CONFERENCE REPORT

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​Featuring 40 laureates recognised in 2024 by numerous leading award programmes, the 24th edition of The Best in Heritage gathered over 150 participants from across the globe and showcased a rich spectrum of undertakings and perspectives. Set in Barcelona’s leading cultural venues - CaixaForum Barcelona, El Born. Museu d’Història de Barcelona, Ateneu Barcelonès, and Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya - the conference featured the most innovative, award-winning projects from the wider heritage sector from the preceding year, offering a panorama of best practice and innovation on a global level.

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The conference brought together a remarkably diverse group of museums, cultural institutions, and heritage projects spanning six continents. From Europe, participants included initiatives in Finland (Sámi Museum Siida, the NewsEye project), The Netherlands (Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, KossmanndeJong), Denmark (Carl Nielsen Museum), Spain (Snow Wells in Sierra Espuña, MARQ in Alicante, Museo del Prado), Portugal (Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis in Porto, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga), the United Kingdom (Young V&A, Museum of the Home, Tees Valley Museums, the Royal Armouries, and the Emily Hobhouse project), Greece (Boulouki Travelling Workshop and Salt Museum in Messolonghi), Croatia (Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities and Museum of Bećarac), Estonia (Kalamaja Museum), Ukraine (Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Art), Italy (International Festival of Classical Theatre for Youth in Syracuse, Codex 4D), Germany (Deutschlandmuseum, the Royal Dresden Porcelain Collection), Slovenia (Muzej pošte in telekomunikacij), Poland (Sybir Memorial Museum), and Austria and France through their participation in the NewsEye international project.

Beyond Europe, the program highlighted museums and projects from North America with the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Louis Armstrong House Museum in the United States, alongside the Chinese Canadian Museum in Canada. In South America, Argentina was represented with the Santiago Maldonado Murals project and Brazil with the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. From Asia, contributors included the Museum of Wu in China, and the National Library in Indonesia, two projects from Japan (Simose Art Museum and Inari-yu Bathhouse restoration), the Oman Across Ages Museum in Oman, the Museum of the Future exhibition in the United Arab Emirates, and the MaLiCH heritage restoration initiative in Libya on the African continent. Oceania was represented by Museums Victoria in Australia and the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in New Zealand.

 

Rather than a competition, the conference serves as a collective reflection on quality - a curated panorama of achievements that illuminate evolving standards, ethics, and methodologies in the wider heritage field. The one-track format, defined by its intimate atmosphere and seamless flow, once again encouraged a rare degree of attentiveness and exchange, blending scholarly insight with professional informality.

 

Projects of Influence

 

Underlying the conference proceedings is the process of identifying and discussing projects whose impact extends beyond their immediate context. Through a participatory voting process involving moderators, last year’s Projects of Influence representatives, and the audience, two Projects of Influence are selected each year. These recognitions underscore the idea that exemplary work in the wider heritage field does more than preserve or interpret.

 

The IMAGINES title of Project of Influence 2025, focused on new technologies and multimedia, was awarded to "In Our Care: The Keepers’ Choice" by the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Portugal, presented by Adelaide Lopes and João Estrada.

 

“The jury found In Our Care: The Keepers’ Choice charming and innovative in the way it made those all too often invisible, visible. By placing behind-the-scenes staff front and centre in such an imaginative way, it demonstrated not just the importance of new perspectives but also how a more community-focused and inclusive lens on heritage has the power to impact museum practice at scale.”

 

This project was featured in this year’s IMAGINES event as a Heritage in Motion / Heritage Audiovisuals Award winner from 2024.

 

 

The Best in Heritage 2025 Project of Influence title went to the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Art, Ukraine, presented by Yuliya Vaganova.

 

“The jury found this project, born out of the stripped-bare resilience of those who faced the reality of war, stands to remind us of the essential in humanity: care and solidarity. Turning the emptiness of the museum spaces and the absence of the collections into a haven for community and creativity elevates the museum as a beacon of resilience, transformation, and inspiration for future societies and peace.”

 

The museum took part in this year’s edition as a CIMAM Outstanding Museum Practice Award laureate from 2024.

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