International Council Of Museums Research Articles

Bringing Culture to People: A Co-design Method for Redefining the Role of the Museum

ICOM (International Council of Museums) envisions a role for the museum as an accessible and inclusive institution open to the public, which operates professionally and with the participation of communities. This vision requires research and practice to be fully implemented. The paper illustrates the participatory ideation and evaluation of new museum services that are inclusive and accessible for people who cannot visit the museum due to disability and age-related impairments. It illustrates the co-design process carried out within the EU project BeauCoup, which aims to make the cultural heritage accessible beyond the museum’s walls. This objective implies that the museum must play a key role in promoting inter-institutional partnerships between the cultural and the social sectors to engage marginalised communities. The paper describes the approach and the outcomes of the co-design process which involved various stakeholders and institutions, offering a reflection on the benefits and shortcomings of the approach.

Człowiek i jego historia w muzeach. Kilka uwag w związku z 26 Generalną Konferencją ICOM w Pradze

From 20th to 28th August 2022, the 26th ICOM General Conference took place in Prague. Its main theme was “The Power of Museums”. The conference was the product of a long discussion about defining the contemporary role of museums and their obligations to the past, present, and future. In the article titled: The Humans and their History in Museums. A few Reflections about the 26th ICOM General Conference in Prague the author discusses the course of proceedings and asks questions about the character and nature of the museum’s work in the field of history as an academic discipline. Some of the most important questions discussed in the paper include those on: museums’ aspirations in the field of sensual depiction of history; the relationship between the tangible and intangible heritage within museums’ method of work; the role of heritage interpretation as the basic tool of contact with the audience; and the urgent issue of neutrality and institutions’ engagement in the face of contemporary challenges. The source materials used in order to find answers to these questions are the legal acts about museums; the resolutions of the 1st Congress of Polish Museum Professionals (April 2015 in Łódź); and the definitions that constitute museums, both through legal acts on the state level and those passed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Museums Institutions as A Proposal for Regional, Economic and Social Development: The Museu do Amanhã

Objective: To carry out this study, the objective was to address the main impacts of the Museu do Amanhã on regional development since its inauguration on 2015, in the port region of the city of Rio de Janeiro-RJ. Theoretical reference: As defined in Article 1 of Federal Law 11.904, and in accordance with the guidelines of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), museums are non-profit institutions that work at the service of societies (2009). However, museums are also importante cultural facilities that can be well used according to urban and regional strategic planning to revitalize certain areas. Likewise, museums can make theis contribution based on impacts generated by the greather flow of people in the region with increased tourism, which can result in significant regional, economic and social development. Method: This study is based on exploratory and descriptive research dealing with the impacts of the Museu do Amanhã on regionaldevelopment, based on bibliographic sources and data and whose analysis method applied was a qualitative approach to analyze the proposed phenomenon. Results and conclusion: The current analysis leads to the conclusion that the Museu do Amanhã brought significant regional impacts, both economic and social and cultural. However, from bibliographical sources of the time, it was observed that there are signs of gentrifyng action in the processo f revitalization of the region where the museum was built, which cannot, under any circumstances, be related to the real purposes of a museum institution. And this is because museums have as their mission the purpose of working for the promotion of humanity and the establishment of peace. At the same time, museums are also strategic instruments for urban and regional planning and this contexto opens up countless analyzes and discussions. Implications of the research: This study presents important questions focused on the relationship between musems and urban and regional planning, opening up new research and proposing further discussions and analyzes on the topic. Originality/value: The field of museology is quite comprehensive, and its multidisciplinar and interdisciplinar character must also be taken into account. Even so, mosto f the time research is carried out that delas more with the activities carried out within museums such as conservation, research, exhibition and educational action, but there are other ways of thinking about a museum for society and regarding this there are still manygaps that nees be filled. One possibility on this path is precisely to carry out research with proposals that recognize museums in another way, for example, as strategic instruments for urban and regional planning.

Analisis Evaluasi Sistem Keamanan Pada Museum Bank Indonesia

The main problem discussed is the Evaluation Analysis of the Security System at the Bank Indonesia Museum based on the standards set by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Indonesian Museum Handbook. This research uses a descriptive evaluative method with a qualitative approach, namely analyzing and assessing museum security. Data collection techniques are carried out by means of observation, interviews, documentation, and reviewing literature studies. The theory used is the museum security system and evaluation of the implementation of museum security. Based on the results of the research that has been carried out, it has been found that there are advantages and disadvantages in the security system of the Bank Indonesia Museum, including the advantage that the Bank Indonesia Museum has minimal threat of theft because there are guards in each collection, and most of the security systems meet standards. security supporting infrastructure, namely that there are still deficiencies in human resources and in terms of technology that can threaten building security.

Частный музей в пространстве культуры: проблемы определения и статистики

Private museums play an important role in the modern cultural space of Russia; their activities make a significant contribution to the preservation and actualization of cultural heritage. The study of private museums as a special typological group that developed in the post-Soviet period has a number of terminological and statistical issues. In the context of the legal insecurity of the name “museum” and the lack of licensing of museum activities, many private organizations call themselves museums, but at the same time they do not meet the definition of a museum in the Russian legislation and the definition of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Despite carrying out some functions of a museum and practicing some types of activities characteristic of museums, they are not museums, but museum-type institutions — creative workshops, recreational or play centers, shops, etc. There is no term “private museum” in the legislation, and the measurement uncertainty of this category of institutions remains in the statistics. An analysis of the statistical reports of a number of European countries shows that the category of “private museum” in different countries has different content. In Russia, due to the peculiarities of conducting statistical monitoring of the museum sphere, private museums are not taken into account by means of state statistics. The problem of terminological uncertainty of a private museum also exists in museology: there is no single interpretation of this group of institutions, and its specific features and essential characteristics need further study and definition.

Early virtual science museums: when the technology is not mature

This paper discusses three case studies of early science museum-related websites in the 1990s and early 2000s, when web technology was still relatively new and evolving. The Virtual Museum of Computing (VMoC) was a completely virtual museum, originally produced in 1995 as part of the Virtual Library museums pages (VLmp), an international online museum directory within the WWW Virtual Library, adopted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The Science Museum in London was one of the first museums in the United Kingdom to have its own web server. The museum hosted an early meeting on web service provision by and for museums, concurrently with an exhibition on the Information Superhighway at the museum in 1995. Exhiblets were launched online in 1998. Ingenious was a multi-site digital collections transformation project, launched as a website in 2003. Virtual Leonardo and Leonardo’s Ideal City were two experiments conducted by the digital team of the Science and Technology Museum of Milan, between 1999 and 2001. The experiment consisted of the creation of a shared online 3D world, namely a reconstruction of the real museum in the first case and a completely imaginary world in the second case. This paper describes the above three case studies from the early World Wide Web and then draws some conclusions, from first-hand experience of developments at the time. We cover both the advantages and the challenges encountered by the various projects and illustrate why they did not necessarily become established, despite promising early results.

The Future of Return of the African Artefacts: A Review of African Union (AU) Vision 2063 on Africa with a Strong Cultural Identity Common Heritage, Values and Ethics

The successful return of African artefacts was absolutely echoed by the later Zairian President, Kukugbedu Zambanga Seseseko Mobuto, at the United Nations in New York. The parliaments' legislation, enactment of the national laws, and mutual agreement treaties in the joint International Council of Museums (ICOM) were implemented at a slow pace across Africa. The paper reviews discourse on "Africa with a Strong Cultural Identity Common Heritage, Values and Ethics" since unveiling the African Union (AU) Vision 2063 in the year 2021. It aims to unravel some issues that affect the return of African artefacts and its way forward. The paper has employed qualitative research design and historical methodologies. It has explored the desktop research framework by reviewing related literature on the restitution or return of African artefacts and formulation of the Africa Union's Vision 2063. The paper has analysed the experts' voices, reviewed relayed literature, and formulated government policies on the return of African art. It has randomly looked at some of the few African countries, such as the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Kenya, among others, as examples. The paper is cognisant that the artefacts that were returned and preserved at various local sites of Kenya and African Heritage Houses such as the Murumbi Collection, Koitalel Arap Samoei Museum, and Alan Donovan House of Heritage. It applauds the candid documentation done by the African governments through social media on African culture, arts, and heritage in modern times. The paper concludes by alluding that African leaders should champion the bringing back of remaining African artefacts still held in other countries

Endangered cultural heritage in the Russia–Ukraine war: comparing and critiquing interventions by international cultural heritage organizations

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage in Ukraine is presently endangered. As Russia’s war against the country continues, Ukrainian cultural heritage has been damaged, destroyed, and remains at risk. Interventions into the war initiated by the international cultural heritage community commenced with the issuance of formal public statements regarding the war and its implications. This article reviews the statements by some of the world’s leading cultural heritage organizations, specifically the International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Twin objectives are offered: first, establishing an overview of the international cultural heritage community’s early communications regarding the war; and second, comparing and critiquing these public pronouncements and implications for Ukrainian cultural heritage. Ultimately, a joint contemporary and historical snapshot situating the international cultural heritage community within the war’s early stages is presented.

The Future of Museums

Originating from the Ancient Greek Mouseion early examples, such as the Institute for Philosophy in Alexandria (founded c. 280 BC), museums1 were temple-like buildings set apart for study, and often associated with libraries. Scholars arrived from all parts of the (mainly Mediterranean) world not simply to consult the material but to meet like-minded people. Museums were places of intellectual and social commerce in an age when the concept of a university was in its infancy. As such they were found in the commercial heart of their locations; their buildings were surrounded by taverns, cafes, public spaces, temples, and shops where the scholar could be refreshed after a day's study. Two thousand years later, town planners would define such places as being “cultural quarters.” There are an estimated 105,000 museums in over 200 countries which, collectively, cover every field of artistic, scientific, cultural, and historical endeavor (Statista 2022a). Museums of all types (national, not-for-profit, local authority, university) collectively make a significant contribution to the tourism, leisure, and educational infrastructures of their countries. As distinct from public libraries (themselves of great antiquity), most modern museums would align their statement of purpose with the definition recently approved by the International Council of Museums (ICOM 2022): “collecting, conserving, documenting, interpreting and displaying objects of artistic, cultural, or scientific significance for study and public education and enjoyment.”

국내 박물관 평가지표의 개선에 관한 연구

The International Standard Organization (ISO) published two museum standards, ISO 18461:2016 - International museum statistics and ISO 21246:2019 - Key indicators for museums, which were developed through close cooperation with International Committee for Documentation (CIDOC) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This study aimed to introduce the major characteristics and details of ISO 21246 and to derive practical results for the improvement of museum evaluation in Korea by analyzing ISO 21246. ISO 21246 is the international standard for museum indicators, consisting of six clauses and two annexes. Firstly, This study summarized ISO 21246:2019, compared it with ISO 18461, and analyzed terms and its definitions and each evaluation indicator of ISO 21246. Secondly, this study compared ISO 21246:2019 with museum and library evaluation indicators of the Korean government and other related research. Thirdly, based on that analysis, this study suggested new museum evaluation indicators for the museums of Korea consisting of 48 indicators in 9 categories and proposed various recommendations for Korean museum evaluation policy. This study is significant in a sense that it can usefully function as a complement to Korean museum evaluation policy through examining in detail ISO 21246:2019 which has not been clearly studied in Korea until recently.

L’accueil au musée des publics en situation de handicap ou le long chemin vers un musée accessible

The new definition of a museum put forward in 2022 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) affirms the importance of a museum “open to the public, accessible and inclusive” and that “fosters diversity and sustainability”: the principles of accessibility, inclusion and participation are becoming a requirement as new norms for a museal institution and the evolution of its role and missions. They embody the necessary conditions to dust off the image of a cloistered museum, disconnected from its publics, and to build a welcoming museum space for active engagement with all publics. Still, beyond the affirmation of this political discourse, accessibility, whether seen by professionals as an injunction or a conviction, indeed an opportunity, is lagging; a study conducted in France in 2017 on accessibility to the culture for people with disabilities shows a number of difficulties in accessing culture, which throws the museal offer into question: how is the accessible offer structured for visitors with disabilities? And what is its participatory scope? To answer these questions, this article proposes to outline the content and evolution of this offer. Thus, firstly, the aim is to describe and present the sociopolitical and ideological context of museum accessibility in France; it looks back at the influence of cultural democratization as well as the emergence of inclusive pressure and accessibility, bolstered since 1975 by a legal framework. Secondly, the article will focus on the evolution of welcoming publics with disabilities and the variety of arrangements made to unite accessibility and participation.

Deschiderea patrimoniului către beneficiarii cu dizabilități cognitive. Studiu de caz - Muzeul Hărților din București

The theme of well-being and health through culture, heritage, and museums is already established in the European museum world, as evidenced by the fact that the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has proposed this theme as the objective for the year 2023. It is only natural, therefore, that at the national level, the subject generates discussions and interest. In this article, we aim to provide a case study regarding how this generous theme has been approached within a cultural institution in Bucharest. A small museum, but one that aims to constantly evolve, the Maps Museum has initiated a project in order to explore the impact of heritage on individuals with cognitive disabilities. An insight into this endeavour might be useful for other small but enterprising museums, by showcasing the developmental journey of the idea as well as the challenges encountered.

Discerning the Human Rights Museum

This paper critically engages with the growth of cultural actions among governments, urban policy makers, and various kinds of cultural institutions to find ways to translate human rights into accessible ideas and practices for the public. Researchers have noted an increasing interest in the utility of “cultural well-being” for promulgating a common understanding of rights in conflict-ridden times. An important type of relevant project seen in the last three decades is the construction of human rights museums. As a public cultural institution, a “human rights museum” (HRM) is defined in this paper as one that engages in collecting and curatorial exhibition of artifacts with a threefold mission to educate/advocate for the mainstreaming of rights, memorialize past events of trauma, and engender a legal common sense. This definition is consistent with the International Council of Museums’ general definition, according to the ICOM Statutes (adopted in 2007). Added to this generality are two important dimensions pursuant to HRMs, namely their relation to cultural governance and to human rights sociolegal norms. In this paper, I introduce a “juris-cultural” theoretical approach and use it to chart a conceptual framework for discerning the social, cultural, and political role played by HRMs in their vision of social memorialization and cultural transformation.

The International Council of Museums and the Controversy about a New Museum Definition – A Conversation with Lauran Bonilla-Merchav, Bruno Brulon Soares, Lonnie G. Bunch III, Bernice Murphy, and Michèle Rivet

Abstract In 2019, an Extraordinary General Assembly International Council of Museums (ICOM) met in Kyoto, Japan to vote on a new museum definition. Among other things, the controversial proposal described museums as “democratising, inclusive and polyphonic spaces for critical dialogue about the pasts and the futures” that should also aim “to contribute to human dignity and social justice, global equality and planetary wellbeing.” The motion to postpone the vote, which was supported by a large majority in Kyoto, caused a crisis in the most important international organization for museums and museum professionals. In the years since, ICOM Define led an elaborate consultation process resulting in a newly revised museum definition to be voted on at ICOM’s Extraordinary General Assembly in Prague in August 2022. In this conversation, several prominent members of ICOM who have been deeply involved in the debates about a new museum definition take a critical look at the consultation process before Kyoto, the reasons for postponing the vote, the work of ICOM Define, and also share their expectations for Prague.

Forensic Analysis of Artworks: More Than a (Complex) Analytical Issue

Forensic Analysis of Artworks: More Than a (Complex) Analytical Issue

Reclaiming archives: guest editorial

Abstract Highlighting perspectives from First Nations peoples whose cultural heritage is held in archives of various types, this article sets the scene for this special edition on “Reclaiming Archives.” Emerging protocols for Indigenous community engagement with archiving institutions have been driven by community demands for access, digitisation and return of archival cultural heritage records, and supported by various peak professional organisations such as the International Council on Archives, the International Council of Museums and the Indigenous Archives Collective. A complex history of exploitation, resistance and trauma surrounds First Nations cultural records created during Australia“s “Assimilation Era“ (roughly 1935-1975), and several contributions to the volume explore the implications of this colonial past for management and reclamation of such archival records today. Indeed, the authors contend that institutions today have much to learn from engagement with community members seeking to reappropriate their cultural records. The essay finishes by relating the issues outlined above to the articles presented in this issue, which provide perspectives from Australia and internationally regarding Indigenous cultural collections, with special reference to research-based collections of Indigenous music and dance.

Museumization of olive oil mills: instruments for conservation of the heritage of the olive grove culture

Opposed to the historical concept of the olive oil mills as places just for transporting the fruit, milling and olive oil production, the growing interest in its museumization is turning them into gastronomic, cultural and ethnographic points of reference. This study analysed the components of the museumization of Andalusian olive oil mills, using the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) technique and employing the fuzzy-set approach (fsQCA). To that end, it draws on the definition of museum put forward by the more progressive elements of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The main implication from the results is that olive oil mill professionals should adapt the museum offer according to the needs and aspects identified by the causality results of the model, and design museumization strategies with actions tailored to olive oil tourism, in order to more effectively tackle the transformations needed in the sector and enable the conservation of olive cultural heritage.

Debating the ‘museum’: a quantitative content analysis of international proposals for a new ICOM museum definition

ABSTRACT What is a museum? Though seemingly obvious, the answer to this question has eluded the international museum sector since a controversial redraft of the official definition, put forward by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 2019, was dramatically rejected by its own membership. As deliberations about what constitutes a museum continue ahead of ICOM’s next General Conference in 2022, this article provides a quantitative content analysis of 269 definition proposals submitted by ICOM’s international membership during the 2019 consultation phase, in order to evaluate how closely the wording of the eventual proposed definition mirrored the priorities of ICOM’s stakeholder base. The research finds that contributors favoured the content of the standing ICOM definition over terms and concepts that characterised the proposed revision. In the light of these findings, the article proposes ways in which ICOM can improve its consultation processes in order to more faithfully gauge the perspectives of its constituents ahead of the 2022 conference.

TYPA, Innovation in a Museum Context

How do print museums develop an innovative approach to their collection while providing their visitors with historical context? Using artistic printmaking to keep the heritage of print alive, many ‘working museums’ promote the global knowledge of letterpress, relying on international collaborations to generate innovative and creative approaches. The the International Council of Museums’ guidelines, only refers to a ‘working museum’, but does not offer a clear definition of what this is. How can an operational print museum demonstrate innovative practices and retain the existing knowledge of letterpress? This paper will examine the ‘working print museum’, how it can be not only a site for reimagining the past but provide new forms of research and pioneering adaptations of old technologies. This research is inspired by the concept that as the initial infatuation with certain technologies has passed, we have entered a relationship with them in expanded artistic adventure. The paper promotes the idea that printmaking and letterpress allow for a collaborative approach which not only serves to strengthen communities but can be more than a mere reproduction of a historical process and allow for expanded experimentation. Through an in-depth look of the contemporary practices, ethos, and developments of printing museums in Europe, this paper raises questions surrounding the role of museums in this post-digital world. It will look at the future of the ‘working print museum’ and suggest how letterpress practices can extend through international and European collaborations.

Foreword to Special Issue

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM, https://icom.museum/en/) current definition, “A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.” As we move into the third decade of the 21st century, cultural heritage institutions throughout the world are using innovative digital solutions to enhance their work in all areas and also in how they communicate and exhibit heritage. This journal Special Issue presents articles that show examples and case studies demonstrating how invention and innovation can successfully take place when Museums and Digital Media converge.