Mauricio Candido da Silva

Veterinary Anatomy Museum of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo

ICOM No. 37314

Nominators: Bruna Marina Portela (Brazil), Ana Paula Nascimento (Brazil)

Biographical note

I am a historian, with specialization in Museology, master and doctorate in Architecture, postdoctoral in Museology at the University of São Paulo, with research on “Brazilian Collections and University Museums”. I teach “Expography” in postgraduate courses at various universities. I coordinate the Museum of Veterinary Anatomy at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at the University of São Paulo. I coordinate the Brazilian Network of Collections and University Museums. Member of the ICOM Brazil Council, I am a voting member of UMAC/ICOM. Member of the National Council for Cultural Policies of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. Link to CV.

Qualifications for the position

My qualifications to be an Ordinary Board Member of UMAC are reported below.

As coordinator of a University Museum (Veterinary Anatomy Museum of School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at the University of São Paulo), researcher, teacher and responsible for creating a National Network of Collections and University Museums, I am fully committed to the UMAC mission. I have contributed to social development by sustaining the continued proms and actions of collections and university museums as essential resources devoted to research, education, university outreach, and the preservation of cultural, historic, natural, artistic, archeological and scientific university heritage.

As a member of UMAC and ICOM since 2003, for over 20 years I have been absolutely committed to the ICOM Statutes, the ICOM Code of Ethics, the ICOM Internal Rules, and the UMAC Bylaws. I have participated in various meetings and I have contributed to strengthening ICOM at different points in my professional and academic life. Throughout this time, I have never had any kind of problem with ICOM. Contrariwise, I have always participated in projects and contributed whenever I had the opportunity.

I have worked with the preservation and promotion of university museum heritage for 35 years, and since joining UMAC, I have sought to value and disseminate its principles. I have encouraged several Brazilian museum professionals, students and teachers to join UMAC, aiming to strengthen this important International Committee of ICOM. I have dedicated myself to demonstrate the importance of the Brazilian Collections and University Museums through the Brazilian Network of Collections and University Museums, which currently has approximately 600 members (https://rbcmu.com.br/en/home-en/). I have dedicated myself intensely for the development of this museum field, which is above my personal interests. I want to take this experience to a global scale, bring UMAC closer to Brazil, and contribute to its strengthening. Over the decades, I have never had functions, personal affiliations, or roles that would cause a conflict of interest with the UMAC. Quite the contrary, my intentions are to contribute to the development of UMAC.

I have a great capacity of work and am able to dedicate the necessary time to daily activities and to attend UMAC Annual Conferences. As an Ordinary Board Member, I intend to dedicate myself to contributing to the improvement of UMAC’s Communication & Media (website, social media, mailing list, calendar), supervising Working Groups, and jointly building Networks for the engagement of the global UMAC community. My experience implementing and coordinating the Brazilian Network of Collections and University Museums will certainly contribute to the development of this strategy.

I hereby declare that I do not trade (i.e., buy or sell for profit) cultural goods and that I respect and adhere to the Code of Ethics for Museums adopted by ICOM.

Main goals of candidacy

Below is a list of objectives for my application:
1) Connect UMAC with the community of Brazilian students, professionals, researchers, and professors interested in and working with university collections and museums.
2) Contribute to the methodological development for the implementation of networking, based on my experience with research and development of the Brazilian Network of University Collections and Museums.
3) Improve our communications with UMAC membership (notably marginalised countries such as the global south) and share projects, resources and networks. Listen to the membership is the best way.
4) Support existing (and new) programmes that we initiated, which address under-represented regions, such as Building Bridges and Imaginations to openly support younger emerging professionals.
5) Improve linguistic diversity and expand UMAC geographical and digital reach: begin with more promotion of ICOM official languages to encourage dialogue and exchange in original languages, and actively seek out members in under-represented regions.
6) Support the work of UMAC Journal by promoting more diversity in languages and topics chosen by the membership.
7) Ensure that the UMAC Board is accountable and transparent in its business.
8) Collaborate with the updating and improvement of the database of university collections and museums already existing on the UMAC website.
9) Collaborate with the retention of current members and the increase of new members in UMAC.
10) Contribute to the strengthening of UMAC by supporting the updating of the website and mailing list, and by supervising working groups and regional UMAC networks.
These objectives underlie my intentions in submitting my candidacy as a regular member of the UMAC board.