INTERCOM&FIHRM 2014 The Social Impact of Museums

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1 INTERCOM International Committee on Management Comité International pour la Gestion INTERCOM&FIHRM 2014 The Social Impact of Museums 1 4 May 2014 Taipei, Taiwan CALL FOR PAPERS! 21st century museum management is confronted with many social challenges. Museums have to be more active in trying to reconsider their social value so that they can fulfill their duty of social responsibility. The International Committee on Management of the International Council of Museums (INTERCOM) together with the Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) will discuss The Social Impact of Museums and underlying challenges in contemporary museum management in three key themes: 1. Museum Value and Valuation 2. Social Memories and Equality Empowerment 3. Social enterprise and working with communities The aim of the conference is to use the museum as the platform for social harmony and develop our international network of museums and related organizations in three days of stimulating debate, networking opportunities and study visits in Taiwan. Full details on the three key themes can be found below. Call for proposals We would like to invite you to submit your proposal to attend speak at the session. We wish to look at recent and current examples of progressive work in museums or related organizations. You can submit proposals for case studies, research papers, under any of the above themes. Proposals should be no more than 300 words. In addition, you are asked to submit a short biography of about words. All papers must be in English. The deadline is 25 January

2 Bursary Scheme INTERCOM will be aiming to offer bursaries to delegates from low GDP countries. Information about a bursary programme for the conference will be announced separately. For further details on the conference, please visit the FIHRM or INTERCOM website at or If you have any further queries, please contact INTERCOM Secretary Berit Fruelund Kjaerside at intercom@kulturstyrelsen.dk or FIHRM Coordinator Francoise McClafferty at fihrm@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk 2

3 The Social Impact of Museums Description of key themes 1. Museum Value and Valuation: Owing to the continuous changing of political, economic and social environments, the relationship between museum and the public would also confront different challenges. What are the values and missions of museum, and how to review its function and influence? The following three subheads will respectively discuss the value and mission of museum in contemporary society, management challenges museum is confronting due to times change, and derivative new management thinking: Proposed sub themes 1.1 Museum Values and Missions Museum is established for the good of mankind, to ensure the preservation of cultural legacy. Museum not only reflects history and culture, but also need to answer to issues in contemporary society, serve the society, develops the society, promoting its more influential reform in human society and social culture. 1.2 Museum Management and New Challenges Change in policy, financial difficulty, natural disasters and ageing population, these are the issues challenging the management model of a contemporary museum, its roles and functions and its relationship with mass population. Nowadays, a museum must act to echo with city marketing, cultural industry and need of multicultural stakeholders. 1.3 Valuation of Museum Value: Museum contains essential, using, institutional and instrumental values and has significant influences on cultural recognition, social tolerance, international exchange and community cooperation. However, how could museum show its significance in both quantification and qualitative valuation in hope of winning more recognition and support from political and economic sources, society and community? Contemporary museum operation and management needs more varied professional talents with macroscopic and pioneering attitude to start the future together. 3

4 2. Social Memories and Equality Empowerment: As the important field of conceiving times culture and base of community recognition, museum is open for the public and thus ought to actively respond to the political, gender, racial and faith conflicts of the society and ensure that everyone has the right to express himself of herself and to be respected at the same time. In the following three subheads, this article will respectively discuss how a museum could realize social justice, guard human rights and ensure accessible cultural accesses: Museum and Social Justice Not only does a contemporary museum must shift its focus from objects to people, it also needs to return from elite oriented to mass society. A contemporary museum must respect the fairness and rights of cultural participation, always in service of the weak and the poor, while promoting social justice. Museum and Human Rights Human Rights is one of the most important universal values around the world. How a museum can remembers its history lessons and implements human rights? A museum must reflect on the story of people s fight for basic rights through cultural artifacts, and the management of a museum should be based on protecting human rights, while respecting cultural diversity and differences. Museum Accessibility Today s museum is a continuous learning institution established for everyone, yet there are still many people unable to enjoy the museum facility due to economics, culture, geographic or physical constraints. How to create a museum with cultural accessibility to all, develop its audience and satiate different audience needs is a subject facing all the museums 4

5 3. Social enterprise and working with communities Intersectional integration and value innovation are ways for contemporary museums and public institutions to actively realize social responsibility. In the following three subheads, this article will respectively discuss social practice of enterprises, the roles and functions culture and art could play, and the cooperation between museum and community: Museum, Business and Social Enterprise With the development and transformation of enterprises in Taiwan, there also seen a rapid growth in the number of museums in the private section. How the two can learn from each other, leverage and integrate its resources, creating a world for the greater good, is a vision shared by both museums and enterprises. Art Learning in Museum Art is the best vessel for museum learning. A museum can devise different activities targeting different groups and ages, through participating in art learning activities helping audiences to develop self direction, at the same time develop self expression, participate in creative learning and form collective identification. Museum and Community The natural surroundings and cultural resources of a community is the body of a museum, and every museum s most unique and treasured local resources. A museum must grows beyond its physical restrictions, establishes its partnership with the community, work to shape social identification, and works together with the community to shape its shared cultural landscape. Conference Organisers: ICOM INTERCOM, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, Chinese Association of Museums, National Taiwan University of Arts, Federation of International Human Rights Museums 5