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A global programme featuring award-winning
museum, heritage and conservation projects

 

with 

​

IMAGINES

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MULTIMEDIA

​

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

EUROPA NOSTRA &

UNDER PATRONAGE OF ICOM

IMAGINES

FEATURING IN 2024:

imagines

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MULTIMEDIA

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2023 Webby Award for Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual, Best Installation or Experience

Dali Museum | The Dream Tapestry, UNITED STATES

The Dream Tapestry at The Dalí Museum leveraged AI to transform visitor dreams into art, embodying Salvador Dalí's legacy of exploring the subconscious and dreams in his work. As part of The Museum’s  "Shape of Dreams" exhibition, which spanned 500 years of dream visualization in paintings, this interactive experience combined individual dreams into a collective tapestry, dynamically updating every few minutes. This innovative approach offered a deep dive into the collective subconscious, showcasing a blend of personal and shared human experiences through the lens of art.

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Hank Hine, Executive Director, Dalí Museum

Hank Hine, Ph.D., joined The Dalí Museum in 2002, playing a pivotal role in the development of its modern facility. With degrees from Stanford and Brown Universities, Hine's career spans collaboration with contemporary artists and writers, exploring the convergence of media in today’s culture. He founded Hine Editions/Limestone Press in San Francisco, focusing on artist books and museum catalogs, and directed GraphicStudio at the University of South Florida for seven years. At The Dalí, he co-founded Innovation Labs, fostering creativity through Dalí’s art and decades of research. Hine's work emphasizes the synergy of text, image, and new media in art.

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2023 Webby Awards / Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual / Arts, Fashion, Retail & Culture - Webby Winner

Rijksmuseum | Closer to Johannes Vermeer, THE NETHERLANDS

Ahead of the large Vermeer exhibition 2023, the Rijksmuseum launched the digital Vermeer experience Closer to Johannes Vermeer, available for free to all Vermeer lovers around the world. Stephen Fry (English language) and Joy Delima (Dutch language guide online visitors to explore the artist’s work and personal life. Utilising the latest available technology, for the first time visitors will be able to zoom in on the tiniest pigment particles in pin-sharp detail via ultra-high resolution photographs of some Vermeer paintings.

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Peter Gorgels, Manager, Digital Products, Rijksmuseum

Peter is the Manager of Digital Products at the Rijksmuseum, including the corporate website, Rijksstudio and the Rijksmuseum app. He is involved as advisor, project manager and format developer in practically every digital product. He is always looking for innovative ways to improve the interaction of the audience with the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

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AVICOM f@aimp 2023 / Mobile Application / Inclusivity and Sustainability

Nashwa Bohi and Mohamed Ismail Ibrahim | MuZtism, EGYPT

Since 2019, the globe faced the disaster of the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting the closure of various public spaces, including museums that link communities to their heritage and history educationally and entertainingly. During this challenging period, museums recognized the opportunity to connect with audiences remotely digitally. However, many initiatives overlooked the specific needs of individuals with autism, particularly in terms of sound and lighting preferences, leading to frustration. It is within this context that the concept of the MuZtism application originated.

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Nashwa Bohi, Mohamed Ismail Ibrahim

Nashwa Bohi is a Master researcher in heritage and museum studies, at the Helwan university, and an Archaeological researcher at GIS, at the Ministry of tourism and antiquities. Currently, a curator at exhibition department at Grand Egyptian Museum, and a member of the Egyptian National Committee of ICOM “AVICOM”. Mohamed Ismail Ibrahim has 24 years of experience working in the field of digital technology in cultural heritage and museums, a former deputy director of, currently, a lecturer at the Faculty of Archaeology, Ain Shams University in the department of museum studies and responsible for archaeological and heritage information systems program and a head of innovative unit, a board member ICOM Egypt, and AVICOM.

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Society for the History of Technology / Dibner Award 2023

Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History at the University of Luxembourg | Minett Stories: Remixing Industrial Pasts in the Digital Age, LUXEMBURG

Minett Stories is an online exhibit (https://minett-stories.lu) focused on the history and identity of the industrial southern region of Luxembourg known as the Minett. The exhibit features twenty-one interrelated vignettes revealing diverse facets of the region’s history, which has been heavily influenced by iron and steel production and the mining of “minette” iron ore, which lends the region its name. The Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History launched the exhibit in 2022 as part of the larger “Remixing Industrial Pasts in the Digital Age” project funded by the nonprofit European Capital of Culture Esch2022.

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Stefan Krebs, Assistant Professor for Contemporary History, Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)

Stefan studied history, political science and philosophy at the universities of Aachen and Aix-en-Provence. He received his PhD in the history of technology from RWTH Aachen University. His current research interests include the industrial history of Luxembourg, the history of deindustrialisation and the history of repair and maintenance.

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2023 Webby Awards / Websites and Mobile Sites / Apps, dApps and Software

Science Museum Group | Wonderlab+ & WonderlabAR, UNITED KINGDOM

The Science Museum Group’s Wonderlab galleries welcome schools and families to get hands-on with exciting exhibits and enjoy live science shows and demonstrations. Our Wonderlab+_website and our Wonderlab AR app allow anyone to experience an extension of the Wonderlab experience no matter where they are. The Wonderlab+ website is packed full of activities, videos, quizzes and games designed to help families discover science together in fun ways. The Wonderlab AR allows users to see our world as never before, just by pointing a smartphone camera at objects to collect powers, forces and wonders.

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Dave Patten, Lauren Ding

Dave Patten is Head of New Media at The Science Museum, where his role includes managing all aspects of new media and AV, from conceptual design, prototyping and production to project managing external developers and production companies. He has a background in electronics and computer science, and has developed exhibitions and led development teams at the Science Museum for nearly 40 years. Lauren Ding manages the creation of content for and edits the Science Museum Group Learning team’s online channels, including Wonderlab+, the learning resources website for teachers and social media. She is a champion for making digital content accessible to all and making sure websites are welcoming, playful and inviting places to be.

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Heritage in Motion Awards 2023 / Heritage Audiovisual

The New Dutch Waterline, THE NETHERLANDS

The Gele Loods in Naarden, a new museum, showcases Naarden's role in the New Dutch Waterline, recently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The exhibition delves into how Naarden protected Holland, including Amsterdam, from outside threats. While the Waterline acted as a deterrent, its efficacy remains debated. The fully restored Gele Loods now serves as a visitor center, offering a gateway to exploring Naarden. Within the museum's cinema, a new animated film succinctly explains the intricacies of the Waterline's defense systems, providing insight into its function and objectives.

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Pepijn Borgwat, Creative Producer, Synergique

Pepijn is the founder and co-owner of conceptual and spatial design firm Synergique, where he serves as the Creative Producer, overseeing concepts, interactive exhibits, and film and animation production. Synergique creates engaging exhibitions where the collection always takes center stage. We assist visitors in watching more clearly and entice them to participate and collaborate. Through physical and digital interaction, our exhibitions come to life, becoming personal and captivating.

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Museums Australasia Multimedia & Publication Design Award (MAPDA) 2023 for App

Museums Victoria | FlushBack Digital Quest, AUSTRALIA

The FlushBack digital quest brings science and history to life to engage diverse public audiences with one of Australia's most important industrial heritage sites, the Spotswood Pumping Station at Scienceworks (Victoria, Australia). Scienceworks identified an opportunity to interpret this significant site, including the history and impressive engineering of the Pumping Station. The resulting digital quest is a highly engaging experience incorporating AR technologies and IRL gamified elements, enabling visitors to empathise with the history, understand how Pumping Stations work, and experience how they fit into today’s urban water cycle.

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Rosa Zwier, Zoë Hogan

Rosa Zwier is the Education Programs Producer at Museums Victoria, based at Scienceworks. Her work has spanned the development and delivery of education programs, family experiences, STEM partnerships and digital initiatives. She’s developed games and videos to teach mathematics and is passionate about learning. Zoë Hogan is the Digital Innovation and Product Manager at Museums Victoria, with a background in leading teams in strategic visualisation, concept development, design and delivery of digital, immersive and online gaming products. As an XR advisor, Zoë focuses on creating innovative and immersive experiences.

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Museums + Heritage Awards 2023 / Best Use of Digital – UK

StoryFutures | StoryTrails, UNITED KINGDOM

StoryTrails is a unique storytelling experience, led by StoryFutures Academy which is run by Royal Holloway, University of London and the National Film and Television School (NFTS). StoryTrails allows local people to experience their town in a completely new way through the magic of AR and VR. Audiences can time-travel via the wonder of these new immersive technologies to experience untold local stories in the heart of their communities. These stories are brought to life in the places where they happened, reanimating public spaces and creating a free, entertaining, and playful family-friendly experience.

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Amanda Murphy, Executive Producer, Storytrails

Amanda is a Professor, a distinguished Academic and multi-award-winning Producer in the Creative Industries. She is recognised for her pioneering work fostering innovation in the UK's creative sector where she has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of storytelling, offering new ways for audiences to interact with stories and content. She was Executive Producer of the Uk’s biggest immersive storytelling project, Storytrails, reimagining history in bringing archive and stories to life using augmented reality. Amanda is also a BAFTA winner as Producer of the digital short film, Missed Call and created some of UK televisions most successful IP such as Supernanny that was shown in 47 different territories.

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Heritage in Motion Award 2023 for New Digital Experiences

Media Museum at Sound & Vision, THE NETHERLANDS

Sound & Vision in Hilversum manages the second largest digitised media archive in the world. In the recently (February 2023) opened state-of-the art Media Museum visitors can experience how media have become part of our everyday life and how this came about. By offering personalised content through intelligent visitor’s databases and using techniques like facial recognition, emotion recognition and motion the cutting-edge Media Museum offers visitors insights into their media use.

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Corine Lindenbergh, Programme Manager, Sound & Vision

As the Programme Manager, Corine has overseen the renewal of the Media Museum for seven years. From the very start where the Institute about media had to reinvent itself in a completely mediatised world, to creating over 50 highly interactive exhibits, combining tools like facial and emotion recognition to visitors databases and personalisation in content. State-of-the art as it is, it was an immense but highly rewarding puzzle to keep all specialised parties on the same page. 

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F@IMP Claude Nicole Hocqard Grand Prize of AVICOM 2023

Titanic Belfast | The Ship of Dreams, UNITED KINGDOM

Since 2012, Titanic Belfast has been telling the story of the world's most famous passenger ship on the spot where it was built. Now, an ambitious makeover aims to connect future generations to Titanic’s story. Visitor input guided the project, shaping a sensory and immersive design. Amid the immersive trend, the challenge was to make the experience meaningful and tell a story; to go further than just the wow-effect. Using Studio Louter’s Emotion Design method, the team combined innovative technology with emotional storytelling to captivate visitors on a deeper level.

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Eline Koning, Senior Content Designer, Studio Louter

Eline develops concepts, exhibition content and multimedia content. She has a degree in education and specialises in tailoring content for young audiences. Throughout the Titanic Belfast Reimagined project, Eline focused on the historical narrative, bringing emotions to the forefront, ensuring that Titanic Belfast’s journey is not just  a visual spectacle but a engaging and emotive experience.

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F@IMP AVICOM Exhibition Installation, Research and Documentary Prize 2023

Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo | Francis Alÿs. Children’s Games (1999-2022), MEXICO

The MUAC is a public, university-based museum of contemporary art and an active part of the Centro Cultural at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The MUAC is a space for encounters and the construction of knowledge, where conversations about society, academia and art history take place. Since 1999, Alÿs has been producing videos that document the games that children play on the street and in courtyards around the world. Children’s Games is an ongoing archive of urban practices that modernization has been banishing from everyday life as the concept of public space is distorted by the domination of motor vehicles and free time by electronic diversions.

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Cuauhtémoc Medina, Chief Curator, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo

Cuauhtémoc is an art critic, curator and historian. He is currently Chief Curator at MUAC museum (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo) at the National University (UNAM) in Mexico City. In 2012, Medina was Head Curator of the Manifesta 9 Biennial in Genk, Belgium, titled The Deep of the Modern and in 2018 he was Chief Curator of the 12th Shanghai Biennale: Proregress. He also received the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement of the Menil Foundation in 2013.

Core Programme

core programme

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European Museum Forum / European Museum of The Year 2023

L'Etno, Valencian Museum of Ethnology, VALENCIA, SPAIN

L’ETNO is a regional museum located in the city of València (mediterranean coast of Spain). The museum was founded in 1983 with the aim to document, curate and promote valencian popular culture. As the years have gone by, the museum and its team have grown to be a heritage institution focused, not only in promoting different aspects of valencian traditions, but also in becoming an active cultural institution. L’ETNO provides unformal education programs, creates debates on current social questions or promotes a diversity of cultural activities for the community.

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Joan Segui, Direcor, L'ETNO

Joan got his degree in History and Archaeology at the University of València in 1994. After that he moved to the UK for a Master in Landscape Achaeology and ended up doing his PhD thesis in the University of Leicester, finishing in 2000. Back in Spain Joan a job in the, then so-called, Museum of Ethnography of València, and has been working all his professional life there. He had the luck of directing the museum (now known as L’ETNO) between 2008 and 2015. After a period abroad, he was back as a curator in 2017 and took the directorship again in 2023. Joan is a museums person, and has specialized in those museums related to popular (local) cultures by spending so much time working in one.

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Canadian Museums Association Awards 2023 of Outstanding Achievement / Audience Outreach

MEM — Centre des mémoires montréalaises | MEM Montreal in 5 senses, MONTREAL, CANADA

The Montréal en 5 sens (Montréal in 5 Senses) project is a series of five workshops on the city and the fives senses, offered for free to non-profit groups as a way of reaching audiences who are less familiar with museums. The Seeing, Feeling, Tasting, Listening and Touching workshops were developed with a multi-disciplinary team representative of cultural and ability diversity. Sensory experimentation proved to be a powerful mediation tool to spark discussions about the city. The project illustrates the success of an approach based on collaboration, co-creation, inclusion and accessibility.

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Laure Barrachina, Educational and cultural programmes, MEM - Centre des mémoires montréalaises

As a cultural mediator in Quebec for the past fifteen years, Laure joined the MEM - Centre des mémoires montréalaises team in 2021. She has developed an educational and cultural program in line with the museum's human, inclusive and community-based values. She has made a point of including the principles of cultural mediation to reach audiences far from museums and adapt activities to their needs, while working in close collaboration and co-creation with the Montreal community.

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Chinese Museums Association / Most Innovative Museums in China Award 2023

China Grand Canal Museum, YANGZHOU, CHINA

Opened on 16 June 2021, the China Grand Canal Museum is a landmark project in the construction of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, as well as an innovative attempt to display the heritage of the Grand Canal. It is committed to presenting the history and culture of the Grand Canal in a full-scope, full-time, and full-range, with the mission of presenting the profoundness of the canal culture, the beautiful life of people and the cultural heritage along the canal, and the exchange between the canal cities around the world.

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Zheng Jing, Director, China Grand Canal Museum

Jing is the the vice-director of the Committee for Education of the Chinese Museum Association, the executive director of Jiangsu Museum Association, with her main research focus in museology and museum education. She has presided over and participated in a number of projects on museum education and cultural creativity supported by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau.

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Japanese Association of Museums Award 2023

Akashi Municipal Planetarium, AKASHI, JAPAN

Akashi Municipal Planetarium is built on the 135°east longitude (Japan Standard Time Meridian) as "Time and Space Museum" in 1960. It is the oldest working planetarium in Asia, an astronomical observatory, with exhibition rooms with exhibits related to astronomy and time such as meteorites and clocks. In 1995, it suffered catastrophic damage in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and it took 3 years to renovate it. The museum is also a symbol of reconstruction. In addition to regular educational activities, the museum holds many unique events, which have received great feedback from the public.

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Takeshi Inoue, Director, Akashi Municipal Planetarium

Takeshi graduated from Nagoya University. He is the Curator of Akashi Municipal Planetarium since 1997, and Director since 2017. He ic the Chairman of the Japan Planetarium Association's “Planetarium 100th Anniversary Project executive committee”. Takeshi is visiting professor at Yamaguchi University Institute of Time Studies.  He has been telling interesting stories about astronomy to over 500,000 people in planetariums for over 20 years. His academic specialties include astronomical education, cultural history of time, and the history of planetariums. Asteroid 10616 was named inouetakeshi due to his achievements in popularizing astronomy.

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The Council of Europe Museum Prize 2023

The Workers Museum, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Through a major renovation and extension of the space for visitor experience, The Workers Museum develops new ways of engaging with the past, present, and future of democratic participation in the framework of the history of mass organization and cultural engagement of workers. In combination with a new strategy and re-organization of the institution, the renovation the museums’ building, the Workers’ Assembly Hall in Copenhagen dating from 1879, consolidates and re-positions The Workers Museum as an inclusive and multi-faceted heritage institution centered on social justice and cultural equality.

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Søren Bak-Jensen, Director, Workers Museum

Søren holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Copenhagen. As an historian and museum professional, he has carried out several projects on how to bring diversity and the personal experience of people today into a museum setting through collecting, research, exhibitions, learning and community projects. Since 2021, he is the president of WORKLAB – The International Association of Labour Museums.

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Museums + Heritage Award 2023 / Community Engagement Programme of The Year

The Cartoon Museum | Cartoon Museum Autism Programme, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

In 2022 the museum received funding from the Foyle Foundation to enhance its offer for neurodiverse visitors, aiming to use the comic collection to support wellbeing activities and make the site more accessible. It delivered a new SEN school workshop, Relaxed Monday events, sensory backpacks, noise-cancelling headphones, a site guide, and a partnership with a young local autistic artist as our first Young Cartoonist-in-Residence. The programme was widely praised by partners and visitors, embedded into the museum's everyday practise, and was awarded a Museums & Heritage Award for ‘Best Community Programme’.

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Steve Marchant, Learning & Outreach Officer, The Cartoon Museum

Steve has delivered learning workshops for the museum since 1994. As a cartoonist, he has worked for the BBC, British Airways, ITV, and numerous educational publications. He is a qualified youth worker/tutor and teaches cartoon art classes in schools, libraries and universities in and around London, and has curated several comic art exhibitions at the museum.

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European Museum Forum / Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity 2023

23,5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory, ISTANBUL, TURKIYE

Hrant Dink, the Armenian editor-in-chief of Agos Newspaper, was assassinated in Istanbul in front of his newspaper’s office on January 19, 2007.  The former office of Agos Newspaper opened its doors to visitors in 2019 as the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory.  It sheds light on Hrant Dink’s life, struggle, the days leading to his assassination, the aftermath of the assassination, the story of Agos Newspaper, while also addressing minority rights, human rights, democracy, equal citizenship and offering a look into the near history of Turkiye.

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Nayat Karaköse, Coordinator, 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory

Nayat received her BA in Sociology from Galatasaray University. She holds an MA degree in Theory and Practice of Human Rights at the University of Essex. Nayat was an Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability Fellow at Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University in 2014. Since 2015, Nayat Karaköse works as the program coordinator of the Hrant Dink Foundation and also coordinates 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory. Dealing with the past, collective memory and practices of memorialization are among her areas of expertise.

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2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation / Award of Excellence

Rambagh Gates and Ramparts, PUNJAB, INDIA

The Rambagh Gate and Ramparts is strategically located at the intersection of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh's nineteenth-century city wall and the new city of Amritsar. The building comprises a historical gate and a segment of the ramparts which houses  a government school, and a municipal printing press. The project required conservation and retrofitting of the building and  entailed improvement of working and learning environments within the school and the printing press. . The reuse of the gateway as a community cultural space paved the way for fostering a vibrant and uniquely localized cultural experience of the historical city through contemporary interpretations using arts, media and other creative approaches.

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Gurmeet S. Rai, Project Architect, Rambagh Gates and Ramparts

Gurmeet is an architect with specialisation in heritage conservation and management. She is among the first-generation conservation architects in India and has undertaken projects related to architectural conservation, management plans for world heritage sites, urban conservation and development strategies for historic settlements, sustainable cultural heritage tourism plans, preparation of advisory and policy documents.  Gurmeet’s vision has continuously pushed the frontiers of heritage conservation towards becoming a more inclusive, developmentally oriented and interdisciplinary practice. She has been an advisor to UNESCO in the heritage sector and is currently technical advisor on heritage projects of Government of India and bi-lateraly.

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European Museum Forum / Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement 2023

Otar Lordkipanidze Vani Archaeological Museum of Georgian National Museum, VANI, GEORGIA

The Museum offers new perspectives on city-site of Vani, an archaeological site of world significance, as the land of the mythical Golden Fleece. The modernized permanent exhibitions present Colchis, the land of the Golden Fleece and one of the Hellenistic world's most important temple cities, throughout its eight-century development. Its amenities and services make the site-museum the region's largest and multifunctional public space, a vital research laboratory, and a scientific conference venue.

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David Lordkipanidze, General Director, Georgian National Museum

Paleoanthropologist, Professor David Lordkipanidze, General Director of the Georgian National Museum, is the author of more than 200 scientific publications, including articles in Nature, Science Magazine, PNAS. He is a full member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences, Academia Europea etc . He has been awarded with National decorations of Georgia, France, Germany, the Rolex Award for Enterprise,etc. Under his leadership eight museums were renovated or established in Georgia to serve as a public space for culture, education, and science.

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Museums Association UK / Best Museums Change Lives Project 2023

Glasgow Museums, Bangladesh Association Glasgow, and Our Shared Cultural Heritage | Scotland’s Lascar Heritage, GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM

Scotland’s Lascar Heritage is a community-led research project which the Bangladesh Association Glasgow, young people from the Our Shared Cultural Heritage initiative and Glasgow Museums staff participated in to explore the experiences of South Asian seamen under the colonial system in Scotland. Inspired by a plaque from an 1880s toilet block in Glasgow’s docklands saying ‘Lascars Only’ in English and Bengali, the research inspired creative and academic responses connecting the historic seafaring story with contemporary South Asian identity in Scotland, as well as linking to the lives of surviving Lascar seamen in Bangladesh. 

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Isobel McDonald, Malini Chakrabarty, Tareq Abdullah

Isobel McDonald is Curator of Social History at Glasgow Museums. She has had a varied career in museums and archives, and has dedicated 21 years to Glasgow's history, with projects like TheGlasgowStory website and community-co-curated exhibitions.  Malini Chakrabarty is a multidisciplinary artist and media behaviour specialist, currently serving as the Communications Lead at the Built Environment Forum Scotland. Her notable contribution to the Lascar Research Project includes creating beautiful illustrations. Tareq Abdullah, known for documentaries and community initiatives, led Bangladeshi community involvement in Scotland’s Lascar Heritage with Glasgow Museums and Our Shared Cultural Heritage (OSCH).

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European Museum Academy's DASA Award 2023

Hungarian Money Museum and Visitor Centre, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

​The Hungarian Money Museum and Visitor Center is a state-of-the-art specialty museum. Its spaces are organized around the five functions of money, helping visitors understand their own involvement and the role of the central bank in the exciting, while also familiar yet unfamiliar, world of finance. In each space, visitors can experience new situations through personal finance and decision-making games, complemented by historical and monetary insights, an introduction to the functions of the central bank and numismatic content.

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Eszter Hergár, Director, Hungarian Money Museum and Visitor Center

Eszter took up the post of the director of the Hungarian Money Museum and Visitor Center in September 2022. As the director of the museum her goal is to increase the financial literacy of every visitor and of potential visitors as well. This is a subject that she has been committed to even before taking up the director’s mantle in the Money Museum as the director of the Money Compass Foundation and as the director of the Central Bank of Hungary’s social relations department.

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Category Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising)

Village Square Meer, ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Village Square Meer is an initiative of a local collective of citizens to revitalise an historic convent, listed as national monument and landscape, in the centre of the rural village Meer. The site is well-known in the region but had been abandoned for several years after the public school was closed. By means of architectural interventions, adaptive re-use, landscape design and cultural programming, Village Square Meer made these spaces again accessible to the public. For the first time, in its history the rural village receives a central public square founded upon an important historic urban landscape. 

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Stijn Cools, Co-founder, aNNo architecten

Stijn synthesizes expertise in engineering, architecture, and heritage conservation, cultivated at the Leuven and Ferrara universities in Belgium and Italy. He holds a Master's in Conservation of Monuments and Sites from KU Leuven's Raymond Lemaire International Centre. Co-founding aNNo architecten in 2008 with Sofie de Ridder, they garnered national and international acclaim, including consecutive Europa Nostra Awards in 2022 and 2023. Team aNNo envisages to design new heritage imaginaries for contemporary societal challenges. As a professor at the University of Leuven since 2017, Stijn focuses on Adaptive Reuse strategies and advises as volunteer on heritage projects for the King Boudoin Foundation. His 2021-initiated REVALUE PhD project challenges conventional perceptions in architecture and heritage.

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Alberta Museums Association / Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility 2023

Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery, RED DEER, CANADA

The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) is an art and history museum that encourages our visitors to understand the people, history and Culture of Central Alberta. We are THE gathering place for our community.  Using our expertise in studying and learning from objects we present enriched, enjoyable and informative learning experiences for community members of all ages and abilities. We actively engage with the future of our community by sharing authority and taking risks through meaningful engagements and collaboration.

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Kim Verrier, Marrisa Mitsuing, Patrick Mitsuing

Kim Verrier is the MAG’s Exhibitions Curator, who considers herself a museum generalist with a passion for community engagement and storytelling. Marrisa Mitsuing is a Champion Powwow Dancer, Artist, educator and co-founder of Powwow Times.  In 2023, her Cradleboard Special was a groundbreaking event in the International Powwow community. Patrick Mitsuing is an Internationally renowned fancy dancer, motivational speaker and educator. He is the cofounder of Powwow Times. Patrick, Marrisa and Kim worked collaboratively to lead the team behind Powwow! Ohcîwin the Origins. Together, they have gone on to run Powwow Times International Gathering, which is becoming Western Canada’s largest powwow.

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Category Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising) Public Choice Award 2023

Via Transilvanica, ROMANIA

Via Transilvanica is the first long-distance trail in Romania, dedicated to hiking, biking and horseback riding. It celebrates the ethnic, cultural, historical, natural, and geographical diversity, which is still unknown worldwide. Initiated in 2018 by Tășuleasa Social NGO it is a long-distance trail measuring 1.400 km, crossing Romania in a diagonal. The trail is a social project, with creating a context for economic development through slow tourism in rural areas, while the spectacular nature consists of the last wild virgin forests in Europe. Both can be discovered on Via Transilvanica.

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​Anna Szekely, Executive Director, Tășuleasa Social Association 

Anna is executive director of Tășuleasa Social Association, a Romanian NGO whose work spanning over 23 years has culminated by creating the first long distance trail in the country: Via Transilvanica. In 2018, when Via Transilvanica was developing, Anna started documenting the trail in a Traveler’s Guide, for discovering new places and people, while keeping it a technical resource for hikers. Together with other female colleagues, they became the documenting team on Via Transilvanica. 

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2023 Museums and Galleries National Award (MAGNA) for Permanent exhibition

Science Gallery Melbourne | University of Melbourne, Museums and Collections, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Exploring the collision of art and science and playing a vital role in shifting our understanding of science, art and innovation, Science Gallery at the University of Melbourne is part of the acclaimed Global Science Gallery Network pioneered by Trinity College Dublin. Science Gallery Melbourne brings a southern hemisphere flair to its innovative and inclusive program to engage 15-30-year-olds with experimentation and creativity, and includes the STEM Centre of Excellence for school learning experiences. Designed by Smart Design Studio, the gallery is winner of the AMaGA National Award for permanent gallery fit out.

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Ryan Jefferies, Director, Science Gallery Melbourne

Ryan is the Director of Science Gallery Melbourne at the University of Melbourne and has over 20 years’ experience within the cultural sector and as a research scientist at leading Australian and international institutions. He is a passionate advocate of the blurred intersections between arts, technology and science and the bold promotion of social change through disruptive and speculative creativity. He is also Director of the Grainger Museum and has held previous roles at Murdoch University, the University of Western Australia, University of Bristol, Western Australian Museum and Museums Victoria.  

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European Museum Academy / Luigi Micheletti Award 2023

FLUGT: Refugee Museum of Denmark, OKSBØL, DENMARK

The museum FLUGT addresses a highly current issue: flight and refugees, and it treats the issue in an international and historical context – but in a lock authentic setting. The local authentic context is the former WWII refugee camp in Oksbøl, Denmark. Within this historical context the story of refugees throughout times is told, and a meeting place for democratic conversation is created.

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Claus Kjeld Jensen, Director, Vardemuseerne

Claus is the director of the Vardemuseerne, which beside FLUGT holds nine other museums on cultural history and art, among which is the highly awarded Tirpitz in Blaavand. Claus holds a Ph.D. In archaeology and is also chairman of the Danish Museum Organization.

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Grand Prix for Education, Training & Skills)

ACTA VISTA, MARSEILLE, FRANCE

Acta Vista is a non profit organization based in Marseille, south east of France. Since 2002, Acta Vista implemented more than 35 back to work programmes all over France for people in precarious situation on heritage restoration worksites. In total, over 6000 persons benefitted from Acta Vista programme who hired them to work on restoration worksites, get trained and supported toward professional qualification and employment.  The Fort d’Entrecasteaux in Marseille host the headquarters of the organization. After 20 years of restoration, this historic monument is now ready to welcome visitors who will enjoy there a wide cultural offer.

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Pâquerette Demotes-Mainard, Director General, Acta Vista, BAO Formation, La Citadelle de Marseille

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in private law and a diploma from the Louvre School, Pâquerette joined the headquarters of the Heritage Foundation to participate in the establishment and management of a tax incentive scheme encouraging private property owners to restore their heritage. She was then responsible for deploying the Foundation in the South-East region, focusing on the development of its financial resources. Following an experience within a local government and freelance fundraising missions, she joined the Acta Vista team in 2014. There, she successively took on roles in partnership management, communication, development, and led the implementation of an educational and cultural initiatives department. In September 2021, the Groupe SOS entrusted her with the general management of the associations Acta Vista, BAO formation, and La Citadelle de Marseille. 

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Chinese Museums Association / Most Innovative Museums in China Award 2023

Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, JINGDEZHEN, CHINA

Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum is an archaeological site museum displaying the remains, tools, and porcelain products of Yu Yao, the unique royal porcelain factory that lasted for 542 years in Jingdezhen, China. The grand cross-curved form and red-brick texture of the museum’s main buildings draws inspiration from the traditional egg-shape kiln of Jingdezhen. In addition, the museum blends itself well into the lanes and alleys, and more importantly the people of the surrounding historical community. The Ceramic Gene Bank initiated by the museum also greatly improves the exhibitions and creative product development.

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Yanjun Weng, President, Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum

Yanjun has a Ph.D. in Archaeology, and has been an active archaeologist with excavation and research projects in Jingdezhen and overseas. He is also the curator of “The Mystery of Blue and White” and “Times of the Imperial Kiln” exhibits. His vision in community, science and globalization scintillated the launch of the Ceramic Gene Bank and the foundation of Society of International Ceramic Studies. His team has won several national prizes or recognitions covering archaeology, exhibits, and museum digitalization.

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Family Friendly Museum Award 2023

Craven Museum, SKIPTON, UNITED KINGDOM

Craven Museum is located in Skipton Town Hall, a modern cultural hub for Skipton in North Yorkshire and its surrounding, largely rural, hinterland. The museum collections are wide, varied and fascinating; spanning pre-history to contemporary in areas as diverse as archaeology, textiles, fine art, literature and social history, to name a few – the museum really does have something for everyone. The small but dedicated and passionate team are committed to ensuring everyone can access and enjoy the museum through a range of interpretation, trails, activities, hands-on elements and special events.

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Jenny Hill, Lead Museums Curator

Jenny is Lead Museums Curator at North Yorkshire Council, including Craven Museum in Skipton. She has a degree in History from Lancaster University and a Contemporary History MA from the University of Sussex. She has worked in the sector for almost 7 years and is passionate about community engagement and making museum collections accessible for all. Between 2018-21 she worked on a National Lottery Heritage Funded capital redevelopment project at Craven Museum. In 2023 her team won the Kids in Museums Best Family Friendly and Most Accessible Museum awards.

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European Museum Academy / Art Museum Award 2023

S.M.A.K. Communal Museum for Contemporary Art, GHENT, BELGIUM

S.M.A.K. is the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent, established in 1975 and the first Belgian museum devoted to contemporary art. S.M.A.K. puts the artist at the heart of its thoughts and actions. We invest in the greatest possible quality for a broad and varied public and would like to be experienced as an open house: transparent and generous. In artistic terms, we present ourselves as a laboratory, a place of experiment and renewal, where we can see today what may be important tomorrow. S.M.A.K. leaves questions open, urges one to think, retains its scepticism.

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Aline Van Nereaux, Public participation, Education & Outreach, S.M.A.K.

Aline has a broad experience in education and in managing different participation projects with a strong focus on contemporary art. Her main focus is to give people, especially young people, the oppôrtunity to speak.  Since 2021 she is responsible for the mediation and participation programme at S.M.A.K., the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent. 

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Category Citizens Engagement & Awareness-raising)

Open for You, MILANO, ITALIA

Thanks to Aperti per Voi project, Touring Club Italiano promotes voluntary activities to make wonderful places, otherwise not open, accesible to everyone. Since 2005, over 21.000.000 visitors have been welcomed in more than 80 cultural places all over Italy. The strength of Touring Club is its voluntary structure: over 1.600 volunteers, every day, welcome visitors and promote the knowledge of the common heritage. As European citizens and as Touring, our priority is taking care, every day, of wonderful places that belong to all of us and that represent our cultural heritage, enhancing art and culture to pass them on to our children.

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Nadia Pellacani, Country manager, Aperti per Voi, Touring Club Italiano

As the Aperti per Voi (Open for You) country manager, she coordinates the project with a team of 4 people; in particular, she takes care of covenants and ongoing relations with the organisations involved; she also coordinates the planning of related promotional events. At Touring Club Italiano since 1997, she has been involved in the development of voluntary network and in the planning of territorial projects and events. She holds a degree in media and cultural communication from Università Cattolica of Milan. 

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Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023

The Burrell Collection, GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM

​The Burrell Collection is one of Glasgow’s most internationally significant, sustainable, and treasured museums. It reopened to the public in March 2022 following a £68.25 million refurbishment that made its A-listed home a modern, greener museum that shows more of the wonderful objects in the collection to visitors. Around 9,000 objects form The Burrell Collection including one of the most significant holdings of Chinese art in the UK, and medieval treasures including stained glass, arms, and armour.

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Duncan Dornan, Head, Museums and Collections, Glasgow Life 

Duncan was appointed Head of Museums and Collections for Glasgow Life in 2015, having joined the company in 2013 as Senior Museums Manager. Prior to this he had worked with the National Museums of Scotland since 1999 as a Museum Manager. Within Glasgow Life his role involves responsibility for the management and development of Glasgow’s 8 world class museums along with the innovative Glasgow Museums Resources Centre, the special collections in the Mitchell library and the City Archives.

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Category Conservation & Adaptive Reuse)

Cleveland Pools, BATH, UNITED KINGDOM

The 19th-century Cleveland Pools in Bath lay dormant since the 1980s until a community-led effort restored it. Initiated in 2004 to oppose commercial development, the campaign garnered support from Bath and national heritage organizations. Restoration focused on historical accuracy, sustainability, and accessibility, reviving the original pool's design and functionality. New facilities were added with sensitivity to the site's heritage. The renovated Cleveland Pools offer a unique glimpse into Bath's heritage, inviting visitors to enjoy open-air swimming while embracing the city's rich history.

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Paul Simons, Chair, Cleveland Pools Trust

Paul has specialized in historic building rescue projects following a Lethaby Scholarship with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Projects include the Chiltern Open Air Museum, Arkwright’s Cromford Mills, Brunel’s Bristol Old Station, Thermae Bath Spa and with McCurdy & Co. the construction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. He has been a trustee of Clevedon Pier, the Vivat Trust, Brunel Engineering Centre, the Oxford Literary Festival and chair of the National Heritage Training Group. Since 2010 Secretary General of the Great Spa Towns of Europe UNESCO project.

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2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation / Special Recognition for
Sustainable Development

Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple, KERALA, INDIA

The restoration of Karnikara Mandapam at Kunnamangalam Bhagawati Temple in Kerala showcases community resilience and sustainable conservation. The mandapam, a traditional Kerala architectural gem, had suffered from neglect, water damage, and termite infestation. Rooted in ancient sciences like Vasthushastra, Thachu Shastra, and Vriksha Ayurveda, its restoration by EZHA and ARPO followed meticulous documentation and combined restoration with regeneration principles. This grassroots effort supported local craftsmen, preserved heritage, and inspired community custodianship. It serves as a sustainable model for Kerala’s heritage conservation, blending tradition with modern practices.

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Swathy Subramanian, Ritu Sara Thomas, Savita Rajan

Swathy, Ritu and Savita are Conservation Architects from SPA, New Delhi, and founding partners of EZHA. Swathy Subramanian has contributed to prominent projects, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site dossier on 'The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas' and her scholarly works are internationally recognized. Ritu Sara Thomas has five years of academic expertise as Assistant Professor at College of Architecture Trivandrum, and focuses her research on urban conservation and cultural landscapes. Savita Rajan’s expertise is portrayed in her contribution to iconic projects like Rashtrapathi Bhawan (President of India Residence) and collaborations with the Indian Army Aviation unit.

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European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2023 (Grand Prix for Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising)

Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), DUBLIN, IRELAND

The Museum of Literature Ireland opened in 2019 as a collaboration between University College Dublin, and the National Library of Ireland. It is located in the original home of the university in the centre of Dublin city, in a suite of spectacular historic houses, with private gardens and links to a secret city centre park. Amongst its many exhibits are included notable items from the National Library’s literary collections. MoLI has won numerous awards since opening, including Red Dot Best Exhibition Design 2020,  IDEA Exhibition Design Gold Award 2021, was shortlisted for the European Mies Van Der Rohe Architecture Award 2022 and longlisted for EMYA 2022.

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Simon O’Connor, Director, Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)

Simon is the first Director of the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) and under his direction, the museum has won one of the European Commission’s most prestigious awards for cultural heritage, the Europa Nostra Grand Prix in 2023. A composer by training, Simon was also the founding curator of the Little Museum of Dublin, helping to build that museum from scratch in 2011 and winning numerous awards in the process. He was a founding member of seminal Irish rock group The Jimmy Cake, and as a composer, he has studied with internationally renowned composers.

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IFLA's Systematic Public Library of the Year Award 2023

Gabriel García Márquez Library, BARCELONA, SPAIN

Opened on May 28, 2022, the Gabriel García Márquez Library, dedicated to the Nobel laureate who lived in Barcelona, serves as the central library of the Sant Martí district and is part of the city’s network of 40 public libraries. Located in a vibrant working-class neighborhood with an active civil society, the library also houses the residents association’s archive, preserving the area’s historical memory. It features an auditorium, a cooking workshop, and Radio Maconda - a radio studio offering services to local organizations and educational centers.

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Ferran Burguillos, Managing Director, Barcelona Libraries Consortium

Ferran specializes in library management and planning and has managed the Barcelona Libraries network since January 2020. Previously, he directed the Barcelona Atenaeum Library (2006-2009) and the Sabadell Libraries network (2009-2020), overseeing various cultural, educational, and technological projects. He taught library science and documentation at the University of Barcelona, University of Vic, and Open University of Catalonia (1998-2010). A former editor-in-chief of Ítem (2015-2019), he was on the Col·legi Oficial de Bibliotecaris-Documentalistes de Catalunya's board (2006-2010) and IFLA’s Public Libraries Section (2011-2012).

Keynotes
Moderators

2024 interviewers / members of jury

CORE PROGRAMME

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Executive Board Secretary, ICOM-ICTOP; Professor of Arts & Cultural Management at Hongik University, Seoul, KOREA

Cheeyun Lilian Kwon

Cheeyun currently serves as a Professor at Hongik University, Seoul, Korea. She holds key roles including Executive Board Secretary at ICOM's International Committee for the Training of Personnel (ICTOP) and Chair of the International Exchange Committee at The Korean Society of Museum Studies. With a rich experience, she's been an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, Curator of Korean Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and a Curatorial Consultant at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Cheeyun's academic journey culminated in a PhD from Princeton University in East Asian Art & Archaeology. Her contributions extend through multiple editorial boards and directorial positions in cultural organizations.

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Chief Experience Officer, Australian Museum, AUSTRALIA

Russell Briggs

Russell leads the team responsible for permanent, temporary and touring exhibitions; education; public programs; visitor experience, front of house, and volunteers; digital; climate change; the Museum archives and library, and the extensive world collections held by the Museum. A native of California, Russell moved to New Zealand in 2002 and joined the team at Auckland Museum from 2007-2012, as the Director of Exhibitions and Programs, and was Director of the War Memorial during planning for the WWI Centenary. He then continued to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, where from 2012-2017 he was Director of Exhibitions and Collections.

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Chair, ICOM-CC, FRANCE - THE NETHERLANDS

Kate Seymour

Kate is an art historian and conservator, with degrees from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Northumbria. She started her career at Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL) in the Netherlands in 1999, now leading its education department. In 2024, she founded Art Conservation Education, fostering future conservators. Kate's expertise ranges from structural treatments to varnishing techniques. She's led global efforts like the Indian Conservation Fellowship Program, conducted workshops worldwide, and contributed to initiatives such as the Getty Foundation's Conserving Canvas. Twice Chair of ICOM's Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC), 

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Museum Thinker, Consultant & Academic, MALTA

Sandro Debono

Sandro Debono PhD (Lond.), is a museum thinker and change-maker mainly active as an academic and advisor based on the Mediterranean island of Malta. His practice straddles theory and extensive experience built over twenty five years working in Malta’s cultural heritage sector. Sandro is visiting lecturer in museum studies and other related subjects at various Universities and sits on the International Advisory Board of the Anchorage Museum (Alaska, US). He is also a well-published author in art history and museum studies. Sandro has been recently recognised by the French and Italian governments for his outstanding contribution to culture.  

IMAGINES

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Deputy Director, Art UK, UNITED KINGDOM

Katey Goodwin

Katey is Deputy Director and Head of Community Engagement at Art UK, the online home for every public art collection in the UK. Katey has worked in the museum sector for over 30 years, joining Art UK in 2005 as part of their project to catalogue all the UK’s publicly owned oil paintings. Most recently, Katey was the project manager for the major UK-wide sculpture project, which saw the digitisation of over 50,000 sculptures in collections and public spaces, and delivery of an extensive learning programme taking sculptures into schools.

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Museologist, PORTUGAL

Gabriela da Rocha

Gabriela is a museologist with expertise in utilizing digital technologies like 3D scanning and printing to document and disseminate cultural heritage. Her focus is on enhancing accessibility to collections through digitization. She contributed to innovative projects in Portugal, including Lisboa 3D, which digitized public sculptures in Lisbon, and Young Creators, a collaboration between FabLab Lisboa and the Lisbon City Council. She also played a crucial role in the Museum in the Village project, a Europa Nostra award-winning initiative promoted by SAMP. She believes museums are agents of social change, offering diverse creative possibilities.

more information coming soon...

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