritage to its 3 August glory – perhaps even better. And I look forward to meeting you personally, one by one, as soon as possible.

Take care.

Marta Lourenço, University of Lisbon

12.08.2020

Sunday, 9 August 2020

The architects Gilbert Nicolas, Elsy Sayegh and David Chelala are mobilizing volunteers to assess damages to museums in Beirut, assist with the clean up and reporting back to ICOM-UMAC.

They will be working with ICOM-Lebanon and Elsa Urtizverea, from the Heritage Protection Department of the ICOM Secretariat in Paris.

If you are in Beirut, your help is most appreciated. Sign in here to volunteer.

Friday, 7 August 2020

For the past 48 hours, Gilbert Nicholas has been visiting museums in Beirut, talking to staff, documenting damages and helping with the clean up. Today, he gives UMAC a first-hand report on the impact, particularly to university museums and collections.

 

 

 

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Treasures of Polish University Heritage

In May 2014, the first non-governmental organization in Poland dedicated to Polish museums and museum units at universities was established – the Association of University Museums. The strength of the university museum community in Poland is evident in the Association’s growth: with 13 museums on 2014, today it has 102 university museums.

The Association of University Museums makes the society aware of the importance of academic heritage as an important dimension of national identity. The most important goal of the Association is to develop university museums and preserve academic heritage through its protection, dissemination and promotion, as well as to support the collection, documentation and conservation of monuments, and develop scientific research. A wide range of information activities is carried out, promoting the idea of university museums in Poland and abroad.

Several publications have resulted from the activities of the Association: “University Museums”, ed. H. Kowalski, M. Grassmann, M. Bukowski; “University Museum in Poland”, ed. H. Kowalski, M. Grassmann, M. Bukowski, Warsaw 2016; K. Pomian, “Museums and nations in Central Europe”, Warsaw 2016; “University Museums. Catalogue” ed. H. Kowalski, M. Grassmann, M. Bukowski, M. Piszczatowska, J. Ślaga, Warsaw 2017.

In 2020, the Association of University Museums is implementing the project “TREASURES OF THE POLISH UNIVERSITY HERITAGE”. This project will publish in English a catalogue of the most valuable objects from 102 museum units of Polish universities. The project will also create a website in English. The official launch of the catalogue will take place December 16th, 2020 in the Warsaw University Museum.

The project “TREASURES OF THE POLISH UNIVERSITY HERITAGE” has been co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

More information about the project here.

 

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SJTU-T.D. Lee Science and Art Competition 2020

The SJTU-T.D. LEE Science and Art Lecture Fund of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (hereinafter referred to as the Science and Art Fund) was established in 2013 to promote the integration of science and art and carry forward the spirit of science and art. The Science and Art Fund would organize a science and art work competition every year to encourage the creation of works of art based on scientific themes, and select outstanding scientific and art works from around the world to organize special exhibitions after review and evaluation. So far, 6 science and art competition and exhibitions have been successfully held.

The 7th Science and Art Competition starts officially in June 2020. This year’s theme is ‘Spin‘. After completing the collection and review of art works, it is planned to hold the “T.D. Lee Science and Art Works Exhibition — 2020 Spin International Scientific Seminar” in November 2020. During the event, it will focus on the integration and innovation of science and art, and hold international academic seminars to provide scientists and artists with a high-level interactive communication platform.

Organizating Bodies

Sponsoring Organization:

  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • International Scientific Exchange Foundation of China
  • Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

Supporting Organization:

  • Tsung Dao LEE Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Tsung Dao Lee Research Institute, School of Design
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Review and Evaluation Body:

  • SJTU-T.D. LEE Science and Art Committee
  • Science and Art Committee of International Scientific Exchange Foundation of China
  • T.D. Lee Science and Art Research Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Learn more about calendar, submission and rules in the notice.

More information, please contact:

Chen Xuwei,  Shanghai Jiao Tong University Tsung Dao Lee Library, 800 Dongchuan Rd., Shanghai, 200240, P.R. China.

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20th UMAC Annual General Meeting

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, UMAC’s 20th Annual General meeting will take place on the virtual platform Zoom.

It is scheduled to Monday, 27 July at 1 PM Lisbon/London time. Please find the announcement, agenda, and associated documents here.

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Fire at the Natural History Museum and Botanic Garden, Belo Horizonte

So sad that yet another tragedy hit a university museum in Brazil. This week, a fire at the Natural History Museum and Botanic Garden, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, destroyed part of the collections.

Photo Divulgação COBOM, Brasil.

UMAC sends to our friends in UFMG our condolences and full solidarity. We are also forwarding dozens of messages that are arriving from everywhere in the world to the Museum director, Prof. Mariana Lacerda.

UMAC is working closely with ICOM Brazil and the UFMG Museum Network to accompany the situation and help when we can.